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Slow-Cooked Beef Stew

Source of Recipe

From "The Camp Dutch Oven Cookbook" by Robin Donovan


Recipe Introduction

"This is a very basic, homestyle beef stew recipe that is surprisingly satisfying to cook and eat around a campfire. The recipe requires very little in the way of prep, but it's the kind of dish you'll want to make on a day when you plan to stick around camp all afternoon since it cooks for several hours."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 tablespoons cooking oil
â—¦ 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
â—¦ ½ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, with their juice
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ 2 cups water
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds Yukon gold or other small potatoes, quartered
â—¦ 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen peas and carrots, thawed


Recipe

Heat the oil in the Dutch oven set over a bed of 12 hot coals. Toss the beef with the flour and season with the salt and pepper. Shake off the excess and add the beef to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and the salt and pepper.

Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Remove eight coals from beneath the pot, cover, and place 12 hot coals on the lid. Simmer, covered, for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water as needed to prevent sticking or burning. You'll need to keep coals burning alongside your cooking area so that you can add them as the original coals die out.

Add the potatoes, replace the lid with the coals on top, and continue to cook for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are very tender.

Stir in the peas and carrots and cook, stirring, for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Serve hot.

Serves 8



• Essential Technique:
The trick to a successful slow-cooked stew over a campfire is to stick close to the fire, keeping an eye on the dish, stirring as needed, and adding hot coals as needed to keep the heat level where you need it. Keep your coal chimney ready.