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After years and years of experimenting with (and perfecting!) my Irish beef stew recipe, I’ve found I have taken ZERO pictures of it. Which is probably why I’ve put off posting the recipe– because food photos are super important for a food blog, right?

Well, I’ve recently admitted that photography is not my strong suit. Making delicious, nourishing recipes is more my jam. So here’s a simple slow cooker beef stew recipe bare bones blog post. Maybe someday I’ll add pretty pictures. Maybe not 🙂

The best part about this recipe is that you can make Organic, Grass-Fed, Whole30, Paleo, Whatever. Or not! Sometimes I make it with all organic, grass-fed, paleo ingredients, blah blah blah. Sometimes I add a can of Guinness and whatever I have in the house and make it not-so-“clean”. It seriously delicious, hearty, and pretty dang healthy, any which way way.  My husband is an Irish “meat and potatoes” guy and he loves it no matter how I make it. You can mix up the meat options, the veggie options, how thin or thick you like the broth. Try this recipe out a few times and see how you like it!

 

Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs beef stew meat

Other meat options – you can do ground beef, lamb, bison, etc. instead of beef chunks. I’ve recently done a mixture of 1lb beef chunks and 1lb ground lamb — it actually turned out really well! 

• 3-4 whole carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4-5 small russet potatoes (or potatoes of choice – russet will be the starchiest and lead to a thicker stew) roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Optional: 1-2 stalks of celery, finely diced
• Optional: 1-2 parsnips, peeled and finely diced
• 32 oz. beef bone broth (or other beef broth/stock of choice)
• Optional: 1 can of Guinness (if no beer desired, add another 8-10 oz. of beef bone broth)
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 3 tbsp. worcestershire sauce (can sub coconut aminos if Whole30) 
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional: 1 -2 tbsp. arrowroot starch (Can also use flour, beef gelatin, or cornstarch to thicken the stew)

 

Instructions:

1. Chop all the veggies and set aside.
2. Heat cast-iron or other large pan with beef tallow, olive oil, or other cooking fat.
3. Once screaming hot, add beef chunks (or meat of choice) to the pan and brown on all sides. (These do not need to be cooked through.) Remove from heat.
4. Add all chopped vegetables to slow cooker.
5. Add all spices (besides the bay leaf) to the veggies and stir in.
6. Add broth, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, and Guinness (optional), to slow cooker and stir.
7. Add meat to the slow cooker and stir in gently.
8. Place bay leaf in the broth.
9. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
10. Remove bay leaf from crockpot.
11. Optional: Stir in 1/2 – 1 tbsp. of arrowroot powder. Add slowly until desired consistency is reached. You do not want to add too much as it may add a new “taste” to the stew. 
12. Serve with mashed potatoes, warm fresh bread, over cauliflower rice, or on it’s own. Enjoy!