Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces, trimming any large pieces of fat hanging from it, but leave any fat that is marbled into the beef alone because it adds flavor to the stew.

To a large bowl, add the flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and stir to combine.

Toss the meat in this dry ingredients mixture until it is evenly coated.

To a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, add the oil, and add some of the beef, and cook over medium-high heat to sear it. Flip intermittently and as needed so that all sides of the beef cubes are evenly seared and browned. Tip - Do not overcrowd the beef or it will steam and not sear, so do your browning in batches. As the meat is done, set it aside into your slow cooker and continue the process until it's all browned and in the slow cooker.

Add the red wine to your skillet to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Note - It will bubble up vigorously and steam, so use caution when you add it. If you are not using wine, use 1/2 cup of beef broth instead.

Scape and stir the wine until the meat juices and bits are loosened from the bottom of the pan.

Add the onion, half the butter (reserve the remaining 2 tablespoons for step 10), and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are becoming translucent; stir frequently.

Add the onions and cooking liquid to the slow cooker.

Add the beef broth (start with 7 cups and see how it looks), tomato paste, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, beef bouillon, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and stir to combine.

Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables (they can be unthawed or straight from the freezer), and stir to combine; set aside.

To a small bowl, add the corn starch, cold water, and stir to combine until a slurry is formed.

Add the slurry to the slow cooker and whisk it into the ingredients in the slow cooker.

Cover it with the lid and cook on low for about 8 hours. Although you can cook on high for 4 hours, low and slow is my preference and the meat becomes more tender the longer it cooks.

10 minutes before serving, remove the whole sprigs of rosemary and thyme if you used fresh, remove the bay leaves, optionally add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet (adds a rich brown color and a slight bit of flavor), add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, cover again with the lid, allow the butter to melt, and then stir to combine.

Beef stew is done when the beef is tender and pierces very easily with a fork (has an internal temp of 165F although I don't take the temperature), and the potatoes and vegetables are fork tender. Tip - It's very hard to overcook the beef, but you can overcook the vegetables to the point of mush, although this is not very likely.

Taste the stew and if necessary, add a bit more salt or pepper, and stir to combine. Note - If you prefer a brothier stew and not quite as thick, in the second half of the cooking process (after about 4 to 6 hours cooking on low heat) add the additional 1 cup of broth (8 cups total rather than 7).

Optionally serve with freshly grated Parmesan and crusty bread or dinner rolls. Stew will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week and in the freezer for up to 4 months.