Ultimate Beef Stew

I love beef stew because it so hearty and comforting! We got our first snow last week and I've been craving soups and stews all month. I've tweaked my beef stew over the years and think I finally created the ultimate beef stew by adding wine and BACON.

Trevor and I stopped by Beach Plum Farm in Cape May over the summer and got some of their thick cut bacon. It wasn't the type of bacon you could crisp up so I thought hmm what if I added this to the beef stew?

WELL let me tell you. The bacon added a smokiness to the stew and melted with the rest of the ingredients. SOO good.

I promise your house will smell amazing all day as the stew simmers on the stove.

This recipe makes a large batch so you can have a few meals for the rest of the week and it tastes even better as leftovers because all the flavors get some extra cuddle time.

I hope you try this and stay cozy this season!

Ultimate Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tb olive oil
• 2-3 lbs beef chuck stew meat, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup flour, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
• 1 cup red wine, Cabernet or Merlot
• 3 cups beef broth or 3 tsp better than bouillon beef base mixed with water
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 5 potatoes, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 5 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large skillet on medium high heat, add oil. Toss beef with salt & pepper and 1/4 cup flour to coat. Brown the beef in the skillet on all sides working in two batches. Once all the meat is browned, add to 6-8 quart Dutch oven.
2. Add onion, garlic and bacon into the skillet and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. deglaze the pan with red wine and scrape off bits of fond on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes and add to the Dutch oven. Add soy sauce, beef broth and spices into the pot, cover and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
3. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Whisk 1/4 cup flour with 1 cup of cold water, add to the pot to thicken the stew. Add peas and mix thoroughly. Simmer for 5 minutes and enjoy!

NOTES:

• Pick a chuck roast that is well marbled for full flavor and melt in your mouth meat.
• You can brown the meat in the Dutch oven and make this a one pot beef stew. I just like to use a skillet with more surface area to brown the meat.