Chunky Beef Barley Stew with a Twist: Crockpot & Instant Pot Friendly
I love when I am ahead of the game for dinner. It is always nice to know at the end of the day, a crockpot or instant pot full of stew is ready and waiting for me and my husband for dinner. I tend to be a last minute, throw together something type of gal, but as the cooler weather slows things down around the farm, I get the chance to take my time and enjoy the experience of cooking.
I made this recipe on Tuesday morning this week and set my instant pot to crockpot mode, so the smells of the stewing meat and vegetables filled the house with a comforting aroma. I have made beef barley stews before, so I wanted to do something different and add enough flavors and punch to knock this recipe out of this world. I am at heart a perfectionist, always striving for the best in everything, which can be frustrating when I can’t do something (aka…bake), but with cooking, I rock.
I like my beef barley stews to be full of flavor, creamy and with pearls of barley adding the extra texture to the melting beef. The recipe I was using as a general guideline, called for wine, which I do not currently have on my shelf. Looking through my available alcohol, I thought, what the heck? Whiskey seems like a great addition to a hearty beef stew. Think, pub stew. And it works! The whiskey adds a beautiful flavor to the stew, but is in no way overpowering.
The great thing about this recipe; you can make it your own. I geared the veggies I added to my husband’s tastes, but you could easily throw in peas, green beans, potatoes or mushrooms (something I will do next time). Not a big fan of whiskey? Substitute in some red wine or simply skip it. No problem.
I chose to use chuck steak for this recipe because I knew the marbling and fat in the meat would melt during the stew process, making this generally tougher cut of meat fall-apart tender. The beauty of chuck is that it is both economical and packs a punch of flavor, so even though it isn’t super tender, it makes a great cut for stew or slow cooking. Chuck steak is just chuck roast, cut into steaks, so it is an easy cut to cube. We have plenty more of those in stock in our store if you are looking to make a hearty stew this weekend.
Happy cooking!
Ingredients
2.5 Chuck Steak (cut into cubes)
1/2 cup flour
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Olive Oil
2 Onions (chopped)
2 Carrots (chopped)
2 Celery Stalks (chopped)
3 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 TB Dried Oregano
3 TB Tomato Paste
7 cups Beef Broth
1/3 cup Whiskey (optional)
3/4 cup Pearl Barley
1 TB Worcestershire Sauce
3 Bay Leaves
Instructions
Season the beef stew meat generously with salt and pepper. Place the beef in a bowl and add the flour over the beef. Stir the beef and flour until the beef is entirely covered. Add more flour if needed.
Heat the olive oil in your instant pot on saute. Add the beef to the pot and cook just until the meat starts to brown. You will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches. Remove the meat from the pot after you're done and set aside.
In the same pot, you will have a lot of brown bits on the bottom, add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and removing the brown bits from the bottom to add flavor.
Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Add the meat back to the pot, then the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and whiskey. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Add the barley to the pot and the bay leaves.
Set your instant pot to slow cook, making sure that the pot is set to the More setting for 4 hours or Less setting for 8 hours. Slow cook until the meat is tender and melts in your mouth.
If you find that too much liquid has evaporated or the soup is too thick add more water as necessary until you get the desired consistency.
Confessions of a Chronic Non-Measurer: Garlic and Rosemary Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
I’m going to be up front here. I rarely follow a recipe. I hardly ever measure. I cook with the mystical powers of “well, that feels about right.” And it works for me.
I’m going to be up front here. I rarely follow a recipe. I hardly ever measure. I cook with the mystical powers of “well, that feels about right.” And it works for me.
I love to cook. It took about two years of marriage to really get into the groove of cooking with disaster after disaster ending in the trash with a shrug and a “tonight’s a dinner out night.” I learned a lot through trial and error. I learned what spices we like and in what quantity, so with years of disasters and successes behind me, I feel confident in using the technical measurements of a “bit here”, a “swig there”, and a “dash of that.”
Some recipes lend themselves better to this type of cooking. When I am cooking something I have repeatedly, it makes eyeing it easier, but there are a lot of forgiving recipes out there that allow for experimentation and changes without needing the recipe police to approve it.
This recipe is one of those recipes. Don’t like rosemary? Switch it out for something else. Aren’t a big fan of garlic? Reduce it and add olive oil to add moisture. Like the flavor of lemon with your meat? Add some lemon juice to the mixture. Need to make a holiday feel? Pile this roast on apple slices and let the oven fill your house with the scents of sweet and spice.
The amazing thing is, no matter what you do, this roast turns out top notch and ready for the guest meal table. It is so easy to prepare that it is a no brainer that pork loin roasts are a common holiday menu item. It is classy, delicious, and juicy, mixing it well with other holiday favorites.
Recipe: Garlic and Rosemary Rubbed Pork Loin Roast
Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
A nice heap (4 teaspoons) fresh rosemary
Shake it until it feels right (1 1/2 teaspoons) coarse salt
Grind a couple times (1/2 teaspoon) ground pepper
1 2 1/2 lb. pastured pork loin roast
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Mix seasoning ingredients into a small bowl. Rub the mixture all over the pork.
Place pork, fat side down, into roasting pan (covered in aluminum foil for easy clean up).
Roast pork for 30 minutes. Turn roast fat side up.
Roast until thermometer registers 155F. I roasted mine approximately 25 minutes more. You can take the roast out earlier than 155F if you like your roasts to be on the medium rare side. I didn’t mind roasting mine to 155F because it still turned out juicy and not dry at all.
Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.
Looking for quality meats for your holiday festivities? Our farm store is stocked with pork loin roasts, ham steaks, prime rib roasts and more. Treat yourself this holiday season. Our store hours are Saturdays, 9 am - 2 pm, and Wednesdays, 3 pm - 8 pm.