Dutch Oven Beef Stew

On our camping trip, one of the highlights was using the Dutch Oven to make Beef Stew. First, a little background on beef stew- my wife and I both love the gut warming deliciousness of good home made beef stew. We both love it so much that at our wedding, we had a buffet and the main course was beef stew. Everyone that attended the wedding said that it was delicious and unique. But even if everyone hated it, we were going to have beef stew at our wedding.

We had planned on going camping since last Wednesday, and I got the crazy idea of getting one of those large Dutch Ovens so we could make real camp beef stew. The Dutch oven is a 9 quart style that I got at Dick’s Sporting Goods for around 30 bucks. It weighs about 30 pounds too! The bottom acts like a kettle, and the top can double for a skillet in a pinch. Other than the weight, it is the perfect camping necessity.

First, I must note that my wife kicks my ass at building a fire. I know the process and the theory. Its just the patience I lack. Once she got the fire going, I put the Dutch Oven on the hot coals, scooped in a wad of butter and began to brown the stew meat. Once the meat began to brown, I coated the meat with biscuit flour, stirred and then added one can of beer.

When the beer began to steam off a bit, I added the vegetables and a can of beef broth and some water. I added water twice more, along with some spices of bay leaves, salt and pepper, and before I took the stew off the fire, I added just a tad more flour to thicken the stew. It was outstanding, thick, and the veggies would melt in your mouth!

We are getting a home outdoor firepit this week so we can make more beef stew using the Dutch Oven.

So here is my recipe for Dutch Oven Beef Stew:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of stewing beef
• 3 Medium white potatoes
• 3 whole carrots
• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium size onion
• 1 can of beef broth
• 1 can of beer (preferably guiness)
• 1/4 cup of butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 quarts of water
• Bay Leaves
• 1/2 cup All purpose flour

Directions:

• Cut Beef into 1 inch cubes. Set aside.
• Cut potatoes, carrots and celery into 1 inch cubes.
• Dice onion and mince garlic. Mix with other cut vegetables.
• Place dutch oven on hot coals. Add butter.
• Put beef in Dutch oven. Mix well into butter.
• When beef begins to brown, sprinkle in flour and coat meat thoroughly.
• Add beer. Replace lid and let simmer for ten minutes, or until half of beer is evaporated off. Don’t let beef stick to oven.
• Add all veggies, broth and one quart of water. Add spices and bay leaves. Stir and cover, let simmer until half of water is evaporated.
• Add final quart of water if necessary. Let simmer until mixture is desired thickness, ensuring all vegetables are cooked completely. If needed, sprinkle a little extra flour to thicken.

Just remember to not have a roaring fire. Stew is a slow cooking process, and the whole cook time should take about an hour and a half if the heat is high, or two hours or longer if it is low.