My family absolutely loves beef stew. My family absolutely loves BBQ sauce. A combination of the two was destined to be a winner. And the idea of having it come together in a slow cooker made even more sense! This is one of those terrific set-it-and-forget-it recipes, and while you can make your own barbecue sauce (and please try it at least once!) or with a bottled sauce, this hearty, beefy, cold-weather comfort food meal comes together even more easily.

I like serving this stew over hot over lightly buttered egg noodles with a sprinkle of fresh parsley to lift up all of the rich, earthy flavors. Serve this with Roasted Duck Fat Potatoes, Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Autumn Salad.

This Slow Cooker Barbecue Beer Beef Stew recipe mixes two family favorites: beef stew and barbecue sauce. A crock pot makes it extra simple.

Ingredients

• Salt and black pepper – To taste.
• Garlic powder – For depth of flavor.
• Olive or vegetable oil – For cooking.
• Beef stew meat – Use the best quality cubed chuck roast you can find. Read the tip below under browning beef for stew.
• Onion – For texture and sweetness.
• Barbecue sauce – Homemade or storebought will work.
• Beef broth – For a more meaty and layered flavor. I like using less-sodium broth to control the salt level.
• Honey – For a touch of sweetness.
• Dijon mustard – For a bit of spice.
• Parsnips or carrots – Parsnips look like pale carrots, beige in color, with a wider bottom near the root. They have a wonderful nutty sweetness. You could also use all carrots or mix in potatoes or other root vegetables instead.
• Beer – Use your favorite kind.
• Fresh parsley – To garnish, adding freshness.
• Noodles – To serve (optional).

How to Make Crock Pot BBQ Beer Beef Stew

1. Prepare the beef: Season the beef with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Cook the beef: Brown the beef in a large oiled pan over medium-high heat. Set the meat aside.
3. Combine the stew: Pour off all but 2 teaspoons of fat from the pan and sauté the onions. In the slow cooker, add the onions, barbecue sauce, beef broth, honey, and mustard and stir to combine, followed by the parsnips, browned beef, and beer.
4. Cook in the Crockpot: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours until the meat is tender. Serve hot, with noodles, if desired.

Browning Beef for Stew

When browning beef for a stew (whether you’re making it in a slow cooker, a regular old pot, or a Dutch oven), I think it’s less important to get all of the sides of the cubes of beef barely browned than it is to get a couple of sides nicely caramelized. Getting all 6 sides of a cube-ish piece of meat is a bit painstaking, and I’m absolving you from the task.

I actually read a cool browning technique, which helps if you are making a large amount of stew. Instead of browning all of the beef already cut into small pieces, just buy the stew meat in a whole piece and cut it into pieces or buy the meat in steak-form. This technique is another way of making the point that a nice deep browning on a couple of sides trumps barely browning on multiple sides.

If you didn’t have time to brown the beef at all, you would still end up with a flavorful beef stew, but it’s really worth it, I think.

Leftovers and Storage

Keep leftover stew in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat the stew in a pot over low heat on the stovetop, stirring frequently. You can also reheat the stew in the crock pot or in a 300-degree oven in a covered pot. Heat just until warmed throughout.

What to Serve With Barbecue Beer Beef Stew

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Rice Pilaf

Simple Roasted Asparagus with Shallots and Parmesan

More Beef Stew Recipes

• Simple Beef Stew
• Apple Cider Beef Stew
• Slow Cooker Teriyaki Beef Tip Steaks