Is Beef and Ale Stew Healthy

Good Housekeeping

We love a slow cooker here at Good Housekeeping. Follow our guide to the best slow cookers on the market, and our top slow cooker tips, and you'll make a delicious recipe every time.

Tender chunks of beef with cheesy dumplings... you can't go wrong with this hearty beef and ale stew slow cooker recipe!

Economical Cooking:

Using a slow cooker to cook your meat allows you to use cheaper cuts. This is because cooking your beef on a low heat for a long time means that even the toughest cuts of meat are tenderised. Slow cookers also save on the price of electricity, since they use a lot less than an oven.

Following the steps below will help you get the most out of this recipe.

Browning Tips:

You can omit this step when using a slow cooker and add everything straight away, but you'll get a much better flavoured stew if you brown your meat first.

• Don't season your meat until just before you are ready to brown. Seasoning your meat too early will draw all of the moisture out and make it tough.

• Brown your meat in batches. Over crowding the pan will cause your beef to steam, rather than brown, in all the excess liquid released from tightly packed pieces of beef, which will result in tough meat.

• Don't move the beef around in the pan. Leave each side to brown and caramelise properly before turning it onto a new side.

• Get your pan nice and hot before beginning to brown, and maintain a constant high heat (although not so high that the pan is smoking). A hot pan will brown the outside before the centre of the beef is able to cook and become tough.

Tossing your beef in flour before browning will result in a thicker eventual sauce.

Added Flavour:

Pouring the stock into the frying pan, after the browning of the meat, is called deglazing. The process of deglazing your pan means that none of the rich beefy flavour is lost throughout the cooking process, since the stock picks up the remnants of the browned meat.

Stirring through a tbsp of Bovril or Marmite at the end of the cooking process, will further enhance the flavour of any slow cooker beef stew.

Maintaining the temperature:

Make sure to keep the lid closed as much possible during the cooking process. Once the lid is lifted, the temperature of the slow cooker drops dramatically and takes a long time to get back up to temperature. This will skew the timings of the recipe, and could result in an uneven cooking of the ingredients.

Now you know how to get the best quality and flavour out of your meat, it's time get cooking!

Cal/Serv: 434

Makes: 4 - 6 servings

Prep Time: 0 hours 30 mins

Cook Time: 5 hours 30 mins

Total Time: 6 hours 0 mins

50 g

plain flour

1.2kg chuck, stewing or casserole beef steak, trimmed and cut into 5cm chunks

4 tbsp.

olive oil

large onions, sliced

250 ml

beef stock

500 ml

ale

bay leaf

sprigs fresh thyme

200 g

button mushrooms, halved if large

large carrots, cut into 5cm chunks

FOR THE DUMPLINGS

100 g

plain flour

1 tsp.

baking powder

50 g

butter

1 tbsp.

fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 tsp.

fresh thyme, leaves picked

50 g

extra mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and season. Toss a third of the beef in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat 1tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry meat until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon to the slow cooker after each batch. Repeat with the remaining meat using 1tbsp oil each time. Add the stock to the pan, scraping up brown bits.
Pour the stock into the slow cooker slowly and mix well with the beef. Mix in the onions, ale, bay leaf and thyme. Finally stir in the mushrooms and carrots and season. Cover with a lid and cook on high for 4hr.
Meanwhile, make dumplings. Mix all ingredients, apart from cheese, in a bowl with plenty of seasoning, or pulse in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add cheese and mix in to form larger flakes, then sprinkle over 1–2tbsp water to bring the dough together. Roll into 6 balls and dot around stew leaving a 2cm gap between them. Cover again with the lid and cook for a further 1hr.
Season again if needed, sprinkle over extra parsley, if you like, and serve.