Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe (The Best Version)

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Stew - The Best Version
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1.2 kg beef chuck roast, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 0.5 tsp MSG seasoning (Accent); 0.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 3 tbsp plain flour; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large onion, diced; 1 tsp tomato paste; 120 ml red wine; 750 ml beef stock; 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks; 600 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; 2 sticks celery sticks, sliced; 1 tsp dried thyme; 150 g frozen peas

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

This slow cooker beef stew uses hand-cut chuck roast instead of pre-packaged stewing beef, giving you proper tender chunks after a long, gentle cook. The meat is seasoned, dredged in flour, and seared before joining sautéed onions, tomato paste, and red wine in the pot. Vegetables and beef stock simmer alongside until everything is rich and thick. Frozen peas go in right at the end so they keep their colour. Serve it over rice, mashed potato, egg noodles, or simply on its own.

Slow cooker notes: Source recipe is already a slow cooker recipe. Terminology localised to British English (stock instead of broth, Worcestershire sauce spelled in full).

Ingredients

Beef and seasoning

1.2 kgbeef chuck roast, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks
1 tsponion powder
1 tspgarlic powder
0.5 tspMSG seasoning (Accent)
0.5 tspsalt
0.5 tspblack pepper
2 tbspWorcestershire sauce
3 tbspplain flour

For the pan

2 tbspvegetable oil
1 largeonion, diced
1 tsptomato paste
120 mlred wine

Slow cooker

750 mlbeef stock
3 largecarrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
600 gpotatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 stickscelery sticks, sliced
1 tspdried thyme

Finish

150 gfrozen peas (add late)

Method

Cut the chuck roast into roughly 2.5cm (1 inch) chunks. Tip into a bowl with onion powder, garlic powder, MSG seasoning if using, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Toss with tongs to coat evenly.
~5 min
Sprinkle most of the flour over the beef (reserve about a tablespoon for the onions). Toss again so every piece is lightly coated.
~2 min
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches, giving each piece room so it browns rather than steams. Cook for about 1 minute per side until you have a deep brown crust, then transfer to a plate.
~10 min
Add the diced onion to the same pan and sauté until translucent. Sprinkle over the reserved flour and stir so it soaks up the oil in the pan.
~5 min
Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the red wine. Bring to a simmer, scraping the base of the pan to lift all the browned bits. Let it bubble for a minute to cook off the alcohol.
~3 min
Tip the onion and wine mixture into the slow cooker. Add the seared beef along with any resting juices.
~2 min
Add the carrots, potatoes, celery, dried thyme and beef stock. Stir well and push everything down into the liquid. Do not add more salt yet, the meat is already seasoned.
~3 min
Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours, or on High for 4 hours.
In the final 20 minutes of cooking, stir in the frozen peas. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Cover and finish cooking.
~20 min
Serve over rice, mashed potato, egg noodles, or on its own. The gravy should be thick without needing a slurry.

Frequently asked

Do I really need to brown the beef first?

Yes. Slow cookers gently steam rather than sear, so all the deep colour and savoury flavour in this stew comes from browning the chuck in a hot pan before it goes into the pot.

Why use chuck roast instead of pre-packaged stewing beef?

Pre-packaged stewing beef can stay tough no matter how long you cook it. A chuck roast cut into your own chunks has the right marbling to break down into tender, juicy pieces over a long slow cook.

Is the wine safe if I'm pregnant or cooking for children?

The alcohol simmers off when the wine is reduced in the pan and during the long slow cook. If you would rather skip it entirely, swap it for the same volume of beef stock.

Why add the peas at the end?

Frozen peas only need a few minutes to warm through. Adding them in the last 20 minutes keeps them bright green and stops them turning grey and mushy.

How do I thicken the stew if it's still too thin?

The flour on the beef and in the onions usually thickens this stew on its own. If yours looks loose, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes on High, or stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water.

Extraction notes (transparency): Many quantities were not stated in the transcript. Inferred reasonable amounts for a 6-serving stew: seasonings, flour, oil, onion count, vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery), beef stock volume, peas, and thyme. Only the wine (1 cup, with note half a cup goes in the pan), tomato paste (1 teaspoon), and timing (high 4 hours or low 8 to 10 hours, peas in last 20 minutes) were explicit. Vegetable list beyond peas was not enumerated in the transcript, standard stew vegetables assumed. Please verify quantities before publishing.