Slow-cooked beef stew
Rich, fork‑tender slow cooker beef stew with mushrooms, baby potatoes and a glossy, thickened gravy — set-and-forget comfort food.
This is the kind of beef stew you set in the morning and return to like a small domestic miracle: fork‑tender beef, silky gravy and potato that soaks up all the good stuff. It’s unfussy, brilliant on cold nights and much better than anything from a jar.
Browning the beef first builds deep flavour, while the slow cooker does the heavy lifting. Serve with buttered greens or a slice of crusty bread to mop up the sauce. If you want to speed it up, use the High setting for 4 hours.
Ingredients
- 800 g braising steak — trimmed and cut into 3 cm pieces
- 35 g plain flour — for dusting
- 10 ml sea salt — plus extra to finish
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 25 g unsalted butter
- 2 brown onion — roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 350 g carrots — peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
- 2 celery sticks — trimmed and sliced
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms — halved
- 150 ml red wine — choose something drinkable
- 800 ml beef stock — hot
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 15 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 400 g baby potatoes — halved if large
- 10 ml cornflour — mixed with cold water to make a slurry
- 15 g fresh parsley — chopped, to finish
Equipment
- slow cooker
Instructions
Season the braising steak pieces with half the sea salt and half the black pepper, then toss in the plain flour to coat evenly. Shake off any excess flour.
Heat the vegetable oil and half the unsalted butter in a frying pan over a medium–high hob. In batches (do not overcrowd), brown the meat on all sides until a deep crust forms, 8–10 minutes per batch. Transfer browned pieces to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining butter if needed and sweat the brown onion, garlic cloves, carrots and celery sticks for 6–8 minutes until the onion is softened and starting to colour.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned residue with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 2–3 minutes to reduce slightly.
Place the browned beef into the slow cooker. Add the softened vegetables and the wine from the pan, then stir in the chestnut mushrooms, beef stock, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, fresh thyme and baby potatoes. Give everything a gentle stir to combine.
Set the slow cooker to Low and cook for 8 hours, or set to High and cook for 4 hours. The meat should be fork‑tender and the sauce glossy.
Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks. Mix the cornflour with 30 ml cold water to a smooth slurry, stir into the stew, then set the slow cooker to High and cook for a further 5 minutes until the gravy has thickened.
Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining sea salt and black pepper. Stir through the chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.
Tips
- Brown the beef in batches to get a deep crust — that caramelisation is where your stew gets its flavour.
- Use hot beef stock to keep the slow cooker coming up to temperature faster.
- If the gravy is too thin at the end, use a cornflour slurry (mix cornflour with cold water) rather than adding raw flour.
- Make ahead: the stew improves a day after cooking. Cool, chill overnight and skim any solidified fat before reheating.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the hob or in the slow cooker on Low.
Substitutions
braising steak → stewing beef (same quantity)
Stays closered wine → extra beef stock and 1 tsp red‑wine vinegar (use 150 ml extra stock + vinegar)
Noticeably differentbaby potatoes → pearled barley (200 g) added in the last 45 minutes of cooking
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 718
- Calories
- 48 g
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I skip browning the beef?
Technically yes, but browning creates caramelised flavours that make the stew richer. If short on time, brown just half the meat or toss everything in a hot pan briefly.
How do I stop the potatoes turning to mush?
Use baby potatoes or add larger potatoes halfway through cooking. Keeping them submerged and not overcooking prevents them falling apart.
Can I make this in a pan on the hob instead of a slow cooker?
Yes — simmer covered on the hob for 2–2½ hours until the beef is tender, or cook in the oven at 160°C fan/180°C conventional for 2 hours.
Community Photos
No photos yet
Be the first to share your creation!
