I still have some moose given to me by a generous friend. One of the pieces was a chuck roast. I decided to use it in one of my favourite recipes, Beef Barley Stew.
The great thing about barley stew is that you still get a meal in one dish but there are no overcooked potatoes, just a nice thick stew with the great taste and feel of barley.
The recipe for this dish is at the end of the post.
I started by deboning the chuck roast and cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes. I had just over 3 pounds of moose meat.
As I had a large bone, I wanted to get the flavour out of it. I put it on my barbecue set on high to brown it up a bit. Then I put it in some ot the beef broth and simmered it for a couple of hours, covered. If you are using stew beef or a rolled roast without a bone, don’t worry about this and just use the the broth. I just hate for anything to go to waist.
I browned the moose in 1 pound batches. If you did it all at once, it would give off too much liquid and won’t brown properly. Take the meat off and put it on a plate.
I cut an onion in half lengthwise and then slice across it to make 1/4 inch strips.
Saute the onions for 3 or 4 minutes, just to get them soft. Add the pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and saute for another minute.
Add the beef stock and soy sauce and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the carrots, green beans and barley. Continue to simmer for 40 minutes and serve.
The Verdict
I love this recipe with beef and it is even better with moose. You don’t need any thickening agent, the barley makes it rich and creamy. The sauce was tasty and rich. You have to try this even if you only have beef!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds beef chuck, cut to 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 large clove garlic, sliced thinly
- 1 can (5 1/2 ounce) tomato paste
- 5 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 cup green beans, cut to 1 inch
- 1/2 cup pot barley
Instructions
- Heat oil and brown beef in 1 pound batches Set aside.
- Saute onions for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the rosemary, thyme and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the beef stock and soy sauce.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours.
- Add the carrots, beans and barley. Simmer for 45 minutes.
- Serve.
2 Responses
I do love beef barley stew/soup, after reading this last night I cubed up some meat off a large chuckie so I could make some. I had never had barley till I was the service, its was one other the good things i learned about.
It is kinda hard to get all excited though about stew or soup when its 90+ degrees out there though. But ya gave me the bug. Gotta check first and see if I have some barley, its not a common grocery staple around here.
The last I had was called “Pearl’ barley. It’s a little mini fancy barley. It still gave that heartiness to the pot, but just ain’t the same.
Never had Moose but bet its a great stew meat!
Thanks again my friend for the inspiration.
BTW did you know if you answer the captcha first and run out of time it erases the post? Grrrrr……….. I guess I shouldn’t talk to much….LOL
I know what you mean about having to have stew once it is in your head, Foamheart.
Pearl barley and pot barley are pretty well interchangeable, there is just a change in diameter.
Moose is a terrific game meat. Good meat flavour without being gamey. I am so grateful to my friend.
My captcha difficulties have been legion. The one I had been using for months started adding adware popup to my site so I had to change it. Sigh.