Bowyn Baird RD, LD, CYT-200

beef

Hearty Beef Stew

This is a really special beef stew recipe, as the original beef stew recipe was passed down to me from my mom, who learned it from my grandmother. I made a few minor changes that don’t compromise flavor. The changes make the stew gluten free and paleo friendly. In addition, there are additional nutrients from different root vegetable sources. The stew can also be made lower in carbohydrates by replacing all potatoes with turnips, if desired.

Once you learn the techniques of making stew, it becomes very easy. At fist, the instructions may seem intimidating or complicated. I will have a YouTube video coming out soon to help show you how to cook the strew.

The longer you can allow the meat to simmer in the tomato sauce, the more tender and flavorful the meat will become. I recommend getting started with the stew early in the day so it is ready to serve by dinner time.

Time needed: 7 hours

Hearty Beef Stew Instructions

  1. Brown Meat

    Heat ghee in large pot or dutch over low to medium heat. Add meat and arrowroot starch. Stir to coat the meat. Continue to stir as it can easily start to stick. Add onion and allow to brown. While the meat is still red, add celery. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.

  2. Wilt Cabbage

    Add cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low. Cover and allow to brown. Check frequently to avoid any sticking/burning. Once the cabbage is slightly browned and decreased in volume, move to the next step.

  3. Slow Simmer Meat

    Add parsley, bay leaves, and tomato sauce. Increase heat to bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and keep on low heat. You can cook this for as long as you want. I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes. You will not overcook the meat. This slow, low simmering process will tenderize the meat and help the stew develop flavor. This is the part of the stew that I will allow to cook 3-4 hours before adding in the rest of the ingredients.

  4. Cook Vegetables

    About two hours before ready to serve, start by adding 1 cup of broth, potatoes, and turnips. Increase heat to bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. About an hour before ready to serve, you can add the carrots. Adding the vegetables in this way will allow them to hold some shape and color. You can add additional broth as needed. How much you add will depend on your preference for the thickness of the stew.

  5. Serve

    Once all vegetables are tender with a fork, it is ready to serve.

Hearty Beef Stew

Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours
Course Main Course
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb beef stew meat cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 tbs ghee
  • 1 tbs arrowroot powder
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 small potatoes, peeled
  • 2 turnips, peeled
  • 1 quarter head of green cabbage, shredded
  • handful fresh parsley
  • salt, pepper to taste
  • 16 oz tomato sauce
  • 1-2 cups beef broth
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions
 

  • Heat ghee in large pot or dutch over low to medium heat. Add meat and arrowroot starch. Stir to coat the meat. Continue to stir as it can easily start to stick. Add onion and allow to brown. While the meat is still red, add celery. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
  • Add cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn heat to low. Cover and allow to brown. Check frequently to avoid any sticking/burning. Once the cabbage is slightly browned and decreased in volume, move to the next step.
  • Add parsley, bay leaves, and tomato sauce. Increase heat to bring sauce to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and keep on low heat. You can cook this for as long as you want. I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes. You will not overcook the meat. This slow, low simmering process will tenderize the meat and help the stew develop flavor. This is the part of the stew that I will allow to cook 3-4 hours before adding in the rest of the ingredients.
  • About two hours before ready to serve, start by adding 1 cup of broth, potatoes, and turnips. Increase heat to bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. About an hour before ready to serve, you can add the carrots. Adding the vegetables in this way will allow them to hold some shape and color. You can add additional broth as needed. How much you add will depend on your preference for the thickness of the stew.
  • Once all vegetables are tender with a fork, it is ready to serve.
Keyword beef, beef stew

Flavorful Beef Bone Broth using Instant Pot

Making really good beef bone broth takes a few extra steps, compared to chicken bone broth, but the effort is worth it. In this article I will show you step by step how to make beef bone broth.

PROCUREMENT OF BEEF BONES

Sourcing local, pastured raised beef bones is always the ideal. I usually find my bones from Farmers Market’s or when I haven’t been able to find them, I have ordered a large case of knuckle bones from Azure Standard. The local option is usually the cheapest. Connecting to local farms can feel intimidating and difficult. Many small farmers don’t have a large online presence. Thus, “googling” for local farms may not always yield the best results. This is why I encourage you to look through local Farmer’s Markets and even Facebook. Many farmers will have a page on Facebook.

TYPES OF BEEF BONES

Chicken broth is pretty straightforward: get a carcass and some feet if you can. Cows are a much larger animal and have more bones and a variety of bones. I suggest a variety of bones to make the best broth. The catch is that most farmers won’t sell their beef bones in a “variety pack”. This is something specific that would have to be communicated to the butcher. So, if you have that opportunity, it is probably easier to get the bones all mixed together. I’ve also learned over the years that many farmers have different definitions of “soup bones”. So, you may never know exactly what you will get.

In order to get a good mix of beef bones I suggest the three following types for a well rounded beef stock:

Meaty bones (have some meat attached to them)

Marrow bones (have marrow inside the bone)

Knuckle bones

MAKE IT EASY

Once you procure a variety of bones you can break them apart and make your own “variety” beef broth package of bones. Then, you just grab and make your broth!

HOW TO MAKE BEEF BONE BROTH IN INSTANT POT

Time needed: 4 hours

How to make flavorful beef bone broth, in an instant pot, from a variety of beef bones.
You will need:
-meaty bones, marrow bones, and knuckle bones. Start with one of each then decide if you have room for more.
-1-2 bay leaves
-10-15 peppercorns
-3-5 garlic cloves, peeled
-1 onion, quartered
-2 carrots, chopped into thirds
-2 celery sticks, chopped into thirds
-handful of fresh parsley

  1. Preheat oven and Soak marrow and knuckle bones

    Preheat oven to 350. Place marrow and knuckle bones in the instant pot with water, a few inches below the fill line and 1-2Tbs apple cider vinegar. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before cooking.

  2. Roast meaty bones

    Place meaty bones on roasting pan with edges (some juices will cook off) and place in the oven. Roast 5-15 minutes until lightly browned. Watch the bones carefully. It is hard to give an exact time because all meaty bones are cut different, have different amounts of meat, etc. Too much roasting will produce a burnt like flavor to your broth. I prefer just a small amount of browning.

  3. Place meaty bones in the instant pot with other bones

    Put all bones in instant pot. Check to make sure pot is not overfilled, add or subtract water as needed for instant pot. Make sure valve is on “sealing”. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours. Follow all manufactures instructions for operating instant pot safety.

  4. Naturally release pressure

    Do not manually release pressure. Allow pressure to naturally release, this usually takes about 30 minutes.

  5. Add aromatics

    After pressure is released and you can safely open the instant pot, add aromatics (1-2 bay leaves, 10-15 peppercorns, 3-5 garlic cloves, 1 onions, 2 celery stalks with leaves, 2 carrots, handful of parsley) Cook broth with aromatics for 30 more minutes on soup setting.

  6. Naturally release pressure

    Do not manually release pressure. Allow pressure to naturally release, this usually takes about 30 minutes.

  7. Cool and strain broth

    Allow broth to cool a little and then pour the broth mixture over a mesh wire strainer into a large bowl. Transfer to glass containers. Allow broth to cool until there is no steam coming off of the glass. Once the steam is gone, transfer the broth to refrigerator. Keep lid off until fully cooled.

  8. Skim fat

    Skim fat once fat has solidified. Fat in broth usually gives it a greasy taste which is not desired. The fat can be set aside and used for cooking.

  9. Store in fridge or freezer

    Broth in the fridge will last about 5 days. Broth in the freezer lasts several months. I enjoy freezing broth into cubes so I can easily pull it out and use in cooking.

HOW TO USE BONE BROTH

Bone broth can simply be a warming drink. You can also cook it into soups, stews, gravies, rice, or other sauces. It is a great way to add a depth of flavor and nutrition.

WHY CONSUME BONE BROTH

Refer back to this article on the benefits of consuming bone broth.

From my kitchen to yours, I wish you the best of health for years to come!

-Bowyn