This is a pretty classic stew, but instead of using just broth, I added beer as a base and it turned a good stew into something amazing! Seriously, I love cooking with beer, it just adds so much flavor to food. Plus, my husband is a big fan of beer so he will eat just about anything with it.

I figured this would be too hearty for my young boys, 4 and 3, but they surprised me by loving the barley (which they’d never tried before) and eating as much of the meat as their father . . . they even polished off several carrot chunks, so it was a big hit in our house.

While I made this in the crockpot, you can easy do it stovetop, as well, just stir it occasionally.

Beef Barley Stew
Serves 8

1.5 lb. beef, cut into 1″ cubes
3 onions, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1.5 c. barley
2 c. beef broth (add more if needed)
1 bottle beer
3 leaves basil (or 1 tsp. dried)

Brown the beef in a pan. If you plan to cook stovetop you can do this right in the pot you’ll be using. Julia Child says to dry your beef before browning, which I didn’t do and you can see that it didn’t really get that brown, but it did jumpstart the cooking process.

In your crockpot, pour the broth and beer. Add remaining ingredients, including browned beef. Set to high and let cook for 5-6 hours.

Enjoy! On the stove it should take only an hour or so.