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Fox Pines Beef Stew

An old-fashioned beef stew with vegetables and gravy.  Or try using game meat like deer or elk. Be sure to have crusty bread or corn bread to serve with it, great for sopping up the gravy!  Though it takes an afternoon to make, the house smells wonderful, and the making itself is quite easy.

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

base

  • 1/4 cup bacon grease or oil, devided
  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped or grated

meat

  • 3 pounds cubed meat well trimmed
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 bottle beer
  • 1 tsp seasoned salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary

final ingredients

  • 3-4 potatoes, cubed and dried red, yellow or idaho white
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 2 cup other assorted vegetables corn, green beans, lima beans
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
  • 1 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp parsley

Instructions

  1. Melt the bacon grease in a large heavy (cast iron) dutch oven over medium low heat.  Add in the onion and celery, and stir occasionally until wilted, than add in the mushrooms, stirring again until a bit brown. Finally add in garlic and saute briefly.   Remove the base and set aside.

  2. Dry the meat cubes with paper towels or clean dish cloths, and place in a bag (plastic or paper. Add in the flour and salt, or any variety of seasoned salt you like.  close the bag and shake to coat the cubes of meat.

  3. Add more bacon grease or oil to the dutch oven, and bring heat to medium.  Once it's hot, start adding a few pieces of the meat - it should sizzle loudly.  Only add a few pieces and do not crowd the pan.  Crowding will cause meat to release too many juices and steam, rather than brown.  Remove pieces after browning on all sides and put in the bowl with the base.  Continue until all meat is browned.

  4. Now with that lovely fond in the bottom of the cast iron, lower heat back to low, and pour in the beer - carefully. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release all those wonderfully flavored browned bits.

  5. Return the beef and base back to the pot into the beer, and add about 4 cups of water - enough so the meat is all covered.  Add in the cumin and smoked paprika.  Put in the fresh rosemary sprig (i prefer using fresh over dry for this). Cover and let simmer for about an hour.

  6. Remove rosemary sprig, and add in the remaining ingredients.  Cover and continue to simmer over low heat until the meat is tender - I usually wait 2-3 hours.

  7. For thicker sauce, use a slurry of potato starch or cornstarch to make thick gravy.

Recipe Notes

Buy a roast and cut and trim yourself rather than buying "stew" meat.  It often has a lot of grizzle or connective tissue in pieces. 

Buy a roast and trim meat well.  Things like a rump roast, bottom round roast or chuck roast all need low slow braising to become tender and that's exactly what a stew does.  Although marbling is okay, trim off any fat, connective tissue or grizzle around the roast. You'll end up with cubes of solid meat.   Cut them into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces.