Slow-Cooker Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

So you're telling me the only added liquid for this "stew" is 1/3 cup beer, 1/3 cup maple syrup, and 3 tsp vinegar. Am I missing something? No broth? No water?

I’ve got a lot of slow cooker recipes which use very limited liquid. More comes out of the veg and even to some extent the meat and if it’s covered when it goes in, it ends up with loads is liquid and this is when slow cooking seems to sap the flavour out cos it’s basically boiling the food in water. Any more stout in the slow cooker would also be very strong as there’s no alcohol evaporation in a SC. I haven’t made this recipe yet but these amounts correspond to many other SC recipes I’ve seen.

I cooked this in my Instant Pot for a dinner party yesterday and it was wonderful. I used this recipe, but adapted the instructions from pressure-cooker stew. I agree that there wasn’t a lot of liquid, but the flavors blended beautifully and it was done in 90 minutes. I browned the meat, then added everything but the vegetables and cooked it on high pressure for 30 minutes. Released steam after 10 minutes. Left it on warm for almost an hour, then added the veg and cooked on high for 3 minutes.

This is our new favorite Stew! Instead of the slow cooker, I made this in our Dutch Oven. I dusted the meat with flour before browning and used an entire 22oz bottle of Stout. I followed the other suggestions of adding the veg later in the cooking process and going a little shy on the maple syrup... I am glad I did!

I made this in the oven and modified accordingly. I browned the meat (wish I had tossed in a bit of seasoned flour first, which would have added some thickener). Added a sliced onion to the garlic and salted in the pan, then deglazed wth about 1 cup of beef stock + about 1/2 cup of stout. I cooked in a slow oven for abut 2 hours. The meat is wonderful, but all of the veg is breaking up. Next time, I might add the veg an hour into the cooking time just so they hold together a little more.

I salt and peppered the meat, dredged it in flour and browned it with the onions. Deglazed the pan with half a can of Guiness, scraping up the browned bits, and poured the sauce into the cooker. This made a nice, deep, glossy sauce. Cut maple syrup to a teaspoon (grade B) and meat to 2 pounds, fed 6. NYT recipes are very meat-heavy, IMO!

It would be helpful if slow cooker recipes such as this one included alternative instructions for instant pot cooking.

Definitely brown the meat like suggested in the tip before you cook in the slow cooker, the texture of the meat came out amazing. The flavors came out good. I’m used to red wine based beef stew but this was a nice alternative. The liquid portion was just right, I did not add any more liquid than suggested and as the stew cooked, the meat and veggies produced more liquid. You can follow this recipe exactly the way it is.

I browned the meat (floured) in my Dutch oven. Deglazed with 15oz of Guinness, and then added a teaspoon of mustard, a teaspoon of mushroom powder, onions and garlic (and everything else except the veggies in the recipe). Cooked covered for 2 hours at 350. Added the other veggies, some more beer (it looked dry) and let it cooked another 40 minutes. I cut the quantity of maple syrup in half too. It was delicious! Will make again.

Marvelous meal! I followed the advice to brown the meat before cooking, and also followed the advice to try a rutabaga in place of one of the vegetables (I substituted it for the potato). I used 1 (not 4) garlic cloves, but did not reduce the garlic powder. Less garlic lets the quality of the vegetables and herbs shine through! Used recommended ratio of stout and maple syrup and dish wasn't overly sweet. It was as if the vegetables were beautifully caramelized! Served with a 2012 Gigondas.

This was delicious! Here are my tweaks: A full bottle of Guinness Extra Stout, more maple syrup, some beef broth and a whole, sliced yellow onion. I roasted it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours. I seared the meat before roasting it in the oven, then removed the meat, and seared all the veggies in the same pot. I cooked the meat with the onions separately from the veggies, and added them toward the end. To finish, I splashed about two tablespoons of cognac into the a jus. Yum!

Based on others’ comments, I reduced the maple syrup by half but it was still too sweet for my family. The meat was very tender, veggies cooked nicely, so basic recipe worked well in my slow cooker, I will eliminate maple syrup next time.

EXCELLENT RECIPE! IMHO, this is what a good recipe is: a guide. Similar to others, I made changes based on what I had on hand ( and my limitations with a newly broken arm). I browned the meat, did not peel the vegetables ( didn’t have the hand strength), used 3 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp dried shallots, about 3/4 cup beer, 1 tbsp black strap molasses (noting comments re: maple syrup), 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp dried thyme. Cooked 90 min in Mealthy Pot, high pressure, gentle fast release.

Not having a slow cooker, I followed previous commenters' suggestions and increased the stout to 1 cup, added 2 cups of beef stock (for 3 lbs. of beef) and braised in a 325-degree oven for 2 hours, adding the vegetables half-way through. Not the most complex flavor, but very satisfying. Do heed others' warnings about maple syrup -- 1/3 cup was perfect, but any more and it would have been cloying.

I’d make this again but would reduce the amount of syrup and increase the stout a bit. Loved all the herbs.

This is a more sweet stew (maple syrup) than I expected. Still delicious. I cooked on high for 8 hours (did not have 10-12 hours to cook and came out perfect although the potatoes and turnips came out too soft. Next time I would cut slightly bigger so they come a little more sturdy. I added an extra 1/3 of a cup of water/broth. It came out perfect with lots of liquid. I did not use the beer maybe that would have helped with the level of sweetness.

I added another cup of beef broth and I’m sorry I put in the maple syrup. Way too sweet!!

I did add about a cup of broth to mine. I wanted a little more soupy effect.

Like others I found this recipe lacked liquid. Although I don't think I will make it again I would recommend added liquid; red wine, beef broth.

I made it as written and it is very good. I was worried about liquid at first but by the end there was plenty. I did not find it too sweet. Maybe the type of maple syrup used. After six hours in a slow cooker it is done, but I chop meat and vegetables in a small dice, so maybe that speeds up cooking time. Nest time I’ll chop up an onion and add that.

It's one of those meals that I can't stop thinking about. The meat was so tender and the gravy so flavourful. I took out some of the liquid and made a roux to make a thicker sauce, which is my preference.

While the flavors of the meat and vegetables blended nicely, and everything was tender, this was WAY too sweet. The combination of root vegetables, balsamic, and maple syrup was so over the top. I would eliminate the syrup entirely, and sub with beer or broth.

I wish there was more sauce. A very tasty and flavourful, yet dry stew.

Warning: if you decide to make this in a Dutch oven on the stovetop, it needs *a lot* more liquid, and fairly regular stirring. I checked mine after an hour and a half minutes only to discover it had burned into the bottom of the pan, and the potatoes were falling apart. Salvaged with two cups of vegetable broth (all I had handy).

I followed the recommendations to dredge and brown the meat and added much more liquid (broth). I also cooked it in the slow cooker on high for 5-6 hours. Hearty and cozy and just what I was craving.

I added 1 box of beef broth, another 1/2 cup of Guinness, and 2 tablespoons of oregano. It was delicious

Definitely very briefly brown meat.Add more parsnips & carrots- baby carrots were fine.Used sherry vinegar bc didn’t have balsamic.Added about a tablespoon of old bay seasoning.Added about 8-10 boiled baby potatoes smashed in last hour to absorb some of the liquid. Served with cheddar cheese. This was perfect for cold weekend!

Browned the beef with seasoned flour and an onion in two batches. Used a whole bottle of Guinness to deglaze the pan. Halved the amt of maple syrup. Also I put everything together the night before, refrigerated and then started the slow cooker in the morning. Cooked for 10 hours. There was more liquid than I expected but not to the point that it was soupy. Good flavor. Perfect for a cold winter night.

I followed the instructions to a “T”. The meat was tender and the vegetables surprisingly weren’t overcooked. I think the trick is to make sure your pieces are large enough to not become mushy. I added more broth after the 10 hour cook time, so for those that want more broth like me, I would wait til the end as I think more liquid in the beginning would have actually made the veggies mushy and the beef rubbery. If I make again I’m going to skip the maple syrup - I didn’t care for that flavor.

I went with the 10 hours in the slow cooker, and it was way overcooked. So less time, and more liquid next time.