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Brown Gravy Stew in Slow Cooker
Stew in the Slow Cooker
It's hard for mothers these days to provide a complete meal for their families because of the fact that almost everyone has to work. There are stay at home moms, which are great, but not everyone has that option. Because of the slow cooker, moms now can provide whole complete meals for their families by simply throwing a few ingredients together in the slow cooker, plug it in and turn it on slow for at least 8 hours or high for less hours, put the lid on and there's dinner. This should be done early in the morning and turned on just before leaving for work and let he slow cooker do the work for you.
Stew is just one of the meals you can make. In this hub I made a brown gravy stew. I also make a tomato based stew with salsa which I already featured in an earlier hub. I am showing you a choice because everyone has different taste.
I did work once but now am retired so I usually cook on the stove but on days when I do have a place to be and will be too busy to cook I use my slow cooker. That was the case the day I made this particular stew.
Stew is one of those all American dishes you will find in almost any diner across the country and every region has a different way of making it and I'm sure they are all very good. So hope you enjoy this recipe.
I try to keep my recipes simple because I want to also appeal to people who are just learning to cook. So enjoy!
Brief History of the Crock Pot, the Original Slow Cooker
According to HuffPost, people tend to use the terms 'crock pot' and 'slow cooker' interchangeably, but they are not interchangeable. All Crock Pots are slow cookers but not all Slow Cookers are crock pots.
Crock Pot is a brand name like Band-Aids are to bandages. An inventor named Irving Naxon invented the crock pot in 1936. It was inspired by a by a dish the inventor's mother told him about. From a humble dish of bean stew grew a kitchenware empire.
Tip When Browning Meat
You are browning the beef cubes make sure your pan is large enough to hold the meat without them touching each other. If you don't have one, brown the meat in batches. If the pan is crowded, the meat will not brown and it will make too much moisture and it will end up sort of boiling and that will make the beef cubes tough.
Photos of Stew in Slow Cooker
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Ingredients for Brown Gravy Stew
- 1 3/4 lb. beef cubes
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium potatoes, cut in cubes to desired size
- 5 or 6 depending on size carrots, peeled and cut in thick slices
- 2 medium onions, cut in 8 pieces
- 1 (1oz.) Au Jus Season Packet
- 2 cups water
Directions
- Plug your slow cooker in and turn to warm.
- Heat the olive oil on medium high in a frying pan large enough to hold the beef cubes. Dredge the cubes in the flour till all the cubes are coated and when the oil is hot add the beef cubes and brown them on all sides.
- While the beef cubes are browning add all the ingredients except the season packet and water in the slow cooker. Top with the browned beef cubes and then the season packet and the water. Stir it all together; put the lid on and just let it sit for about 8 hours.
- You can test it before serving by taking out a piece of meat and if it's really tender, then the stew is done. Enjoy with a piece of hearty bread.
