Main Courses

Slow Cooked Scottish Beef Stew

Fall apart beef cooked in the oven or the slow cooker - this Scottish beef stew is perfect for Burns night - or any other night!

Serves: 6

Prep Time: 00:10

Cook Time: 04:00

Total Time: 04:10

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 kg (2.2 lbs) Aberdeen angus braising/stewing beef chopped into bite-size chunks
2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour mixed with a pinch of salt and pepper
2 large onions peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
2 tbsp red currant jelly or cranberry sauce
500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) red wine
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
½ small swede peeled and chopped
700 ml (3 cups minus 1 tbsp) beef stock water plus 2 stock cubes is fine
2 tbsp tomato puree paste for US
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leaves
2 tsp dark brown sugar
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp crushed black pepper

To serve:

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F (fan).
Heat the oil in a large pan. Dust the chunks of beef in the flour and fry the beef for 7-8 minutes until golden brown all over. Add the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add the red currant jelly, then pour in the red wine and simmer for 5 minutes. 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 kg (2.2 lbs) Aberdeen angus braising/stewing beef, 2 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 large onions, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp red currant jelly, 500 ml (2 cups + 1 tbsp) red wine
Add in the carrots, potatoes, swede, stock, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil then place a lid on and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours – stirring a couple of times during cooking (alternatively you could transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours). 2 large carrots, 2 medium potatoes, 1/2 small swede, 700 ml (3 cups minus 1 tbsp) beef stock, 2 tbsp tomato puree, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 4 bay leaves, 2 tsp dark brown sugar, ¾ tsp salt, ¾ tsp crushed black pepper
Serve topped with a little fresh thyme and some freshly cut bread. fresh thyme sprigs, chunks of fresh bread

What to serve with Scottish Beef Stew:

creamy mashed potatoes or crispy roast potatoes and some greens

Best type of beef for Scottish Beef Stew:

Chuck steak (braising steak) – comes from the forequarter- Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.
- It’s a tough but very flavourful cut of meat. It has a lot of connective tissue, which needs long slow cooking to break down and become tender. Cut into bite-size chunks, or you can use bigger chunks and shred the beef into strips.

Silverside (bottom round) – comes from the hindquarter – just above the back leg
- It’s a leaner, inexpensive cut of meat with little marbling. The lack of fat means it doesn’t have as much flavour as chuck steak, so make sure you use good quality stock (as well as the wine) to cook it in. It’s good for slow cooking, but must be cooked with moisture/liquid so doesn’t dry out and become tough.