Beef Stew in a Dutch Oven

Recently I was able to score a 5 qt. cast iron Dutch Oven from a little adventure to the local Goodwill store. For $4 and some time seasoning, I now have a very useful tool for my kitchen. Cast iron pans are slow to heat up, retain heat for a long time and work best when used at lower temperatures except when frying, which makes it perfect for slow-stewing a pan of delicious beef stew. Another bonus to using a dutch oven is it's a one-dish meal. Self loves to cook but hates to clean. Well seasoned cast iron is virtually non-stick which makes clean up a breeze.





I started out with a few slices of thick bacon. Not only does this add flavor to the dish but renders some fat to sear the bits of beef. Here I grabbed 5 slices from Northside Market for $1.44. The Chianti was on sale too. It added great flavor to my wine glass.





Chop the bacon into little bits. Sometimes it helps to throw it in the freezer for a few to firm up the bacon for easier cutting. A good knife helps too, I use ONLY Forschner cutlery. I'm not a snob, it's just what I like.








Put you bacon bits into the pan and cook on the stovetop until nice and crisp, but not smokey and burned. I cooked it on medium low heat with patience. If you over heat the oil thats rendering now it won't work as well later.


While your bacon's cooking, trim and cube your beef. Being the dollar and cent kinda guy I am, I grabbed some chuck steak that was on sale. It was $1.39 a pound if I remember right, but it totaled to a little over three bucks for the whole slab. Remember, this will only be 5qts total so alot of meat isn't necessary. In fact the amount I used was enough and even a little extra, which is great because meat is delicious.








Once its trimmed and cubed, salt and pepper it and set it aside, let the salt and pepper soak in for a miniute while you prep your veggies. Don't worry about the raw meat on the "wooden" board. It's not wood. It's bamboo which to my understanding won't harbor bacteria like old wooden cutting boards, and bamboo is harder than maple wood, lighter in weight than oak. It is actually a grass. Some species grow up to 2 feet per day. After harvesting, bamboo does not require replanting, it continually sends up new shoots naturally replenishing itself making it one of the most renewable resources known which is way better than chopping up trees. I have to thank my Uncle Danny for that one.





Keeping things simple and low cost I used some cubed red potatoes, 3 carrots peeled and chopped, a half of red onion finely diced, and an 8oz package of mushrooms. The carrots, onion, and potatoes were in the fridge, and the mushrooms were on sale for $1.19











Don't forget to keep an eye on your bacon. Once it finished, remove it and drain it a little on a paper plate. Be sure not to thow out the bacon fat, heat it up on the stove, just until it starts to gently smoke. While you're heating the oil, shake flour over your beef cubes. Coat well and evenly, then shake off the excess or it will just burn in the hot oil and make a bad mess.








This is what I used to shake off the excess flour. It's a frying basket, but hey it worked.








Now sear your beef cubes in the hot oil. Stir to cover and brown all sides. The flour on the outside of the meat will mix with the oil and make a rioux which will help to thicken the broth. After all side are browned and cooked add your beef stock while continiously stiring.








Add the veggies and the crispy bacon. Bring to a boil. Rioux won't thicken until its all boiling. but keep in mind it will thicken a little as the veggies cook as it stews in the oven.




Season with 1tsp tyme, 1tsp black pepper, and 1TBSP of minced garlic. Stir it up and taste the broth. If needed throw in a few shakes of salt to taste.





Now put the lid on and put into a pre-heated 250 degree oven for two hours. After two hours take it out and stir. If the flour didn't do the trick for thickining you can cheat a little by adding about 2 TBSP of corn starch mixed with 8oz warm water, bump the oven temp to 350 for 30 more miniutes. Take from the oven, stir and let stand for a bit. I waited for about 15 miniutes.




Dish up and enjoy! For less than $10 this is a great meal to feed several for a day or two.