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Is there anything more comforting that a big pot of rich, fall-apart tender beef in a flavourful gravy? Nope, I don’t think so. This dish may seem a little fussy but it’s really not as hard as it sounds. You will be tempted to shortcut some steps but I highly recommend against it. The end result is so worth it, trust me.
Serve this big low-carb bowl of comfort over creamy cauliflower mash to give yourself a hug from the inside. This keto dish freezes really well so it’s a great one to make when you want to stash a couple of dinners in the freezer. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Tips
We made this delicious beef stew in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole pot, or you can use a Dutch oven.
If want to use a crockpot, follow the tips below:
- Follow the recipe up to step 6 (browning the meat). Instead of transferring the meat to a bowl, place into a preheated slow cooker (crockpot).
- Deglaze the pot where you browned the meat with beef stock and then pour over the browned beef. Since you are using a slow cooker, you will only need 2 cups (480 ml) of stock of stock instead of the 4 cups. This means you should use all of the stock (2 cups) to make the marinade.
- To the slow cooker add all of the remaining vegetables and aromatics.
- Cover with a lid and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
If want to use the Instant Pot, follow the tips below:
- Follow the recipe instructions but instead of using a large casserole pot, use the Saute settings on your Instant Pot to brown the meat.
- Transfer the browned meat into a bowl and deglaze the Instant Pot with beef stock. Since you are using the Instant Pot, you will only need 2 cups (480 ml) of stock instead of the 4 cups. This means you should use all of the stock (2 cups) to make the marinade.
- To the Instant Pot add all of the remaining vegetables and aromatics, and then add back the browned beef.
- Cover with a lid and set to Manual, high pressure for 45 minutes, vent in sealing position.
- Once the cook time is over, let the steam escape naturally.
Hands-on Overall
Serving size about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz
Nutritional values (per serving, about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz)
Net carbs6.5 grams
Protein43.5 grams
Fat55.5 grams
Calories746 kcal
Calories from carbs 4%, protein 25%, fat 71%
Total carbs8.5 gramsFiber2 gramsSugars3.7 gramsSaturated fat22.6 gramsSodium577 mg(25% RDA)Magnesium116 mg(29% RDA)Potassium1,322 mg(66% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 8 servings)
- 1 yellow onion, diced (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
- 1 fennel bulb, sliced (234 g/ 8.3 oz)
- 200 g pumpkin, deseeded and peeled (7.1 oz)
- 2 cinnamon quills or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup dark rum (180 ml/ 6 fl oz)
- zest of 1 organic orange, peeled into strips
- 1.5 kg beef chuck casserole (3.3 lb)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
- 3/4 stick unsalted butter (85 g/ 3 oz)
- 250 g bacon, chopped roughly (8.8 oz)
- 300 g small button mushrooms, whole (10.6 oz)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
- 4 cups beef stock, divided (960 ml/ 32 fl oz)
- tarragon to taste for garnish, or parsley if you can’t find tarragon
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. Slice the bacon. Cut your beef into bite-sized pieces, approx. 2.5 cm/ 1" pieces.
- Peel the onion, pumpkin and fennel and chop roughly. Peel the orange zest into strips. Dice the pumpkin and onion. Slice the fennel and garlic.
- Combine onion, pumpkin, fennel, cinnamon (use 2 sticks or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon), garlic, bay leaves, rum, two cups (480 ml) of beef stock, orange zest and diced beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
- Preheat oven to 140 °C/ 285 °F (fan assisted), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (conventional). Strain beef mixture, reserving the liquid. Place the beef and vegetables into two separate bowls.
- Place the marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Heat half oil and half butter in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole pot over high heat. Sear the beef in batches, making sure to not crowd the pot, until browned and then set transfer into a bowl and set aside.
Note: If you want to use a slow cooker or the Instant Pot instead, follow the tips in the recipe post above.
- To the pot where you cooked the meat add remaining oil and butter, and then the bacon and mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.
- Add reserved vegetables from the marinade and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until the vegetables are coated.
- Place the beef back into the pan with marinade and remaining beef stock, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the beef and the mushrooms from the pot — remembering that the beef will be very tender. Remove the cinnamon quills, bay leaves and orange peel and discard.
- Use a handheld stick blender to puree the vegetables and liquid and then place back on the stovetop on medium-high heat for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Return the beef and the mushrooms to the sauce and add a handful of tarragon or chopped parsley for freshness.
- Serve over creamy cauliflower mash. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Onion, brown (yellow), raw |
| 0.9 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 5 kcal |
| Fennel bulb, fresh |
| 1.2 g | 0.4 g | 0.1 g | 9 kcal |
| Pumpkin, fresh |
| 1.5 g | 0.3 g | 0 g | 7 kcal |
| Cinnamon, spices |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.5 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Bay leaf, dried |
| 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Rum, distilled alcoholic beverage (~40% vol) |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 48 kcal |
| Orange peel (zest), fresh |
| 0.3 g | 0 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Beef, chuck eye steak, boneless, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades, raw |
| 0 g | 35.4 g | 30.7 g | 418 kcal |
| Olive oil, extra virgin |
| 0 g | 0 g | 6.8 g | 60 kcal |
| Butter, unsalted, grass-fed |
| 0 g | 0.1 g | 8.6 g | 76 kcal |
| Bacon, streaky (high fat content), organic |
| 0 g | 4.3 g | 7.8 g | 88 kcal |
| Mushrooms (brown), fresh |
| 1.4 g | 0.9 g | 0 g | 8 kcal |
| Tomato purée (paste, unsweetened) |
| 0.4 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Beef bone broth, beef stock |
| 0.2 g | 1.8 g | 1.5 g | 20 kcal |
| Tarragon, fresh |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Total per serving, about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz |
| 6.5 g | 43.5 g | 55.5 g | 746 kcal |
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