The Beef Stew Recipe of Your Dreams

Beef stew is a slow-braised comfort dish where cubed chuck roast is seared in bacon fat, deglazed with brandy, then slow-cooked in a covered Dutch oven at 275°F with red wine, crushed tomatoes, carrots, baby potatoes, and beef broth for two hours until everything is fork-tender. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and zest at the very end cuts through all that richness and brings the whole bowl to life.

I am going to tell you how to make a delicious and super-flavorful beef stew recipe. All of your beef stew dreams are about to come true. There is a big splash of brandy, some red wine, some vegetables and things, a little bacon, a lot of beef, and a whole lot of flavor.

Why You Will Love This Beef Stew Recipe

Listen, this is not your average, boring bowl of beef and potatoes. You are going to love this because it is an absolute flavor bomb. We are browning the meat to perfection, caramelizing the veggies heavy pour of brandy, and letting it all cook down in red wine, crushed tomatoes, and beef broth. It is insanely rich, super comforting for a cold fall or winter night, and finished with a secret hit of citrus that cuts through all that heaviness and brings absolute clarity to the dish. Plus, there is bacon. Need I say more?

If you love a rich, slow-braised beef dinner like this, you are also going to want to try our Easy Dutch Oven Pot Roast, which uses the exact same low-and-slow Dutch oven technique with that same deeply satisfying depth of flavor.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (oven-safe with a tight-fitting lid)
• Wooden spoon (crucial for scraping up those caramelized bits!)
• Vegetable peeler
• Microplane or zester (for the lemon)

The Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs (1.13kg) chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (do not trim all the fat!)
• 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp salt, divided (adjust slightly if you are sensitive to salt)
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 lb (450g) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (halve the thicker parts)
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 lb (450g) baby potatoes, halved (purple potatoes look beautiful here!)
• 3 tbsp (45ml) olive oil
• 3 slices thick-cut Black Forest bacon, cut in half
• ½ cup (120ml) brandy
• 1 cup (240ml) dry red wine
• 28 oz (794g) crushed tomatoes
• 1 qt / 4 cups (946ml) beef broth
• 3 whole bay leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
• 1 whole lemon, zest and juice
• Fresh rosemary, for optional garnish

Let us Get Cooking

1. First, Prep That Beef

Before you turn on the heat, you have got to get all of your prep work out of the way. Start with two and a half pounds of chuck roast. All this fat will render really nicely when the stew is cooking and really contribute to the mouthfeel and the way all the flavors come together. So do not worry about trimming all the fat. Do worry about not including the twine, so you will take that away first. Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Place the beef in a bowl and season with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper. Give that beef a nice toss to coat well. Set it aside while you do the rest of the vegetables, and wash those hands!

2. Speed Peel the Veggies

Now for something much less gory. Time for a speed peel! Prep a pound of carrots, a pound of baby potatoes, a medium yellow onion, and six cloves of garlic. When you smash a clove of garlic before mincing, it helps to release the oils, so give them a good smash first. Set all your chopped vegetables aside in bowls.

3. Bring on the Bacon

Preheat your oven to 275°F (135°C). Place your Dutch oven over high heat on the stove and let 3 tablespoons of olive oil dance and shimmer in the pan. Once it is just below the smoking point, toss in your thick-cut Black Forest bacon. Cook until crispy, then remove and set aside to crumble later.

4. Sear the Beef

Use all that beautiful bacon fat to start cooking your beef in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan! Make sure you get a nice and gorgeous sear on all sides of those pieces. Once the beef is browned, remove it and set it aside.

5. Build the Flavor Bomb

Toss the chopped yellow onion into the pot and hit the pan with half a cup of brandy. This will help deglaze the pan and get all those flavors from the beef and the bacon to absorb into those onions. Use your wooden spoon to aggressively scrape all those brown caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan. That is flavor. You want that mixed in, not sitting at the bottom.

6. Saute the Veggies

Add your chopped carrots, minced garlic, and baby potatoes. Season with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and a bit more black pepper. Stir well and let the veggies cook down over medium heat for about five minutes.

7. Build the Broth

Hit the pan with a cup of nice red wine and stir. Add the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, beautiful bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme. Do not forget the beef! Add all of that browned beef along with its resting juices back into the pot.

8. Simmer and Bake

Bring this mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, cover it with a tight-fitting lid and pop it into the preheated oven at 275°F for two hours.

Food safety note: Chuck roast cubes braised in liquid at 275°F for 2 hours will comfortably exceed the USDA safe internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for whole cuts of beef. If your pieces are very thick or your oven runs cool, verify doneness with a meat thermometer.

9. The Secret Weapon: Wake It Up!

Once it is out of the oven and the meat and potatoes are perfectly tender, you need to wake it up. Because it has a lot of super-rich flavors, a little bit of acid will go a long way. Zest the entire lemon directly into the pot, squeeze in the juice, and stir it up to incorporate the bright oils and acid. All those oils will really give you a nice depth of flavor.

10. Garnish and Serve

Dish yourself a big bowl! Garnish with a sprinkle of the crumbled crispy bacon, extra fresh thyme, and some rosemary if desired. Just a warning: wait 10 minutes before you eat it! I took a little sip straight out of the pot and it scalded my tongue. But I promise you, with all that browning and caramelization, it is totally worth it. Enjoy!

This stew is magnificent served over mashed potatoes or with crusty bread on the side. If you want even more vegetables on the table, our Roasted Root Vegetables roast beautifully while the stew is in the oven and make the most natural pairing imaginable.

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The Best Beef Stew Recipe (Dutch Oven Chuck Roast with Bacon and Brandy!)

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: Main CourseCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

6 – 8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

15

minutes

Calories

550

kcal

Chill time

10

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

45

minutes

Make all your beef stew dreams come true with this super-flavorful, ultra-rich comfort food. Featuring bacon, a heavy pour of brandy, red wine, and a secret hit of fresh lemon to bring it all to life.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Large Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid

• Wooden spoon

• Vegetable peeler

• Microplane or zester

• Ingredients:

• 1.13 kg (2.5 lbs) chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes (do not trim the fat)

• 2 tbsp plus 2 tsp kosher salt, divided

• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper, plus more to taste

• 450g (1 lb) carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

• 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced

• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 450g (1 lb) baby potatoes, halved

• 45ml (3 tbsp) olive oil

• 3 slices thick-cut Black Forest bacon, halved

• 120ml (½ cup) brandy

• 240ml (1 cup) dry red wine

• 794g (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

• 946ml (1 qt) beef broth

• 3 whole bay leaves

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

• 1 whole lemon, zest and juice

• Fresh rosemary for optional garnish

Directions

• Remove twine from the chuck roast and cut into 1-inch cubes, leaving the fat intact. Season with 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of black pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C).
• Peel and chop the carrots. Smash and mince the garlic. Roughly chop the onion. Halve the baby potatoes.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Remove and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
• Working in batches, sear the beef in the bacon fat until deeply browned on all sides. Do not overcrowd the pan. Remove beef and set aside.
• Add the chopped onion to the pot. Pour in the brandy and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon.
• Add the carrots, garlic, and potatoes. Season with the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and more black pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Pour in the red wine, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, bay leaves, and fresh thyme. Stir to combine.
• Return the seared beef and all its resting juices to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly, and bake at 275°F for 2 hours.
• Remove from the oven. Zest and juice the entire lemon directly into the stew. Stir well to incorporate.
• Ladle into bowls. Garnish with crumbled crispy bacon, extra fresh thyme, and rosemary if desired. Rest 10 minutes before eating!

Notes

• The Brandy Pour: Yes, half a cup of brandy feels like a lot, but more is more here! It caramelizes the onions beautifully and picks up all that incredible fond from the bottom of the pot.
• Do Not Trim the Fat: The fat on the chuck roast renders down during braising and gives the broth a velvety, rich mouthfeel. Leave it on.
• Mushroom Friendly: If your household will eat mushrooms, toss in some quartered cremini mushrooms when you add the carrots in Step 7. Someone in my house will not eat them, but yours might!
• The Lemon is Not Optional: The citrus zest and juice at the end cuts through the richness and brings brightness to the whole dish. Do not skip it.
• Food Safety: Chuck roast cubed and braised in liquid at 275°F for 2 hours will safely exceed the USDA minimum of 145°F for whole cuts of beef. Use a meat thermometer if your oven runs cool or your pieces are very thick.
• Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently with a splash of beef broth to loosen the gravy.