Description
A comforting beef stew with seared beef, caramelized onions, and a tangy red apple vinegar sauce, perfect for chilly evenings and family gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½–2 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 7 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons tomato concentrate (tomato paste)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red apple vinegar
- 2 cups beef stock (low-sodium preferred)
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1½ tsp fresh thyme leaves)
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
- 1 pound small white potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
Instructions
- Pat the beef cubes dry and season evenly with salt and black pepper.
- In a heavy-duty pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Sear the beef in batches, browning on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer browned beef to a plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, add chopped onions, and sauté until softened and golden, about 6–8 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar and tomato concentrate, cooking briefly for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle flour over the mixture, stirring to combine and cooking for another minute.
- Gradually pour in red apple vinegar while scraping up browned bits from the pot.
- Return the seared beef to the pot, and add beef stock, water, bay leaf, thyme, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for about 3 hours until beef is very tender.
- Add sliced carrots and halved potatoes, cover, and continue to simmer for an additional hour until vegetables are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, and remove bay leaf before serving.
Notes
If you prefer less vinegar tang, reduce red apple vinegar to 1½ cups and add an extra ½ cup beef stock. Beef chuck is ideal for tenderness after long braising.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 240 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 775mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 46g
- Cholesterol: 80mg