Many beef stews include carrots and potatoes and this one’s no different. The potatoes not only add to the heartiness of the dish but the starch they contain also helps to thicken it. Use this recipe as a guide and adjust the heat and the spice to your liking. Enjoy!
Burnt Sugar for the Win
Another signature of Jamaican Stew Beef is the deep, rich color. This is sometimes achieved via the addition of browning sauce. This bottled sauce is essentially burnt sugar and is used to color and flavor a variety of Caribbean stews, gravies, and even desserts. You can also achieve this color by burning the sugar yourself while making the stew, as we do in this recipe. Sugar is included in the beef’s marinade so when it’s seared in the pan, the savory bits on the bottom of the pan become especially dark. This will result in the color and depth of flavor we want.
Swaps and Subs
This recipe calls for chuck beef stew meat but you could also use round roast. The key is to use a cut with a lot of connective tissue that will break down and yield super tender meat after our low and slow cooking process. Scotch bonnets are a staple Jamaican hot pepper but not always easy to find in the US. Habanero peppers are a good swap. Speaking of heat, this recipe also calls for hot sauce. Any vinegar-based hot sauce will work here or you could try this Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce. If you don’t have any hot sauce or don’t love spicy food, just skip it!
How to Make Beef Stew in a Slow Cooker
To make this recipe in the slow cooker, complete steps 1-3 as listed below, except you will add the browned beef directly to the slow cooker. Add the stock, soy sauce, and ketchup to the pan with the onions and bring to a boil then pour into the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours. Garnish with chopped scallion. Note: You’ll want to cut the carrots and potatoes into larger chunks so that they don’t become too soft in the slow cooker.
How to Serve Jamaican Beef Stew
Rice is a classic pairing for this stew but anything starchy would make a great accompaniment. More potatoes, or dumplings (aka spinners), or even another grain like quinoa. You could also offset the richness with something fresh like a salad or steamed vegetables.
How to Freeze and Reheat Beef Stew
This stew freezes very well. If you’re freezing leftovers of the completed dish, just keep in mind that the potatoes will get softer in the process of freezing and thawing. If you plan to freeze the stew right away, do so before the step of adding the carrots and the potatoes. When you’re ready to enjoy the soup, thaw it and resume the cooking process at step 5.
More Amazing Beef Stew Recipes
· Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew · Irish Beef Stew · Beef and Barley Stew with Mushrooms · Quick Beef Stew with Mushrooms and White Beans · Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
2 1/2 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks 1 large yellow onion, chopped 5 medium scallions, chopped 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped 3 large whole thyme sprigs 1 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon minced scotch bonnet or habanero peppers 1 teaspoon hot sauce 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 tablespoon sugar
To prepare the stew:
1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 cups chicken stock 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 bay leaves 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch rounds 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 to 1 inch chunks 1/2 cup sliced scallions, plus more for garnish 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced 1/4 cup sliced onion
The sugar from the seasoning will make the brown bits on the bottom of the pan very dark brown, almost burning — don’t worry! This is the color we want. As long as you don’t have an unappetizing burnt smell, you’re still in good shape. If it looks like it’s turning almost black, reduce your heat. You can even deglaze the pan between batches with a bit of the chicken stock and remove that liquid to the bowl with the seared meat before searing the remaining pieces.
