Ruqayyah Snyder
Australian beef stew is a hearty, comforting dish that's perfect for cold winter nights. With a few simple ingredients and easy techniques, you can create a delicious, flavoursome stew that's sure to become a family favourite. The key to a great beef stew is taking your time to brown the meat well, which develops a rich colour and flavour. You can experiment with different ingredients like caraway seeds, chilli paste, or chutney, and use a slow cooker, oven, or stove to cook it—whatever suits your schedule! So, get ready to create a tender, juicy, and beautifully flavourful Australian beef stew that you can make your own.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Meat | Chuck beef, boneless beef rib, or boneless shin/gravy beef |
| Meat cut | Large cubes (3.5 cm to 3 cm) |
| Meat weight | 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg |
| Meat coating | Flour, salt, pepper, paprika |
| Vegetables | Onion, garlic, carrot, celery, fennel, mushrooms |
| Sauce ingredients | Beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, tomatoes, thyme, parsley |
| Spices | Caraway seeds, chilli paste, chilli flakes, paprika |
| Cooking method | Stove, oven, slow cooker, pressure cooker |
| Cooking time | 2 to 12 hours, depending on the cooking method and type of meat |
| Serving suggestions | Mashed potatoes, green beans, yoghurt, pickled dill cucumbers |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing the right cut of beef
First, look for beef cuts with good marbling. Marbling refers to the small flecks of fat within the meat, and it is essential for adding flavour and juiciness to your stew. Chuck beef, for example, is an excellent choice for stew because it has nice marbling, making it ideal for braising for hours. It develops a terrific flavour and becomes beautifully tender.
Secondly, consider the cooking time of different beef cuts. Some cuts, like chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef, typically take 2-2½ hours to cook, while others, like topside, round, and blade, require less time, around 1-1½ hours. If you're short on time, choose a cut that cooks faster, but keep in mind that slower cooking times often result in more tender meat.
Thirdly, opt for larger pieces of meat. Using big pieces of beef ensures that they don't cook too quickly. A beef stew relies on longer cooking times to develop its flavour, so larger pieces allow for better flavour development.
Finally, don't shy away from asking your butcher for recommendations. They are a great source of knowledge and can guide you towards the best cut for your stew, depending on your preferences and requirements. They can also help you find high-quality meat within your budget.
Remember, the right cut of beef for your Australian beef stew will depend on your specific tastes and how much time you have to prepare the dish. With the right choice, your stew will be packed with flavour and have a delightful texture.
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Browning the beef
Step 1: Prepare the Beef
Start by cutting your beef into large cubes of around 2.5-3.5 cm. The beef should be at room temperature, so take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Choose a cut of beef that is nicely marbled with fat, such as chuck beef or boneless beef rib.
Step 2: Season the Beef
Sprinkle the beef cubes with salt and pepper, or roll them in flour mixed with paprika (a plastic bag makes this easier). You can also add other seasonings like caraway seeds or chilli paste to experiment with flavours. Make sure the beef is well-coated.
Step 3: Heat the Cooking Vessel
Use a large, heavy-based casserole pot or pan for browning the beef. Place it on the stove and heat a tablespoon or two of oil in the pot over medium-high to high heat. You want the oil to be hot but not smoking.
Step 4: Brown the Beef in Batches
Add the beef cubes to the hot oil in small batches. Do not crowd the pan, as this will cause the beef to steam instead of browning properly. Sear the beef aggressively on all sides for about 4 minutes per batch. You are looking for a deep brown colour on the meat. Remove the browned beef cubes from the pot and set them aside on a plate or bowl. Repeat this process until all your beef is browned.
Step 5: Deglaze and Sauté Vegetables (Optional)
Once all the beef is browned, you can deglaze the pan with a liquid such as beef broth or red wine to scrape up all the tasty brown bits (called fond) stuck to the bottom. This adds extra flavour to your stew. Then, you can sauté your vegetables in the same pot, using the beef drippings for even more flavour. Common vegetables used in Australian beef stew include onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and fennel.
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Preparing the vegetables
Next, peel the carrots and chop them into thick slices. Chop the celery stalks and fennel bulb into smaller pieces, roughly the same size as the carrot slices. Thinly slice the onion. If you are adding garlic, peel and chop the cloves.
Heat a large ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the dish and heat until shimmering. Now, add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, for around 4-5 minutes. You can also add the garlic at this stage, cooking for a further minute or two to develop flavour.
If you are adding mushrooms, you can add them towards the end of this step, cooking them with the other vegetables for a few minutes until they are lightly browned.
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Cooking methods
Australian beef stew is a hearty and flavoursome dish that is perfect for cold winter nights. The best beef for stew is chuck beef, cut into large cubes. This is because it is nicely marbled with fat, making it ideal for braising for hours, resulting in a juicy and tender texture.
To begin, roll the beef in flour mixed with paprika. You can do this in a plastic bag to make it easier. Then, heat some oil in a large, heavy-based casserole pot over high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown aggressively all over for about 4 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot and set it aside.
Next, reduce the heat to medium-high and add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Cook this for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and slightly browned. You can also add other vegetables like mushrooms, fennel, or pumpkin.
Now, add the beef back to the pot and pour in the remaining ingredients: tomatoes and their juice, beef stock or broth, red wine (optional), Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and fresh herbs like thyme or parsley. Stir everything together and bring it to a simmer.
Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook until the beef is very tender, which can take around 2 to 2 1/2 hours. You can also use a slow cooker, cooking it for 12 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed.
Finally, taste the stew and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. If the meat is not tender yet, continue cooking until it is easily fall-apart with a fork. Serve the stew with mashed potato and a side of green beans or a bowl of yogurt and pickled cucumbers.
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Serving suggestions
There are many ways to serve Australian beef stew. You can serve it with a bowl of yoghurt and a small bowl of sliced pickled dill cucumbers. It goes well with warm crusty bread for dunking, such as rustic no-yeast Irish bread, wholemeal stone-baked bread, or cornbread. It also pairs well with polenta, rice, cauliflower mash, or other mashed root vegetables (such as carrot, parsnip, pumpkin, sweet potato, or mashed potato).
For a more filling meal, ladle the stew over egg noodles, or serve it with green beans. You can also serve it with a sprig of fresh thyme or a sprinkle of fresh parsley for decoration.
If you want to make the stew ahead of time, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. It tastes even better the next day as the flavours develop.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need beef, flour, paprika, tomatoes, olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, fennel, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, thyme, silverbeet, parsley, and mashed potato or mash.
Chuck beef is the best beef for stew as it is marbled with fat, making it great for braising for hours. It has terrific flavour, is juicy, and beautifully tender. Boneless beef rib also works well.
Cut the beef into large cubes and roll in flour mixed with paprika. You can do this in a plastic bag. Then, brown the beef in small batches over a medium-high heat.
Place the beef in a covered casserole dish and cook in the oven for 2 to 2 and a half hours, stirring occasionally. The meat should be very tender.
