Beef stew jazzed up with homemade seasoning and a few chugs of beer. Perfect, beefy, tons of vegetables. It’s a huge crowd pleaser.
Like I mentioned in my recipe for beef stew seasoning, I realize I’m pushing the boundaries of winter a little with these recipes.
However, I live in Michigan, and here, winter knows no boundaries.
We got two days of warm sunshine and I rushed outside with both kids to take walks. This was an urgent matter! Two short days.
Now it is cold and rainy again. A little sleet. Thanks, Michigan. Don’t mind me while I curl up with a big bowl of this hot and cozy beef stew.
If it happens to be warm where you are, tuck this recipe away for next winter or crank up the AC (AC? What’s that?) and make this beef stew anyways. It’s that good and definitely worth making any time of year – spring, summer, fall and definitely winter.
Or check out my recipe for Instant Pot beef stew or slow cooker Marsala beef stew!
About this beef stew
This beef stew is heavy on the beef–just the way my husband likes it. Okay, me too. Rich and flavorful thanks to the homemade seasoning mix, beer, and tomato paste. Sprinkle some fresh herbs on top, serve with buttermilk biscuits, and comfort is on its way — served up in a bowl.
More Homemade Seasoning Mixes
- Homemade taco seasoning (or a large batch of taco seasoning)
- Chili seasoning
- Herbes de provence
- Homemade ranch seasoning
- Italian seasoning
- Fajita seasoning
- BBQ rub (perfect for pork or chicken)
Beef Stew with Beer and Homemade Seasoning
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds of beef chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into large bite-sized chunks
- 8-10 tablespoons of [beef stew seasoning]
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 4 stalks of celery, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1-2 large onions, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
- 2 ounces tomato paste
- 1 bottle of beer
- 1 14.5 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, broken into pieces
- 32 ounces of beef broth
- 2 cups frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss meat with seasoning mixture (about 2 tablespoons of seasoning per one pound of meat).
- In large heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Working in batches, brown meat on all sides and remove to a plate or bowl. Repeat until all meat is browned.
- Add carrots, celery and onion to hot pan and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to break up the paste and coat the vegetables.
- Pour beer into hot pan and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add meat, tomatoes and beef broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook on low for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add peas about 5-10 minutes before serving. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Verdict: Love this stew! Definitely the best I’ve ever made.
Husband’s take: He’s not a huge beef stew fan, but he loved this. My in-laws also really liked it, and my mother-in-law commented on the seasoning before I even told her it was a recipe for the blog.
Changes I would make: None.
Difficulty: Easy!
My assistant!
What is a good beer to use. I’m in Texas all we ever drink is XXs. Thanks
I like a dark beer or an amber for beef stew. Dos Equis amber is really good!
So, my family is now vegan, but my husbands favorite meal was his moms beef stew before transitioning. One of my favorite past-times is to convert recipes into our style of eating. I made a version of yours for 1 pound of meat, the same portions of veggies, subbed ketchup because my paste went bad, and a couple suggestions from the comment section (less pepper, although I will add more to the dry mix now that I’ve had it… some garlic powder and cumin powder, plus a ton of potatoes since that is the hubbies favorite part of stew). We LOVED it! Our two year old had two servings, and so did we! This will be a favorite recipe in our household. Thanks, so much!!!
(Oh, and I asked my husband to be honest… was it better than his moms LOL. she uses a store bought packet mix… and he said “who’s my momma?!” hahahaha…. so that’s very much a yes!)
I love this! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a comment. So glad you liked this recipe!
Where are the potatoes in this recipe? I feel like beef stew needs potatoes! I’m also gluten-free. Any other suggestions about being gluten-free?
You could absolutely use potatoes in this recipe. You might like my Instant Pot Beef Stew – that one has potatoes. Being gluten-free, you could use a gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose, or you could leave the flour out and thicken at the end with a slurry of cornstarch and water (or arrowroot). Hope you enjoy!
I will need to use a pressure cooker, an old school one, not the new ones that are electric. Will the bottle of beer cause any problems in a pressure cooker? If I left it out, would it change the texture of the meat?
Hi Liz,
I have an electric pressure cooker and not much experience cooking with a non-electric, so I asked one of my friends who is an expert! She shares recipes at Pressure Cooking Today, if you’re looking for more pressure cooker recipes!
She said, “You have to be careful when using alcohol in a stovetop pressure cooker especially with a gas flame but a little beer mixed with the beef stew shouldn’t be a problem.”
I hope that helps! If you do leave it out, just substitute with the same amount of beef broth – it will still be tasty!
Thank you for looking into! I appreciate it.
Mmm. Looks like this stew is back in season again. Love the pic of your little one acting like Mommy. My daughters do that all the time!! So cute!
this looks yummy – wondering what kind of beer you used though? You don’t have to give a brand, but a dark, light, lager, ale, stout?
Hmm — I don’t remember exactly and truthfully it doesn’t really matter. Go with whatever you like the taste of! I often have IPAs and stouts in the house but have also been known to drink a Coors Light. They would all be good. Whatever you enjoy the taste of.
Yum! I’m the type of person who could happily eat beef stew in the middle of July…as long as I have AC! I like mine heavy on the beef too. With a lot of beef it’s just sad beef stock with floating vegetables :)
That last picture is ridiculously cute! And this stew looks really tasty.
I love that your daughter loves “taking photos” too! So fun! This looks amazing! My hubs favorite meal is beef stew. Pinning :D
It’s been forever since I’ve made stew, what am I waiting for?!