Herbed Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker...or Instant Pot!

Jan here, in between deadlines. And at the same time, I'm traveling. It's a good thing writers can work while traveling, right?

I'm sharing this post from 2013 because while it's still a favorite recipe, I've updated it a bit to fix it in my counter-top pressure cooker.

I have to tell you, I love my Instant Pot. I know people gush about these things, but I use it so much that I'd rather do without my stove than this baby.

So here's a rerun of my post from 2013, with the new Instant Pot directions in red!

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This is my husband's favorite beef stew, and I'm so glad it is because it's quick and easy to put together.

I use my slow cooker a lot - there's nothing like being able to put a meal together in the morning while the family is getting around and off to school and work, and then be able to forget about it all day while I zone out in my writer's cave. (A habit left over from homeschooling days, when I'd zone out in academia-land...)

With the Instant Pot, I start cooking about ninety minutes before meal time.

Here's the recipe:

Herbed Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 to 2 pounds beef - I used arm roast this time, but you can use stew beef, round steak, chuck steak...whatever is on sale or in the freezer! - cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove
1 bay leaf
4 carrots, sliced
4 medium (or 2 humongous) potatoes, cubed
1 onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon marjoram

(if using fresh herbs, double the amount)

Okay, there are a lot of ingredients, but oh, they blend together so well!

Put the flour, salt, pepper and paprika in a plastic bag, or use one of these handy slow-cooker liners (I never use my slow cooker without one of these!)

Add your cubed meat and shake well until all the pieces are coated with flour. Put the meat in the slow cooker.

When you're using the Instant Pot, save the seasoned flour for the last step.

Cube your beef, then brown in a tablespoon of oil in your Instant Pot set on saute, medium heat, until only a little pink is showing. Add 1 - 2 cups of the beef broth, seal the lid, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes.

Add all the other ingredients and stir.

After the meat is cooked, open the Instant Pot (after releasing any pressure) and add the vegetables, herbs, and 1 more cup beef broth (reserve one cup). Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes and let the pressure release naturally.

Ten minutes before serving, open the Instant Pot. Whisk the seasoned flour into the 1 cup reserved beef broth and stir into the stew. Set the pot on saute, high, and let the stew come to a boil, stirring often. Once it comes to a boil, turn the pot to slow cook, low to keep it warm until you're ready to serve it.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 6-8 hours.

Serve with your favorite salad or fruit and bread.

(Speedbo time: I used refrigerated crescent rolls...)



And now that supper is cooking away in the slow cooker, let's get back to writing!!!

What is your favorite quick meal in your slow cooker? Or the Instant Pot?

Jan Drexler lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband and growing family. When she isn't writing, she loves hiking in the Hills or satisfying her cross stitch addiction.

You can find Jan on Facebook, Jan Drexler, author, or her website, Jan Drexler.com.

Deadlines and Cider Stew

Jan here, talking deadlines.

We all know about deadlines, right? It's when you've made a commitment and have to follow through, no matter what.

For an author, that means that your creative juices better start flowing, and keep flowing, all the way to D-day!

And we authors know that's part of the deal. We sign a contract. We promise to deliver a finished manuscript on a given day. We get to work.

But the thing that I don't understand is why we call it a deadline when it's really the beginning of something great! A new life for the characters that have been clamoring for their spot in a story!

I'm working on a deadline right now. My gracious editor has given me an extension to mid-November (thank you!), because life gets in the way sometimes. But even with the extra two weeks, I'm working almost non-stop to get the story down so you can all read it.

Here's a peek at what I'm working on: "The Sound of Distant Thunder" will be the first story in the Amish of Weaver's Creek series, and is expected to be released about a year from now. The story takes place in 1863 in Holmes County, Ohio, and centers around Katie Stuckey and Jonas Weaver. They plan to be married, but there is a war going on. You would think this peaceful Amish community isn't affected by the American Civil War, but it is. I hope you'll join me as this series unfolds!

Meanwhile, I don't want to feed my poor husband peanut butter sandwiches every night! So I'm very thankful for my Instant Pot. It's the perfect appliance for my deadline-addled brain!

You don't need an Instant Pot for this recipe, though. It works in the slow-cooker, the oven, or on the stove. :) Just give it time to work all these delicious flavors together....

Cider Stew

ingredients:

2 pounds beef stew meat
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme, crushed
oil for browning meat

2 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon vinegar (apple cider vinegar, if you have it)

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced

First, coat the meat in the flour, salt, pepper and thyme by shaking everything together in a bag or covered bowl.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, frying pan, or in your Instant Pot (on the saute setting). Add the coated meat and cook until brown on all sides.

Add the cider, water, and vinegar.

If you're using a Dutch oven - bring to boiling, then cover. Simmer on stove or bake in oven at 325° for 1 1/2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables, then simmer or bake for another 30 - 45 minutes.

If you're using a slow cooker - add all ingredients - including the vegetables - and cook on high for 6-8 hours.

If you're using an Instant Pot - pressure cook the meat and liquids for 20 minutes on high, then release the pressure naturally (will take 20 to 30 minutes). Once the pressure is released, add the vegetables and stir. Pressure cook for an additional 10 minutes on high, then let the pressure release naturally again. At this point, the stew is ready. You can serve it, or change the settings to slow cook mode until it's time to eat.

*Note - In this recipe, using the Instant Pot requires more steps...but I forgot to mention that the directions are the same even if you forgot to thaw your meat! Believe me, for someone who regularly forgets to thaw dinner, this is a life saver!

I've been making this recipe for years. I found it in the copy of the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook I received for a bridal shower gift...so my first stab at this recipe was in the fall of 1982, after we had been married for only a few months.

I made it on the stove, until I bought my first slow cooker. That became my appliance of choice until I started experimenting with my cast iron Dutch oven. I love both methods! But I have to say the Instant Pot is my favorite method of all. The pressure cooking blends the flavors like it's been simmering over an open fire for hours...

You'll have to give this stew a try. There is nothing like the apple cider flavor winding its way through this dish...

Have you ever tried cooking with apple cider? How did it turn out?

Jan Drexler loves her family, her home, cooking and just about anything made by hand. But she loves her Lord most of all.

Stop by Jan's website to learn more about her books: www.JanDrexler.com