Classic Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I used red wine and french onion soup mix. Used 1 less onion. Added some water. Didn’t have broth or beer so subbed those item. Also skipped the flour bec there is corn starch for thickening in soup mix. Added more carrots. Plus some mushrooms. Definitely had a depth of flavor even without the beer. Also skipped the vinegar. Plenty of salt in soup mix but I did season the meat as directed. Still fairly healthy with substitutes.

Unfortunately if you cook the meat more than 4 or 4 1/2 hours, it will be dry and stringy and tough. The best way is to add everything except the beef to the slow cooker. Cook for 3 hours, and then add the browned meat and continue to cook for 4 more hours. The veggies will be tender, but still have texture, and the meat will be buttery, melt in your mouth soft.

Just made this recipe. I am single so kept half for myself to eat the rest of the week and have the other half to give to my grandmother. Though it does take a bit of effort, the broth is pretty flavorful...just make sure you use a brown ale and add the mustard and vinegar at the end-that is key to the flavor. I mixed the two ingredients together in a bowl first before adding to the stew. I also added more salt to taste to the batch as it was finishing up cooking. Definitely needed more salt. I ended up cutting down the amount of onions as I'm not crazy about those. I also cooked it for 8 hours instead of 7...I was at work and didnt want the crock to turn off too early so just added another hour on. I prepped everything the night before, stored in the fridge overnight, then popped it in the crock the next morning to cook all day. Overall, this is a good recipe and I will make again. This is the first thing I've ever made in a crock pot before. If I can do it, you can too!

I've made a lot of Cooking Light slow cooker recipes and found this one to be just ok. I did use larger red potatoes cut into quarters because that is what I had on hand. The rest was exactly as written. I doubt I'll make this again as I greatly prefer the flavors of Beef Daube Provencal (October 2013) which can be served with noodles or potatoes, but this is a good, solid recipe.

Fantastic! I have made this several times and loved it every time. Try: -few more carrots -boiler onions -baby potatoes this keeps the onions and potatoes more intact over a long cooking time.

Good recipe, not a keeper though. 1) Two inch beef chunks are a bit too big. 2) Needed something else--maybe more salt? Some tomato paste to give it an acidic kick. 3) Way too much work for a nice, lazy slow cooker recipe.

in my opinion this tasted kinda blah. Needs something to brighten it up at the end like a citrus. I'm sure many of you will like it but this was very forgetable for me.

Made to recipe except used a bottle of Ommegang Abbey Ale and added two celery stalks cut same size as the carrots. Done after 5 hours on low. Served with mushroom-spinach salad and crusty bread. Great winter meal.

Made it like the recipe but added peas. I was home while it was was cooking in the crockpot and stopped it at 6 hours and then added peas, mushroom and the rest of the beer ( bought a 2 pint) instead of the stock. Think 7 hours is a bit to much since so much was cooked before hand.

This beef stew was outstanding! The preparation was a little time consuming, so allow yourself the full 45 minutes to trim the meat, cut the vegetables, and cook everything. I was unable to find a nut brown ale here in Germany, so I used Newcastle Brown Ale. I am not a beer connoisseur, but I think the flavor was nice. I also had to substitute 1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves for the thyme because I was unable to find it at the local store. This was delicious, and I plan to make it again in the future.

Best stew recipe I've ever made - the flavor is marvelous. I used Newcastle Brown Ale. My husband loves the meat being cut in larger 2" chunks and the baby Dutch potatoes left whole & unpeeled. Great for a cold winter day - special enough for company!

I made this the other day. There were sub-zero temps in WI and the time was right! I did not have any nut brown ale (not a big fan) but we do like our Miller High Life and I used that instead. Did not add red wine vinegar (out of stock) and used a teaspoon or so of dried thyme instead of the sprigs. Husband said it could of used more salt (which he added to his own bowl) but I thought it was just fine the way it is. Very, very good! The beer flavor was there, but not overpowering...a nice flavor addition. Will make again for sure.

This was outstanding! Made exactly as written (used pearl onions and baby carrots as nearly identical subs) and we liked it so much we made it again the next week. The second time I made it, I skipped step 3 entirely because we were hungry when we got home and didn't want to wait, and I think it was equally as good- without as much of a strong taste. My husband thought both times it was good and tasted the same, so clearly it's just a matter of preference. Either way it's a KEEPER! and a bag of frozen pearl onion makes it even faster to prepare.

I made the recipe as written, but added more meat and made this for Christmas. I started it out in the crockpot, but about half way, I transferred it to the over at 325 for I was afraid the carrots and potatoes weren't going to be cooked through since the crock pot was filled up so high. I must admit it was fantastic! Will make again, only this time in the oven for the whole time.

Really tasty & very easy too. Will definitely add it to our dinner rotation. Used a nut brown ale & it added a lot of flavor. I actually don't like beer, but thought the flavor of the stew was spot on.

This was very good - very interesting/complex flavor. The "whole sprigs of thyme" was a lot easier to deal with instead of pulling off leaves and chopping as I have always done. Just pulled out the leafless sprigs when done. For those who do not know much about beer, you may find you need to go to a specialty beer/wine store to find Nut Brown Ale. There seems to be two styles (northern England and London) which I have not yet figured out which is better. A person at our local grocery advised that typical American light beer is not what this recipe needs. I used a brown ale (versus nut brown ale) that did not result in an unpleasant bitter taste. This is one recipe that the beer flavor does not get lost but is pleasant. I personally don't like beer but think it works great in this recipe. Another reviewer used Root Beer instead -- I would expect that would completely change the flavor of this recipe and would not recommend that approach.

Good recipe. I didn't use beer because I didn't have any on hand. Instead, I used rootbeer. The flavor was okay. I think I will add some more spice next time. Hubby added hot sauce and said it was better. Loved how easy this recipe is and I love how hearty it is. I will definitely make it again and add a few things. Oh, and your house will smell heavenly all day.

Made this for dinner tonight and got rave reviews. Used Fosters premium ale and red potatoes. Served with sourdough bread for slurping up the great gravy at the end of the meal. Will definitely make this again!

Really easy and a great flavor!