Beef · Slow cooker adaptation

Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Porter (Adam Garratt Recipe)

Big knuckle-sized chunks of beef brisket, properly browned, then braised low and slow in porter and beef stock with bay, Chantenay carrots and parsnips. No tomato, no thirty-ingredient kitchen-sink approach, just deep proper stew flavour.

R By Richard · Adapted from Adam Garratt · Published 7 June 2026
👁 153.2k source views ❤️ 2.8k source likes
⏱Prep 30 min
🍲Slow cook 8 hr (Low) / 5 hr (High)
🍽Serves 6
Slow cooked beef stew with porter | How to make the best beef stew

Source video by Adam Garratt on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Adam Garratt's beef stew built on a single principle: big chunks of well-browned brisket carry deeper flavour than supermarket diced beef. Brisket is trimmed, seasoned, properly browned, then lifted out while a base of carrots, parsnips, celery, onion and garlic gently colours in the same pan. A couple of dessertspoons of flour thicken things, then porter, beef stock and bay leaves go in. The original cooks in a covered oven dish at low heat for around four hours; this adaptation moves the braise straight into the slow cooker for eight hours on Low. A late splash of Worcestershire sauce sharpens it at the end.

Slow cooker notes: Original method is an oven braise at gas mark 3 for around 4 hours. Moved into the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours (or High 5). Liquid quantities retained as-is; the cartouche step is not needed because the slow cooker lid traps moisture by itself.

Ingredients

Beef
  • beef brisket, trimmed of heavy fat, cut into large chunks
  • black pepper, generous
  • salt, light touch
  • vegetable oil, for browning
Veg
  • Chantenay carrots, tops trimmed and rinsed
  • 2onions, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 3celery sticks, topped, tailed and sliced
  • 4parsnips, peeled, ends trimmed, halved if large
  • 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Braise
  • 2 dspplain flour, for cooking out with the veg
  • 350 mlporter (or stout)
  • 500 mlbeef stock
  • 4bay leaves, lightly squished to release the oils
Finish
  • Worcestershire sauce, a splash to finish (add late)

Method

  1. Untie and trim the brisket of the heaviest bits of fat, then cut into large chunks (bigger than supermarket cubes). Season generously with black pepper and a little salt and toss to coat.

    ~10 min

  2. Heat oil in a heavy pan over high heat. Brown the beef in batches until golden and crusted on all sides; do not crowd the pan. Transfer to the slow cooker.

    ~15 min

  3. Turn the pan down to low. Add the Chantenay carrots, onion, celery, parsnips and garlic. Lightly caramelise for about 5 minutes, scraping up the brown bits stuck to the pan.

    ~5 min

  4. Sprinkle in the flour and cook out for about a minute to take off the raw taste.

    ~1 min

  5. Tip the veg on top of the beef in the slow cooker. Lightly squish the bay leaves and add. Pour in the porter and beef stock and stir.

    ~3 min

  6. Lid on. Cook on Low for 8 hours, or High for 5 hours, until the beef pulls apart with a spoon.

    ~480 min

  7. Taste the gravy. Add pepper and a small pinch of salt if it needs it, then finish with a splash of Worcestershire sauce.

    ~1 min

  8. Serve with buttery mash and greens.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Why brisket and not pre-diced stewing beef?
The cook is firm on this: supermarket cubes are too lean, dry out and don't carry flavour. A whole cut like brisket, chuck or shin gives bigger chunks with enough fat to stay moist over a long braise.
Do I really need to brown the meat first?
Yes. Slow cookers steam rather than brown; the deep flavour in this stew comes from the Maillard crust on the beef before it ever sees the pot.
What if I don't have porter?
A stout or a brown ale gives a similar dark, malty depth. A bottle of red wine works too, with a tablespoon of black treacle to mimic the porter's caramel notes.
Why no tomato?
The cook is explicit: this stew does not need it. The richness comes from the beef, the porter, the stock and good browning, not from tomato puree.
Can I make this ahead?
Yes, and it tastes better the next day. Cool, refrigerate, then reheat gently on the hob or in the slow cooker on Low for 2 hours.
Extraction notes (transparency): Beef weight is not stated; left null. Onion, celery and carrot quantities are not stated precisely; sensible counts inferred for serving 6 and flagged. Flour quantity stated as 'a couple of dessertspoons' (2 dsp).