Chunky Beef Stew

From Shirley Evans
Makes 16 cups

3 lbs. stew meat or boneless beef chuck
vegetable oil
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, cut into 1-inch dice
2 (14.5-oz.) cans beef broth
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes, coarsely torn, including all juices
1/2 tsp. thyme
5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

Trim away any obvious fat and gristle on meat. Make sure all pieces are roughly 1-1/2 inch cubes. As you trim the beef, lay the pieces on paper towels. The meat will not brown if it is damp.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In a large sauté pan, over fairly high heat, brown beef in just enough oil to keep the meat from sticking. This should be done in several batches to avoid crowding the meat. Regulate heat so that it browns evenly without burning meat. Do not cook until hard and crusty--just nicely browned. Add more oil, if necessary. As each piece is browned, remove to a 4-qt. oven-proof casserole.

When all the meat has been added to the casserole, toss it with flour, salt and black pepper. Set casserole, uncovered in 475 degree oven for 5 minutes. Toss meat again and return to oven for 5 more minutes. This will result in a nice brown crust on the meat.

While meat is cooking, sauté onions in the same skillet in which you browned the meat. Add a small amount of oil, if necessary.

After meat has cooked in the oven, remove casserole. Reduce over heat to 325 degrees. Add the browned onions to the meat. Then pour one of the cans of beef broth into the sauté pan and scrape up any bits of beef and onion that remain. Pour it all into meat mixture. Add second can of beef broth along with tomatoes and their liquid, and thyme. Place casserole back into oven and cook at 325 degrees for 2 hours. Regulate heat so that the liquid simmers slowly during the cooking time.

After 2 hours, add potatoes and carrots. Continue cooking 30 minutes. Test for doneness. The veggies should be tender, not mushy.