Dutch Oven Beef Stew with Bacon

5 from 7 votes

A hearty Dutch oven beef stew with seared beef, smoky bacon, potatoes, mushrooms slow cooked in a red wine broth until perfectly tender.

Prep Time10

Cook Time3 10

Total Time3 20

Course: Dinner, Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bacon beef stew, beef and bacon beef stew, beef stew with bacon

Servings: servings

Calories: 485kcal

Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season all of the beef evenly with salt and pepper on all sides. Then dridge the beef in flour, shaking off any excess flour so that there is a light and even coating.
In a wide Dutch oven, drizzle olive oil and bring up to medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the bacon has rendered it's fat, for about 8-10 minutes. Then remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the Dutch oven.
In the same Dutch oven, sear the beef cubes on all sides until deeply charred. Depending how wide your Dutch oven is, you'll be searing in batches. Once done, set aside to a plate.
Add the chopped onion, carrots and celery and saute for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Then add the chopped garlic and fresh oregano and continue sauteing for another minute.
Pour the red wine in and use a sturdy spoon to scrape up any meaty bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven and let the wine reduce by half. Add the tomato paste and stir through for another minute.
Next, add the seared beef back in, with any accumulated juices, as well as the potatoes, mushrooms, bacon and bay leaves. Pour in the beef stock and bring the beef stew to a boil, then reduce down to a simmer.
Place the lid onto th4e Dutch oven, leaving a small opening and cook for 3 hours, or until the meat and potatoes are tender.
Once done, remove the bay leaves and discard and teaste for seasoning. Ladle the beef stew into wide bowls and garnish with additional fresh oregano and serve.

Dry the Beef: Use paper towels to pat the beef dry very well. This will help the seasonings and flour adhere to the meat better to achieve a good sear.

Deglaze with Red Wine: Use a good-quality red wine to deglaze the pan after browning the meat. This step captures those fond (flavorful browned bits) and infuses them into the stew.

Thick the Beef Stew: If the stew isn't as thick as you like, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with ½ cup of the hot beef stew liquid and stir that into the beef stew as it simmers.