Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~1.75 lbs stewing beef (chuck roast), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ~1 cup diced carrots
- ~3/4 cup diced celery
- ~3/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup dry red wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
- 5-6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Sear the Beef and Sauté the Vegetables
Pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season them generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, sear the beef for ~1-2 minutes per side, until a dark brown crust forms. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the seared beef to a separate plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, celery, and onion to the same pot. Sauté for ~5-7 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for ~1-2 minutes, until it darkens in color.
Deglaze, Simmer, and Cook the Barley
Pour the red wine into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Let the wine simmer and reduce by about half, which should take ~3 minutes.
Return the seared beef to the pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, 5 cups of the beef broth, the bay leaves, and the fresh thyme sprigs. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for at least 4-5 hours. The beef should be exceptionally tender – if it’s not, let it simmer for another hour.
About 45 minutes before you plan to serve, stir in the pearl barley. Cover the pot and continue to simmer, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the barley from sticking. The soup is ready when the barley is plump and cooked through.
If the soup has thickened too much, stir in the remaining cup of beef broth. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems, taste, and adjust with more salt and pepper if needed before serving with fresh parsley.
Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ~1.75 lbs stewing beef chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ~1 cup diced carrots
- ~3/4 cup diced celery
- ~3/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup dry red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
- 5-6 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 bay leaves
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat beef dry, season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Sear beef in batches until browned, 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to plate.
- Reduce heat to medium, sauté carrots, celery, onion until soft, 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste, cook 1-2 minutes until darkened.
- Add wine, scrape bottom, simmer until reduced by half, 3 minutes.
- Return beef to pot with Worcestershire, 5 cups broth, bay leaves, thyme.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 4-5 hours until beef is tender.
- Add barley, simmer covered 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Add remaining broth if needed, remove bay leaves and thyme stems.
- Season to taste and garnish with parsley.
