The 1-ingredient trick for making slow-cooker beef more succulent

You could be a single staple ingredient away from cooking your best beef stew yet.

The very first signs of autumn in Australia – as soon as summer begins to mellow – marks the moment slow-cooker season begins. Suddenly the slow cooker makes a regular appearance on our benchtops and heralds the season for easy, set-and-forget meals. 

One super popular slow-cooker recipe here on Australia’s Best Recipes is slow-cooker beef stew. And, in particular, this slow-cooked beef stew recipe (originally submitted by ‘bonniebraes’, a member of the Australia’s Best Recipe community), attracts attention. 

Food writer Natasha Shaw recently shared her tips for ensuring your slow-cooker beef stew recipe is the most succulent it can possibly be. And we were surprised by just how simple it was to elevate this everyday dish.

The trick to making the most succulent slow-cooked beef

Natasha explains that by using one everyday pantry ingredient, you can ensure you’re making the best slow-cooker beef this slow-cooker season.

The ingredient? Flour. That’s right: regular, run-of-the-mill (sorry, we had to) flour.

“Tossing your beef in some flour before adding it to the slow cooker ensures that the pieces retain their juices and don’t lose their flavour to the liquid in the slow cooker. The flour also works to thicken the gravy in the cooker.”

We love a wallet-friendly tip that transforms your meal with minimal effort and staple, supermarket ingredients. By taking a couple of extra minutes to toss your beef in some flour, you’re well on your way to enhancing your stew – even if you’re using the most budget-friendly beef. We suggest using beef cheeks, beef shin or chuck steak for this recipe.

And wait: there’s more.

If you want to make your slow-cooker beef all the more succulent, Natasha says: “I like to brown the coated meat for extra assurance that my beef will become succulent. Some people also like to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste after browning the meat for extra flavour. My slow cooker has a searing bowl, which makes things easy, but you can just as easily do all this in a frying pan and then transfer the meat across to the slow cooker.”

Ready to put this trick to the test? 

Try this popular slow-cooker beef stew recipe  (and taste the difference for yourself!)

Originally published as The 1-ingredient trick for making slow-cooker beef more succulent