Beef Stew

There is a well-known and revered brand of shelf-stable (canned) beef stew, recognized by its red plaid label. Many people like it, and on occasion, I've enjoyed it myself. The problem is, like most other ready-to-eat canned meals, I find it to be expensive for the amount of food you get, and a single can doesn't usually go very far.

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Since I like to eat, and I especially like beef stew, I decided to try making something that might be just as good, but represents a better return on my ready-to-eat food dollar.

After much research, taking this bit of knowledge from here, and that bit from there, and adding my own spin to the combination, I believe that I have formulated a recipé that, while not identical to the commercial product that inspired it, is (to me, at least) a very satisfactory substitute. Some folks may even like it better! This recipe makes about 8 quarts, and is intended for further processing using a pressure canner and 1-quart glass canning jars, but it can also be fairly easily cut down for use at a single meal.

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Here's what you need in order to make it yourself:

Suggested Equipment:

• Skillet or saucepan, large
  
• Stock pot, 12 quart
  
• Knives
  
• Cutting board
  
• Spatula
  
• Kitchen scale
  
• Common kitchen tools and measures
  
• Pressure canning equipment, tools, and supplies:
  
• pressure canner
  
• funnel
  
• jar lifter
  
• headspace gauge.
  
• glass canning jars, 1-quart size, seals, and rings; 8 each.
  

Ingredients:

1. or more, if you like...
   
   
2. Minimum! The prudent cook will have double this amount on hand!
   
   
3. Table salt contains Iodine and anti-caking agents that most people don't want in their home-canned foods. Kosher salt has a larger grain size than canning salt, so if you elect to use kosher salt you'll have to compensate for this. The most trustworthy way is to use a spice scale. One Tbs of canning salt is about 15 grams.
   
   

Item		Amount
Beef	Lean, cubed	5½	lb
Potato	Bresh, cubed	3½	lb
Carrot	Fresh, sliced	2½	lb
Onion	Fresh, green, chopped	5	oz
Onion	Fresh, pearl, whole	8	ea1
Stock	Beef	2	qt2
Wine	Red, dry or semi-dry	1	cup
Bell pepper	Fresh, sliced, chopped, or diced	½	cup
Sugar	Brown, packed	4	tsp
Sauce	Worcestershire	4	tsp
Salt	Canning, common, or kosher	1½	Tbs3
Black pepper	Dry, ground	1	tsp
Garlic	Dry, granulated	¼	tsp
Allspice	Dry, ground	½	tsp
Oil	Extra-virgin olive oil preferred	2	Tbs

Directions:

If you intend to preserve the stew by canning, then you should begin by preparing canning jars according to the manufacturers directions for processing in a pressure canner. This usually involves washing jars, lids and rings in hot water, then set them aside in a protected location where they are likely to remain clean.

1. Preparing the vegetables: If you haven't already done so, you should prepare the raw vegetables before handling the meat, or doing any cooking. Potatoes and carrots should be thoroughly cleaned and, if desired, peeled; then cut into chunks no larger than 1" in any dimension. To a point, smaller is better: ideally, the chunks should be cubes, about ⁵⁄₁₆" to ¾" on the edges. Celery stalks should be cut into pieces about 1" long, and split lengthwise into sticks about ¼" thick; the green onions should be chopped into pieces about ¾" long; and the dry, outer layers of the pearl onions should be peeled off, leaving the remaining onion whole.

2. Preparing the meat: I prefer to use a large round roast, since I can get it for a lower per-pound cost than regular, butcher-cut stew meat; also, when I do that, I know exactly what I'm getting. If you buy your meat the way I do, you have some work to do before you can actually start cooking, so remove any excessive fat from the meat, and cut into cubes ½" to 1" on the edge.

3. Your cooking oil can be pretty much any kind of edible cooking oil, including butter, lard, bacon drippings, etc... but I prefer, and habitually use, extra-virgin olive oil. If smoking oil bothers you, I recommend peanut or corn oil. Whatever oil you use, heat it to frying temperature in a large skillet or sauce pan, and sear the meat cubes on all sides. If your pan isn't large enough to do the whole job at once, you might have to brown the meat in smaller batches. If you notice a significant amount of water cooking out of the meat, you'll need to cook off the excess water between batches. As the meat becomes ready, remove it to the large stock pot.

4. Cook off any water remaining in the skillet, after searing the beef, then deglaze the skillet with the red wine, reducing the volume by about half. Add the brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and allspice, blending with a wire whisk. If you are not planning to can the stew, and want a thicker gravy you can incorporate about ¼ cup of flour, again using the wire whisk, but do not add thickeners to products which are intended to be canned! When all components are fully incorporated and smoothly blended, remove the pan from heat and add the contents of the pan to the stock pot.

5. Add the beef stock, along with the prepared vegetables, salt, thyme, and garlic, to the stock pot. Additional hot broth, or water, up to 1 quart, may be needed to compensate for liquid loss due to evaporation. Heat the stew to boiling, on medium-high heat.

6. If you are preparing this recipé for canning, rather than immediate consumption, then skip this step. Once the stew has achieved a boil, add your preferred thickener, if desired, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew simmer for about 1½ hours after achieving a boil, and serve! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Stop here! You are done!

7. If you intend to preserve the stew by canning, then again, do not add any thickener! Current policy in food-safety circles is that thickeners in general increase the likelihood of botulism in even pressure-canned foods, especially low-acid canned foods!

8. After having brought the stew back to a boil, use a slotted spoon to apportion hot stew solids equally among the eight, quart sized, canning jars, while trying to insure that there is at least one pearl onion in each jar. At least initially, do not fill any individual jar much more than ¾ full with solids. Continue stirring meanwhile, in order to insure good distribution of all of the stew's components.

9. When all of the solids have been transferred, fill each jar with hot stew broth, leaving 1" head space, and be sure to release any trapped air bubbles. You should add more hot broth (if you have it) or boiling water, if necessary, to achieve the desired liquid level in each jar.

10. Apply canning lids and rings, according to the manufacturer's instructions, and process according to your canner's instructions. I use an All-American® pressure canner that can process 4 quart jars at one time, and for this stew, at my altitude, it requires me to process them at 15 psi for 90 minutes.

To use the canned product, simply decant a jar of the stew into a sauce pan and heat to boiling; add any desired thickener, then simmer for about 10 minutes and serve. A nice roux makes a good thickener.

Having prepared and consumed this stew myself, I can affirm that the recipé will assume a permanent place in my culinary repertoire.