Classic American Beef Stew

Ingredients

Instructions

0 of 7 steps complete

1. 1Pat the beef cubes very dry with paper towels — dry meat browns instead of steaming. Toss with the flour, 1 tsp of the salt and ½ tsp of the pepper until lightly coated.
2. 2Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the beef in two batches, 3–4 minutes per side, without crowding the pot; transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil if the pot looks dry.
3. 3Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes until softened, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute until fragrant and darkened slightly.
4. 4Pour in the wine and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot — that fond is the flavor base of the gravy. Simmer 2 minutes, then add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves and the browned beef with its juices.
5. 5Bring to a bare simmer, cover and cook on low for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Keep it at a gentle bubble; a hard boil toughens the meat.
6. 6Stir in the potatoes, carrots and celery, cover again and simmer 35–45 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the beef shreds easily with a fork. Beef stew meat is safely cooked and tender well past the 145°F minimum — here it should reach about 200°F internally for that fall-apart texture.
7. 7Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the peas and the remaining ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper; simmer 5 minutes. If you prefer a thicker gravy, mash a few potato chunks against the side of the pot and stir them back in. Rest 10 minutes, shower with parsley and serve.