Chunky, beefy, saucy, full of veggies and with a lovely smoky flavor, Smoked Beef Stew is easy, delicious, and affordable! With a secret ingredient that’ll put this stew over the top, it’s too good to miss!
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This Smoked Beef Stew recipe is a keeper, and once you’ve tried your stew with the added flavor of smoke, you’ll never want it any other way.
Made a little differently, this amazing beef recipe gets a hearty dose of smoke by first smoking the beef cubes and then smoking the dish as it cooks low and slow. Can you smoke beef stew meat? Yes! And the results are insanely good, with smoke infused in every bite. And don’t forget the secret ingredient! Pickled cocktail onions! These tiny onions add a pop of flavor and enough tang to balance the smokiness of the stew.
I make this stew on my Traeger pellet grill/smoker, but you can make it on any smoker that can hold consistent heat.
What you’ll love about Smoked Beef Stew
- It’s hearty, meaty, affordable, and oh-so-satisfying!
- This stew is thick and chunky with smoke flavor in every bite!
- Low and slow cooking perfection!
Ingredients
- Beef stew meat – See my tips below for the best meat to use in beef stew.
- Butter – I use salted butter.
- Cooking oil
- Celery – Diced.
- Onion – Diced
- Garlic
- Red wine – I drink and cook the same wine. For red wine, that’s merlot. But, use what you have.
- Tomato paste
- Fresh thyme
- Bay leaves
- Worcestershire sauce
- Beef broth – Use low or no sodium to control the salt.
- All-purpose flour
- Potatoes – Peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes.
- Carrots – Cut into chunks.
- Pickled cocktail onions – Drained.
- Peas – Frozen peas are fine.
- Salt and pepper – To taste.
What Kind Of Beef Makes The Best Beef Stew?
You’ve probably seen the packages of cut-up cubes of beef in the grocery store, often labeled stewing beef. You can certainly use those, and it takes care of some of the prep. Or, you can buy an economical cut of beef, like a chuck roast, blade roast, or any other kind of roast that’s suitable for pot roast. By cooking the beef low and slow, you’ll infuse the stew with plenty of beef flavor and the meat will be tender and delicious.
This full-color ebook cookbook features more than 50 of Chef Jenn’s tried, tested, and favorite smoker recipes! Enjoy:
- Smoked Beef Kabobs
- Smoked Chicken Thighs
- Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Pork Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
- Smoked Spaghetti Squash with Herbs
and so much more!
How To Make The Best Smoked Beef Stew
- Fire up your Traeger smoker (or any other smoker) to 180-F and place the beef cubes onto a pan (or right onto the grill), season them with salt and pepper, and smoke for about 45 minutes to give them a good smoke flavor.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions, celery, and garlic in a skillet with the butter and cooking oil until the onions are translucent. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and let the wine reduce for a minute.
- Transfer the smoked beef cubes to a cutting board and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the bite-sized beef cubes, onion-celery-wine mixture, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce in a smoker-safe casserole or cast-iron dish.
- Mix the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup beef broth until it is a smooth paste, then add the remaining beef broth. Whisk this into the beef stew – the flour will thicken the stew as it cooks.
- Smoke the beef stew at 350-F or whatever temperature you need to keep the stew simmering. 350-F is a good spot to start. Smoke the stew until the beef is tender (about 40 minutes) then add the diced potatoes, chopped carrot, and pickled onions. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the frozen peas and heat the stew back to a simmer, adjust the salt and pepper, and serve!
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Opening a can of tomato paste but don’t want to throw out the rest? Put the leftover tomato paste into a resealable sandwich bag and press it down into a cylinder. Pop it into the freezer, and then just cut off what you need the next time you need tomato paste!
- Different cuts of beef can give off different amounts of liquid which could make your stew too runny or too thick. If your stew is too thick, thin it with a bit more beef broth (or water). If your stew is too thin, mix 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of water or broth and whisk that into the simmering stew, a few spoonfuls at a time while stirring, to thicken the stew.
- The vegetables will take more or less time to cook, depending on how big you cut them. You want them fork tender.
- Don’t be in a hurry! Smoking is slow-cooking! Sip on a homemade Celcius drink while waiting!
Recommended
Step By Step Process
Smoked Beef Stew
Equipment
- Treaeger pellet smoker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat cut into large cubes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 1/2 onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 each bay leaves
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 each carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 cup pickled onions mini cocktail onions
- 1 cup frozen peas
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fire up your Traeger smoker (or any other smoker) to 180-F and place the beef cubes onto a pan (or right onto the grill), season them with salt and pepper, and smoke for about 45 minutes to give them a good smoke flavor.
- Meanwhile, saute the onions, celery, and garlic in a skillet with the butter and cooking oil until the onions are translucent; about 8 minutes. Deglaze the skillet with the red wine and let the wine reduce for a minute.
- Transfer the smoked beef cubes to a cutting board and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Place the bite-sized beef cubes, onion-celery-wine mixture, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce in a smoker-safe casserole or cast-iron dish.
- Mix the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup beef broth until it is a smooth paste, then add the remaining beef broth. Whisk this into the beef stew – the flour will thicken the stew as it cooks.
- Smoke the beef stew at 350-F or whatever temperature you need to keep the stew simmering. 350-F is a good spot to start. Smoke the stew until the beef is tender (about 40 minutes) then add the diced potatoes, chopped carrot, and pickled onions. Simmer for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the frozen peas and heat the stew back to a simmer, adjust the salt and pepper, and serve!
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Opening a can of tomato paste but don’t want to throw out the rest? Put the leftover tomato paste into a resealable sandwich bag and press it down into a cylinder. Pop it into the freezer, and then just cut off what you need the next time you need tomato paste!
- Different cuts of beef can give off different amounts of liquid which could make your stew too runny or too thick. If your stew is too thick, thin it with a bit more beef broth (or water). If your stew is too thin, mix 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of water or broth and whisk that into the simmering stew, a few spoonfuls at a time while stirring, to thicken the stew.
- The vegetables will take more or less time to cook, depending on how big you cut them. You want them fork tender.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.