Thursday, April 21, 2011

Smashed Stew

Smashed Slow Cooker Stew aka Guiness Beef Stew You will need: * 1/3 cup all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon smoked paprika * 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt * 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper * 2-3 pounds beef chuck,or pot roast cut into 1-inch cubes * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 1 onion, chopped large * 1 (8 ounce) package mushrooms, chopped * 3-4 large potatoes, diced * 5 large carrots, sliced * 4 stalks celery, chopped * 3 cloves garlic, minced * 2 Cans Guiness Beer (You will taste it, if you prefer a more subtle flavor use 1 can and 1 cup of water) * 2cups of water * 5 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce * 6 beef boullion cubes * 1 can crushed tomatoes * 2 tablespoon smoked paprika * salt and ground black pepper to taste * 1 tsp onion powder *Cornstarch as needed Directions 1. Combine the flour, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, seasoned salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a gallon ziplock bag. Add the beef, and seal the bag. Shake the bag thoroughly to coat the beef with seasoned flour. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Shake the excess seasoning off the beef, stir the beef into the hot skillet adding the onions and mushrooms after a minute or two. Cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned. 3. Place the beef mixture into the slow cooker with garlic, 1 beer, water and Worcestershire sauce. Add the boullion cubes and tomatoes into the cooker. Top with the veggies. You can add the potatoes, or keep them to the side and cook as mashed instead. Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours, or on Low for 10 to 12 hours. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. In the last 30 minutes add 1/2 of the second can of beer. Because I am never exact with the veggies, you may need to add more guiness or beef broth to reach the desired thickness. You can also add cornstarch to thicken at the end. I use about 2 teaspoons to achieve a stew thickness. I also prefer to add my potatoes after 2 hours so they are more on the firm side. Another favorite variation is to omit the potatoes from the stew and serve mashed potatoes as a side to the stew.