Good Eats Beef Stew

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Stew Romance

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (38)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(38)

Cook Time:
4 hr 30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 35 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Cook: 4 hr 30 min
Total:: 6 hr 35 min

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Ingredients

1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried herbs, any combination of thyme, oregano and rosemary
3 pounds English-cut short ribs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 pound red potatoes, unpeeled and diced small
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, paprika and dried herbs. Set aside.

Season the short ribs with 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt. Place a large griddle over medium-high heat and once a drop of water bounces off, sear the meat until browned on all sides. Once browned, remove the meat to the bowl with the paste and toss to coat. Transfer to a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place the package into a metal pan and put into a cold oven on the middle rack. Set the oven to 250 degrees F and cook for 4 hours.

Remove the meat from the oven and carefully poke a hole in the pack while holding it over a heatproof container. Drain the liquid into the container and place it into the refrigerator to cool enough so that the fat separates from the rest of the liquid, approximately 1 hour. After 1 hour, transfer the liquid to the freezer and keep there until the fat cap has solidified, approximately 1 hour. Allow the ribs to sit at room temperature while the liquid is cooling or if serving the next day, place in the refrigerator until ready to finish.

Retrieve the liquid from the refrigerator and remove the fat cap that has formed on top. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the fat and reserve the rest for another time. Place the fat into a large saucier and place over medium heat. Once the fat has melted add the onion along with the remaining teaspoon of salt and stir to separate the onions into rings. Allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes along with a pinch of black pepper and stir to combine. Next, add the liquid reserved from the meat and stir. Cover tightly and decrease the heat to low so that no heat is escaping the lid. Cook for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Meanwhile, cut the meat away from the bone, removing the connective tissue and discarding. Once the potatoes are tender, uncover and set the meat atop the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the parsley.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
John South Grafton, MA 03-29-2009
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Good but salty...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

The meat was super-tender and delicious. I made the meat the day before. I loved the tomato flavor and did not find it... overpowering. I did, however, think the teaspoon of salt added to the onions at the end was too much. It was very salty. I would maybe do a 1/2 tsp or so and then add to taste later. Also, I added a about 3/4 cup beef broth to the potatoes because there was not enough liquid and they took forever to get done. Overall I think it was average, but I gave four stars because the meat was simply amazing. I'll make this again for sure.Read more
recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
Newt Nahant, MA 03-07-2009
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fun and not difficult
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I'm kind of a new cook and meats like English short-cut ribs are the kind of cut of meat I would normally find too... intimidating to buy. Bony, gristly-looking things--no thanks! After seeing this episode though I noticed my local shop had them, so I gave it a try because it looked like fun. As a hockey fan I couldn't resist the temptation to make a hockey puck out of fat. Cool! I halved the recipe since the meat I bought was 1.5 lbs, so less waste if the experiment was a failure. Meat (which at $3.99/lb is no bargain) cooked okay, bones/gristle removed easily enough, hockey puck was cute 1/2 size. Liquid wasn't very much--even Alton's looked quite dry--so dry I don't know how there was enough moisture to cook the potatoes. Steamed I guess. I added beef broth so the potatoes would cook. Also added carrots, celery, peas, rosemary, as it looked pretty bare. Difference between goulash and beef stew I guess. Used russet potatoes because that's what I had. They kept together just fine. Tried the result next day--very good! Learned a lot, this is Alton's gift, and will try it again. Read more
recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
M Allentown, PA 03-05-2009
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to: David of Austin, TX
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

There is no reason for you to say: It's a shame idiots don't get it. Comments are opinions and everyone should be entitled... to an opinion. My opinion of you is that you are crude and rude and have been hit in the head by too many bulls down in Texas. By the way Austin is a beautiful city and would be better off without you. Reviews are useful. Yours was not. Scooping out drippings while cooking beef, chicken, etc. and placing the liquid in the freezer allows you to scoop off the fat that rises to the top. If you find you need more liquid in the pan, add more water (except in a glass pan). Healthier that way. Luv ABRead more
recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
John Bay Village, OH 11-11-2008
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Good flavor, not very juicy
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

The flavor was very good in this recipe. The meat was exteremely tender, and the potatoes soaked up the juice from the meat... to have a delicious flavor. Unfortunately, as a result, it was a little dry. In addition, I don't know why there's apple cider vinegar in the recipe. I thought I could still taste it in the final product. Can something else be added instead, such as, apple juice or water? I was surprised at how expensive beef short ribs are - $3.99/lb! Stews are supposed to be inexpensive dishes, and I estimate mine cost $13.00 in raw materials alone.Read more
recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
Gordon Santa Clara, CA 11-04-2008
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Very satisfied with the results
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe worked very well and I'm very happy with how it tasted. For those concerned about the time it takes, Alton gives... a time, temperature, and method that doesn't require special cookware and will be safe from overcooking when doing the braising. But if you have a dutch oven, you can use that to sear the meat and then that can be your vessel for the braise. The mass will help moderate any serious temperature fluctuations with a finicky oven so you can cook this at 350 degrees for 2 hours. The dutch oven then served as my pot to cook the final result later in the day. I'm definitely planning to cook this again in the future.Read more
recipe Good Eats Beef Stew
michael vancouver, WA 11-03-2008
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Too much tomato paste
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Although I am fond of tomatoes and all derivatives thereof, the sauce was just too heavy. It overpowered the flavor of the... meat, the principal ingredient. Also, four and a half hours cooking is too much; there are excellent beef stew/pot roast recipes available that aren't so time consuming. I also noticed Alton in his TV presentation made a big deal of cooking the meat in foil so the heat could reach all side of the meat, and putting a pan under it in the oven to catch any leaks, drips. His on line recipe instructs us to just place the foil package into a metal pan.Read more