Red wine beef stew with potato gratin | Bibbyskitchen recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best red wine to use in beef stew? ›

We tapped an expert so that you can pick the absolute best red wine for your beef stew. Old fashioned beef stew is hearty and rich with French origins — Chef Kieron Hales of Cornman Farms believes the wine that's best for the dish should be the same. "For me and my family, it is always a good Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The "secret" is the acid from the red wine. It helps to break down the collagen, naturally tenderizing the meat and releasing great flavor!

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

The Best Substitute for Red Wine

Beef broth. Chicken broth. Red wine vinegar (use ½ vinegar and ½ water for similar flavor results)

Remember, if the red wine is not sufficient for the meat you have prepared, you can add water. Do not use too much red wine or the meat may start to blacken.

When you slow-cook tough cuts of meat like beef chuck, the acid present in the wine eventually helps to break the meat down, making it more tender. Red wine in beef stew also adds depth of flavor — some of the liquid evaporates in the oven, which concentrates the flavors going on in the pot.

Adding wine to stews is not unknown. Here's the standard operating procedure used happily for many generations: fry red meat (beef or pork) until the surface is golden; add wine (red or white will do) to the ingredients, close the lid and cook on low heat for a few hours; wait, wait, wait (check your phones); finish!

Wine of any type is not a required ingredient in beef stew. When it is used, it's usually red (Pinot Noir / Burgundy). But you can use anything you want. There are no food police, nobody is going to give you a ticket for using a different ingredient.

Sorry to spoil the party, but here's the real deal: Simply heating alcohol, or any other cooking liquid, does not make it evaporate as quickly as a child's allowance in a candy store. The longer you cook, the more alcohol cooks out, but you have to cook food for about 3 hours to fully erase all traces of alcohol.

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

What is the best thickener for beef stew? ›

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

Vegetables that work well in a beef stew include Hardroots vegetable, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, and parsnips. These vegetables add flavor and texture to the stew while complementing the richness of the beef. You can also consider adding mushrooms, turnips, or peas for variety.

Vinegar & optional red wine - Use red wine vinegar and some red wine to give this stew a deep and rich sweet and savory flavor. The wine is optional and can be replaced with additional beef broth, but I do love the complexity it gives to this recipe.

Tough stew meat will take a couple of hours to get tender, and the vinegar helps this happen as well as add special flavor. Then add the onions, carrots, celery, Brussels sprouts etc and cook until the vegetables are the way you like them.

Should I Peel Potatoes for Beef Stew? Peeling potatoes for stew is personal preference. For a smoother texture, peel them first, but feel free to skip this step if you don't mind them. Some of the peels will probably fall off and into the stew, but this will just add to the rustic texture.

CHOOSING YOUR RED WINE FOR COOKING

Bigger dishes like pot roast or slow cooked beef however almost demand bigger wines like full-bodied Shiraz or Cabernets, but if in doubt, stick with a low tannin wine like Merlot – it's widely considered the most versatile red wine for cooking with.

The best red wine for cooking beef stew is Cabernet sauvignon. Beef stew tends to be a hearty and rich meal, so avoiding fruity flavors is a good idea. Cabernet is known for being a very flavorful and rustic-flavored wine, so it can help bring that stew to the next level.

Best Red Wine To Cook With

In general, if your recipe calls for dry red wine, you can feel confident adding a Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon to your dish. A Zinfandel or Shiraz will work nicely for hearty dishes, such as ribs, lamb, or roast beef.