Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Trust me you won't be slow to say "YUM!"


I have made Beef Stew hundreds of times.
I usually use something different each time depending on what I have on hand.   Sometimes I use red wine, sometimes beer...Yes, you heard me right I said beer!
Sometimes I use potatoes, other times Brussels sprouts..I mess around with the spices here and there..
There is no big secret to this recipe, it is relatively simple and easy...
Although I have to say I have never used Bone Broth before and since I made my first batches last week I wanted to try it out.  Now I'm sure some of you are wondering "What the heck is "Bone Broth"....

Bone broth is basically home made stock very similar to what you can buy in the store minus all the crap chemicals fillers and whatever else they throw in to keep it on the shelf for extended periods of time.  What makes the bone broth so superior to anything you can buy in the store is the nutritional value and the taste..
Boiling bones for 24 hours or more and you are getting all the nutrients from the bones and the taste is fabulous compared to anything store bought.  Believe me, I know it does not sound very enticing!   The first time I heard about bone broth I thought it sounded kind of gross.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to make your own broth, by all means use the store bought stuff.

Chop the onions, shallots and celery carrots and garlic.

Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes, trim any excess fat or gristle..heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil and 1 tablespoon grass fed butter(for color and flavor) to the pan and brown the beef in a large skillet on medium to high heat making sure the meat is not crowded...brown on all sides and dump it in the Crock Pot.

For Beef stew you can use a variety of different meat cuts  (beef chuck or beef round)
This time I am using "Stew Meat" from Trader Joe's.  I would have preferred Grass fed beef but at the moment I don't have access to a supply.  Trader Joe's  will have to do for now until I get the group together for the next Cow pool.

Next, De-glaze the skillet (any liquid will work)

FYI****Deglazing is a fancy and intimidating word that means to pour some cold liquid into a very hot pan to get up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits are where all the flavors are, and it is called “fond.”

Fond is French for “bottom,” so let’s stick to calling it fond!

After deglazing the pan, add 1 tablespoon of grass fed butter to the pan and saute the chopped onions, shallot, garlic and celery  on medium to high heat about 5 minutes...(You can also do the same with the carrots and parsnips I did not this time.)

Add the carrots, parsnips, onions, shallot and celery to the Crock Pot and add all of your spices;

2 bay leaves, Thyme, peppercorns, salt , smoked paprika, Herbs De Provence, turmeric.
Add 2 cups of bone broth or stock to the crock Pot and 1 tablespoon Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.  I always throw an additional tablespoon of Grass Fed Butter into the Crock Pot for good measure.

Turn the Crock Pot on Low and cook for 6-8 hours or until the beef is tender.

Serve with a big salad and some crusty bread..

Yummy!

Ingredients

2 lbs Beef Stew Meat

2  cups Beef or Chicken Bone Broth or Beef Stock

2-3 tablespoons grass fed butter (I use Kerrygold)

1   tablespoon Coconut oil 

1   tablespoon Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

1   large onion (chopped)

4   medium Organic carrots (chopped)

1   Organic Shallot (minced)

2   cloves Organic garlic (minced)

1   stalk of Organic celery (chopped)

3   Organic parsnips (chopped)

2   Organic Bay leaves

1/2 tsp  Herbs De Provence

1/2 tsp Organic Turmeric

6   whole Tellicherry Peppercorns

A few sprigs of fresh Thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Serves about 4 people