Hearty Dutch Oven Smoked Beef Stew
Warm up from the inside out with this for-tender Dutch Oven Smoked Beef Stew Recipe! Smoking the beef provides a greater depth of flavor to this stew – it’ll leave you wondering why you never tried it before!
Serve your rich and vegetable-loaded beef stew over freshly steamed rice or baked garlic mashed potatoes together with a side of freshly made dinner rolls to soak up any leftover meaty juices in the bowl!
WHAT MEAT SHOULD I USE FOR THIS DUTCH OVEN SMOKED BEEF STEW?
I’ve used chuck for this stew recipe but you could also use other cuts of beef such as shoulder, round roast, and rump roast. These cuts of meat contain collagen which breaks down in the meat making it tender whereas well-marbled steak contains fat that will just melt away, leaving you with tough and chewy meat.
CAN I MAKE THIS SMOKED BEEF STEW AHEAD OF TIME?
Absolutely! You can peel and cut the potatoes and onions (or other veggies you decide to add in) the day before and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge the night or day before.
You can also cut the meat into chunks the day before (or buy pre-packaged stew meat) and store in a zip-top freezer bag in the fridge or freezer.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH THIS DUTCH OVEN STEW RECIPE
Stews are always great to serve over freshly steamed rice or garlic mashed potatoes. They also pair wonderfully with bread, homemade dinner rolls, or buttermilk biscuits.
STORAGE AND FREEZER TIPS
You can freeze this stew for up to 3 months which makes it great for storing leftovers or making it ahead of time. It will also last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A DUTCH OVEN?
No problem! Simply make your beef stew on the stovetop instead. Beef stews can also be made in a slow cooker or Instant Pot so the choice is yours.
Obviously you will need to adjust cooking times depending on what cooking method you select.
TIPS FOR MAKING DUTCH OVEN SMOKED BEEF STEW
- You can use chicken broth instead of beef although it’s worth noting that the chicken broth has a tendency of masking other ingredient flavors.
- You can easily add in other vegetables that haven’t been listed in this recipe or remove those listed for preferred vegetables. Stews are so versatile like that!
- Make sure to use a large Dutch oven or thick cast-iron pot for this beef stew.
- I’ve used potatoes, corn, green beans, and onion for this beef stew but you could always swap out veggies or add in others such as carrots and cauliflower.
- 1 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder and white pepper can be added to this stew to develop an even more robust flavor but this is entirely optional.
- The beef rub I used in this recipe is called “What’s Your Beef BBQ Rub”. If you can’t source this brand, feel free to use whatever BBQ flavored beef rub you have on hand or prefer.
Dutch Oven Smoked Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Pre-heat the pellet smoker to 180 degrees.
- Rub each side of the chuck roast with Beef BBQ Rub.
- Place the chuck roast directly on the smoker grates and close the lid.
- Smoke at 180 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Pull the roast out and set the temperature of the smoker to 225 degrees.
- Then carefully cut the smoked roast into large chunks.
- In a large Dutch Oven add the beef broth and flour and whisk until the flour has dissolved.
- Then add in the green beans, corn, potatoes, onion, and salt and pepper.
- Add the cubed meat and give everything a stir.
- Place the entire Dutch Oven (LID OFF) into the smoker and let smoke for 2 hours, (stirring every half hour).
- Then place the lid on the Dutch Oven and smoke for another 2 hours or until the potatoes are tender.
