The combination of beef, barley, plenty of vegetables a bit of garlic powder, salt, white pepper and liquid smoke melds into creating this fabulous stew. My little girls and I made yesterday together and Miss E, age 3, declared it “the best meal ever”. Miss A kept saying “more meat Mommy” as she chowed down on her bowl full of the stew. It was a success if my young kids will devour it.
I raided the pantry and freezer to pull this together.
I cut 2 1/2 lbs of lean boneless sirloin this time. Usually I use just 2 lbs. and have also used lean hamburger. You can use several different cuts of beef. The longer your meat simmers the more tender it will be. Therefore tougher cuts of meat can be used if you are using a slow cooker.
Cut into 1/2″ cubes.
Brown the beef with 2 TBSP. butter over medium heat on your stove.
Add one chopped onion as the beef browns. I did not drain off the juice as that makes for tasty broth. As the beef browns, slice up carrots and celery.
Add 1 cup sliced carrots and 1 cup chopped celery.
Then, add 1 can of corn and 1 can of black beans. Both should be drained ahead of adding.
My friend Nicole told me once her cooking style was “a can and a plan” and she even had a cookbook for those type of recipes. This might fall into that category only with numerous cans.
Add one can of diced tomatoes and do not drain before adding it to the stew.
Stir it all together.
Add one can of condensed Tomato soup.
Pour in 2 1/2 cups of beef broth.
I recommend using Quick Barley but my grocery store only had Medium Barley available. There must have been a mad rush on Quick Barley and the shelf was empty. The only difference is how fast it cooks.
Add 1 cup of barley.
I am partial to using barley in recipes because my family actually raises barley. Barley is used for beer, for animal feed but I must say I like it in stew and soup the best!
Add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of white ground pepper.
Then salt to taste.
Lastly, add 1 tsp of liquid smoke and 1 tsp of Worchestire sauce.
Stir and bring to a boil. Then turn down to keep medium/low and simmer for 40 minutes.
Ideally this would be simmering in a slow cooker for 8 hours. On a wild work day, that is what I would do. Put it all together the night before or early in the morning and then plug in the Crock-Pot.
Yesterday we settled for 40 minutes of simmering to cook up the barley and veggies. Plus it allowed time for the beef and seasonings to meld into the veggies and broth.
During our simmering stew time yesterday, the girls “helped me”. No, that is not a knife Miss E is using. It’s the veggie peeler which I took away from her and she was left snapping celery in half with her fingers.
We also had a mess to clean up.
The stew simmered.
We made banana cream instant pudding and then went to play for a bit in the basement.
The timer went off and our stew was ready for tasting.
Daddy and the teenager were out and about together for a boy’s afternoon together. It was just us girly girls to enjoy our Beef Barley Stew. It was warm on the rainy prairie day.
Miss A chowed down with two helpings and Miss E loved it, saying “Thank you for this meal, Mom!”
I couldn’t have been happier to please my little pumpkins with Beef Barley Stew.
I am working on getting a cute little recipe card together like my Real Farmwives and Friends of America always use. Once complete, I’ll post it for you to print and use.
In the meantime, it’s Hunk of Meat Monday. What’s cooking at your house?
Link up with Beyer Beware for tasty recipes to prepare for you and your family this week.
I love barley anything!!! Yum!
Ooooh..yummy! And Miss A is adorable, dirty face and all!
Looks delish!!
i miss a good homemade stew! i like your little chef helpers!
We love barley too – use it in stews and soups all the time! Can’t wait to try this!
I love that your kids love what you make for them. Their lips to my kids’ ears! OYE! Yummy post!
“A can and a plan”….words to live by! This recipe looks excellent!
You stew is making my tummy rumble! Mmmm!!