- 2-3 lbs chuck roast (or another good stew cut), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 c. butter (sometimes more if I feel it needs it)
- 4 medium yellow onions, diced (it really needs this many onions...don't skimp!)
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 or 3 cups chicken or beef broth (don't use water instead, broth is a necessity!) A bottle of ale. I use Samuel Adams from Trader Joe's. It's a bigger bottle than your standard beer bottle, so if you want to use a different kind of ale, maybe 1 1/2 or 2 standard sized bottles. Only use ale, not a lager or IPA. Herbs. I usually use fresh rosemary and some thyme. You can also use an Italian seasoning mix, or dried herbs. I would really make sure that you have at least some rosemary, it really makes the flavor! Probably about 3 Tablespoons fresh or 1 1/2 Tablespoons dry
- 2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 or 2 Tbsp balsamic
- 1 or 2 Tbsp. Honey (taste after adding first Tablespoon and see if you want more)
- 3 Tbsp flour
- Mushrooms
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Turnips, etc...
Pat the beef dry with some paper towels; it won't brown as well if it's super moist. Use a big pot (about a 5 quart stew pot works best so that you have a big surface to brown things on). Brown the beef with about 1/4 c. butter and a nice sprinkle of sea salt or Himalayan salt. It's going to leave a brown residue/caramelization on the bottom of the pan – that is good! Don't stir it too much while browning. Once it's nicely browned, set the beef aside in a bowl. Put diced onions and garlic and remaining butter into the same pan, to keep the nice fats and browning from the beef.
Once the onions are really nicely browned, pour in about a cup of ale to de-glaze the pan and start forming the gravy. At this point, add chopped potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips, or turnips. I usually just use potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, but parsnips and turnips are great in it too. Stay away from celery or greens, their texture doesn't work well in this stew. Sprinkle in herbs and another sprinkling of salt. Add broth and rest of ale slowly as the veg cooks. You never want to let it get too "soupy", so let the liquid evaporate quite a lot before you add more. This should be done at a medium heat... remember, stewing slowly is what really helps develop the texture and flavor.
Mix the flour with enough butter to form a nice paste, mix that in when there is still quite a bit of liquid, and that will help the gravy really come together well. Once you have all of the liquid in, dump the beef back in, the mustard, balsamic, and any more salt or pepper that you want. Then let it simmer on a really low heat for at least an hour, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid as necessary to keep it from getting too dry. At this point, you can add some water if you have run out of broth and ale but feel you need more liquid. The honey is added right towards the end, make sure you taste it as you add it; the stew needs that tiny touch of sweetness to balance, but you can easily get too much