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Beef and Barley Stew

Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours

Ingredients
  

  • 4-6 slices of bacon sliced into small pieces (lardons)
  • 2 pound of beef - short ribs or shanks are my favorite but you could use a chuck roast or even leftover steak
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 3-4 carrots sliced
  • 3-4 ribs celery sliced
  • 1 pint sliced mushrooms
  • 2 quarts beef broth
  • ¼ cup dried parsley
  • 1 bay leaf
  • T Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • parsley

Instructions
 

  • Brown the bacon in your stock pot until crispy and remove to a bowl.
  • Brown the beef in the bacon grease until very brown. Remove the beef and set aside.
  • Brown the onions to deglaze the pan.
  • Add the tomato paste to the onions and sauté until the tomato paste takes on a dark red color.
  • Add the garlic and cook until you can just smell the garlic.
  • Add your beef stock to stop the caramelization.
  • Add the bacon, celery, carrots, mushrooms, parsley, bay leaf and rosemary.
  • Nestle the beef into the liquid.
  • Raise the heat to high to bring to a boil, then to low to just simmer until the beef is fork tender (2-3 hours).
  • Remove the meat to trim and cut up or shred into bite size pieces.
  • Add the barley to simmer until done, about another hour (15 minutes if using Quick Barley).
  • Add the cut-up meat back to the pot to heat through.
  • Season to taste and garnish with additional parsley.