Slow Cooker Beef Stew

This slow cooker beef stew recipe is actually inspired as a copycat of the beloved Cracker Barrel Sunday pot roast supper dish. So, if you love ordering that dish when you eat out at the restaurant, then you’re going to love making this warm, comforting beef stew meal at home.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe

To be honest, as soon as the weather gets chillier, I start craving warm comfort food. And one of the easiest ways to make that kind of savory, satisfying sustenance is with your slow cooker.

With this beef stew recipe, you’ll be slow cooking tender chunks of beef along with carrots and celery. It all cooks in a savory onion gravy. Do you have baby or new potatoes and you’re not sure what you’re going to do with them? Add them to this recipe, too.

You can serve this Crock Pot beef stew with a side of mashed potatoes — if you choose not to add those aforementioned potatoes to the crock — and, of course, a biscuit. This pot roast recipe reminds me of the dish my Grandma Yetta would make. No wonder it is one of my favorite comfort foods.

Using a Cheaper Beef Cut in the Slow Cooker

This recipe calls for stew beef, which typically come from tougher cuts of meat that are well-suited for slow cooking. I’m calling it stew beef but when you go to the supermarket, you may see this meat listed as one of the following options, if the package doesn’t say stew beef specifically.

1. Chuck: This is the most popular cut for stew meat. It comes from the shoulder area and is known for its flavor and marbling, which helps keep the meat moist during cooking. Chuck is generally inexpensive and becomes very tender when braised.
2. Brisket: While often associated with barbecue, brisket can also be cut into chunks for stew. It has a rich flavor and, like chuck, benefits from slow cooking to break down its tough fibers.
3. Round Cuts: Cuts from the round, such as top round or bottom round, are leaner and can be used for stew. They are typically less expensive than other cuts but may require careful cooking to avoid toughness.
4. Shank: Beef shank is another economical option. It contains a lot of connective tissue, which breaks down during long cooking, adding richness to the stew.

These are some of the cheapest cuts of beef you can find that work great in a slow cooker.

Ingredients Overview

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to your slow cooker, except for one packet of the brown gravy mix.

Stir the ingredients to mix well.

Cover and cook on low 6 hours or high 4 hours or until the beef is tender. Before serving, stir in the remaining gravy mix.

Serve with mashed potatoes and biscuit, if you so choose.

Notes

As mentioned earlier, you could add baby potatoes to your beef stew. Onions are also a good choice. Basically, if you have a favorite vegetable you like in a slow cooker stew, feel free to add it here.

I suggest serving this with mashed potatoes. However, you could easily serve it over Instant Pot rice as well.