Slow-Cooked Red Wine Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

Wow. No. Rub the garlic for the oils and then burn it during the searing process? No thanks.Brown gently? No, brown thoroughly, if you want to develop flavor. There’s IS a need for crust to form, that's where the flavors develop. "When browned, remove meat to paper towels to drain". Sigh. No. Unless you're serving the paper towel where all that flavor ends up. All those juices belong right back in the stew pot.And no olive oil, a neutral oil with a higher smoke point.

What is the purpose of marinating in this recipe? Does it add any value that the 5 hours of baking in wine would not achieve by itself?

Absolutely agree re browning - I toss my cubed beef in seasoned flour before browning in hot oil which helps.Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking actually goes one step further. After the meat is browned, she advises sprinkling tablespoon of flour over the meat and puts it in the oven for 5 minutes which "toasts" the floured meat. She then takes it out, adds the wine and broth to deglaze the pan on top of the stove. The result is a glorious deep flavoured stew.

In step 6, you say to use a separate skillet - but in step 7 we seem to be back to the pot (I will be using a dutch oven). When do you transfer the sauteed ingredients into the pot? is it even necessary to do so? Can I just do all the sauteeing in the dutch oven and then add the browned meat just before pouring the wine in?Thanks!

One potato for 8-10 servings? Meaty-juicy potatoes are the best part. I want more than one-tenth of a potato.

Exactly. Recipe fails on many accounts. Sad it passed by the editor. They meant to add the step pouring the contents of the skillet into the pot with beef. And THEN add wine. The "ingredients" here means the beef, as in just to cover the beef/veggies. Although some would say to bring just below the top level of the beef to develop more flavor. Or course there was never a need for a separate skillet to prepare the pancetta/veggies/tomato paste, could have all been done in the stew pot.

Thank you for noticing! We are fixing this. At the end of Step 6, the contents of the skillet should be poured over the meat in the Dutch oven.

I cannot believe how many angry people are on this forum and reacting to this recipe. If you just watch the video and pay attention it's all there. So simple and beautiful. I loved reading Ms. Moskin's treatise on beef stew and thought the video was really well done. I always tweak recipes to my liking and love the fact that this version calls for a very long cooking time in a proper Dutch oven or similar slow-braising vessel. Stop complaining people and just cook!

I like to add a turnip and/or parsnip for an added sweetness.

Why on earth would you drain the browned meat into a paper towel?? You waste all that flavor.If it's fat you're concerned about, here's a better idea. Use the meat juices. When the meat is cooked, drain the liquid into a degreaser, let sit for a few mins so the fat rises to the top, return the juices to the pot, and discard the fat. (Or if you don't have a degreaser, skim fat with a spoon.) This way the fat stays with the dish throughout cooking, adding flavor.

Have to disagree with Matthew on his critique of the oil choice. The beef is sautéed in vegetable oil, NOT olive oil. The 3 tbs of olive oil (not EV) is used to sauté the veg over low heat. Canola, olive (light, not EV) and grapeseed all have moderately high smoke points so you could sauté the beef in olive oil with no problem. (EV olive oil has a smoke point of only 320F while light olive oil has a smoke point of 460F making it fine for sautéing and even deep frying.)

Would a shot of Tanqueray Gin, which contains juniper berries, impart some of the desired aroma and flavor? - AND MORE.

Very interesting recipe and discussion. Obviously, there are many ways to cook beef stew well. I'm surprised nothing has been said about the wine, which makes a big difference if you're using a whole bottle. You don't want to use a heavily oaked California cab or merlot. The best wine, recommended by several authors, is a French Rhone, preferably an inexpensive one. We always use a Cotes du Rhone. They usually are raised in stainless steel tanks so no wood, which adds bitterness.

Tomato paste -- feh! Add some tomatoes when the wine has started to reduce. Mix thoroughly to coat the meat and gently fry the tomatoes. Then add the carrots and onion -- and some unpeeled garlic, which was not rubbed onto the skillet before browning the beef to prevent its burning and ruining the stew. The potatoes should be parboiled and added 30-45 minutes before the stew is done -- they are a garnish.

Marinate or not. Brown the meat in bite-sized chunks as brown as you'd like, in your favorite oil and some garlic, garlic at the beginning or end of browning. Dice and slice your favorite roots - amounts of each dependent on how much you like the root. Tomato - fresh/paste, or not. Add your favorite savory spices.Do not deviate from this: use a whole bottle of wine and cook the meat and roots for 4-5 hours at 250. BTW, some dumplings on the top of the stew at the end are also awesome.

As per Kenji's article on 3/14/24 (with a link to this recipe) about cooking time:"Past the four-hour mark, strands [of beef] underwent a noticeable change in texture. Rather than juicy and tender, they became increasingly chalky and tough until those individual strands broke down completely, turning into a pulpy mass. This is the phase I call 'tertiary breakdown.' The chewing experience was more akin to wringing out a wet towel." So the sweet spot: LESS than 4 hours!

I like to blend the celery, some of the carrots, and a spoonful of grainy mustard to thicken and flavor and the stew at the end of cooking.

Nah. I tried this, but I'm sorry I doubted mom's recipe. Flour the beef (in this version, sauce never became "rich and thick"). Add the veggies half-way through (in this version, everything was mush after three hours). No reason to marinate.

are we crushing the juniper berries? seems necessary to release flavor

I made this even though I didn’t have enough meat, only .75lbs, but added extra potato and some green beans. Dee dam lish. I needed lots more broth when I pulled it out of the oven at 4 hours but it incorporated like I knew what I was doing. Will probably make it just like this again.

Wow, this was incredible. I followed instructions on marinating and only lightly browning the meat to great effect. The beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the flavoring was unlike anything I'd made before. Different and, dare I say, even better than our beloved Beef Bourguignon recipe. I substituted a splash of orange extract for the dried orange peel and cracked cardamom pods for the juniper berries. My husband couldn't stop raving about it. This is going into our cannon of best meals ever

I’ve never posted to the NYT Food section before. But just this simple note. The recipe really does work. Many of these complaints seem to come from perfectionists. If you’re a beginner just try this recipe as is. Then develop from there. The video is a great tool.

I've been on a mission to find the best beef stew for several years, since my nan never wrote her recipe down. This is by far one of the the best if not the best stews I've ever made. I did use about 2 additional cups of chicken stock to have enough liquid to cover the solid ingredients, and I used and kept the celery. I've made several versions of beef bourguignon, and this is still better.

Lot of reviews abt how wrong the recipe is - and most don’t even state if they made it! Well I made it mostly as written (marinated the meat and then browned it using grape-seed oil until most of the pieces had a nice crust). Really good!

I made like the lazy version of this and it turned out spectacular. I did it all in a Dutch oven. Skipped the marinade. Browned the meat with a nice crust. Took the meat out, threw in pancetta and garlic, then the veggies, then the tomato paste. Poured in a bottle of Pinot noir and beef broth to cover everything. Skipped whatever that bundle of herbs was and threw in bay leaves, sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Let it simmer for 2 hours. Thin broth but decadent, half the work of this recipe.

Is there anyone here who actually discarded the celery once the stew is complete? Why not just eat it? Also, there is a considerable amount of water that's released when the veggies are cooking. It's unclear whether the water should be cooked off becaus, later in the recipe, that water could've been helpful while making the syrupy sauce.

Love this recipe. My wife and I have made it 5-6 times in the last year and are about to make two more batches this weekend to take to in-laws that are recovering from surgery and mother-in-law we won’t be with this Christmas because of the pandemic. The only change I’ve made, is what others have already stated here, increasing the potatoes and carrots by 3 or 4 fold.

I have to disagree with Matthew and Elias on the browning. Maillard-Schmaillard! You want to brown the meat gently-ish - otherwise it‘ll end up „flavorful“ but tough. It’s all about a balance between taste and texture.

Fantastic as is. People, this is not beef bourguignon—it’s American beef stew. And it is tasty.

I make a pretty mean beef stew myself, and I agree with Matthew. Brown the meat well. I brown small batches of the beef at a time, barely enough pieces to cover the bottom of my slightly oiled cast iron skillet over medium to high heat and brown it very well but not burned. I move the pieces to my Dutch oven, deglaze the skillet with beef broth and pour over the meat in the Dutch oven. Then I repeat this until all the meat is browned. Four pounds of meat will take a long time.