Description
This Beef Barley Stew is a hearty and easy stew recipe perfect for cozy nights. Featuring tender beef and wholesome barley, it’s a delicious comfort food recipe ideal for family dinners and homemade beef stew lovers.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 pounds 1 kg boneless beef chuck roast cut into 1 1/2 inch steaks or 3 pounds 1.3 kg bone-in beef short ribs ribs removed and reserved see note
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon 15 ml canola oil
- 3 large carrots 10 ounces 280 g diced
- 1 large yellow onion 12 ounces 340 g diced
- 2 ribs celery 6 ounces 170 g
- 4 medium cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 3 quarts 3 L homemade or store-bought chicken stock see note
- Sachet of 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf and about 5 whole black peppercorns
- 1 cup pearled barley 7 ounces 200 g
- 1/2 teaspoon 3 ml Asian fish sauce optional
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Generously season the beef with salt and pepper then heat the canola oil in a large pot or Dutch oven until it begins to lightly smoke.
- Brown the beef on all sides over high heat turning as needed, about 5 minutes per side, and set aside on a large platter.
- Add diced carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot and cook while stirring often until they become lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
- Remove the vegetables to a heatproof bowl to hold and pour the chicken stock into the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
- Cut the browned beef into chunks, add them back into the pot along with the reserved bones if using and the herb sachet.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the heat to maintain a steady low simmer, and cook until the beef is tender, 1 to 2 hours, skimming off any foam that appears.
- Remove and discard bones and herb sachet, then stir in the barley, reserved vegetables, and fish sauce if using.
- Continue simmering until the barley and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Add water to thin the soup if needed and serve garnished with minced parsley.
Notes
- Beef chuck is the easier and more affordable option and produces very good results
- Short ribs, especially when combined with their bones, create an even more deeply beefy stew
- Ask your butcher to remove and reserve the bones if you don’t want to do it yourself
- For chuck that’s already cut for stewing, sear half the pieces in step 1 and add the rest raw in step 3
- Use chicken stock for better flavor though good homemade beef stock is fine
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hrs 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 80mg