Beef Stew

Mass quantities of beef with hearty vegetables in a luscious, savory, thick sauce. Mmmm.

Based on techniques by Adam and Kenji

Note: these instructions are for a ginormous batch of stew to feed a lot of people. Smaller quantities use slightly different techniques, perhaps covered in [Everyday Beef Stew].

Preparation

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This is a two-day recipe. You can make it in one if you start very early, but giving the stew a chance to rest overnight in the refrigerator will have benefits.

Ingredients

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Note: there are no quantities here. These are general guidelines.This is a very loose recipe, and we're not sending someone to space. This is big, gloopy, country cooking. make it your own.

• Meat: Chuck roast, boneless short ribs, or a combination of the two. At least a half pound per person.
• Carrots, sliced chunky
• Onions: either chopped into bite-size chunks or frozen pearl onions. Frozen pearl onions are a great shortcut and look fancy
• Celery, sliced chunky, if you like it
• Garlic cloves, smashed and peeled. Keep them whole.
• A starch for thickening, like flour or arrowroot
• A hearty squeeze of tomato paste
• Another umami component like soy sauce, Worcestershire, or Marmite (or anchovies or nori if you are adventurous)
• White or red wine
• Chicken or beef stock
• Gelatin, one packet per two pounds of meat
• Balsamic vinegar, optional

Instructions

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Cut out any hard, intra-muscular fat from the meat and cut it into big, hearty chunks. There's no need to go crazy trying to cut out all of the fat. Most of it will render out anyway, and it's delicious besides. Season with salt and pepper.

Put a heavy roasting pan under the broiler (or your oven to max) and get it ripping hot. Toss the meat chunks in oil and then directly into the roasting pan. Put it back under the broiler for about 10 minutes or just until there is good color on the meat.

Sprinkle enough starch over the meat to just coat it and stir it in. Brown the flour for a couple of minutes under the broiler.

Add tomato paste and a couple tablespoons of your other umami component. Stir it in and broil for another minute or two.

Switch the oven to bake at 275°F.

Add enough liquid to cover the meat about 2/3 of the way. Any combination of wine, water and stock. Cover with foil and put back in the oven for at least four hours.

When the beef is soft and almost tender, gently stir in the vegetables. Replace the foil and bake for another hour or two until the vegetables are tender.

Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust. Add some balsamic vinegar if you like.Stir the gelatin into just enough cold water to dissolve it, then glop it onto the stew. Fold everything together VERY GENTLY. Let it cool and rest in the refrigerator overnight.

Pick off any big chunks of fat that have congealed overnight (tip: save this fat for mashed potatoes). Put the pan back under the broiler until the stew is warmed through and the top has a bit of a browned crust, about 15 minutes. You can also warm it on the stovetop or in a 350°F oven. Keep warm over a burner turned to low if necessary.

Serve with [Buttered Noodles], [Mashed Potatoes], or whatever else you like.

Eat for days.