Mountain Beef Stew Recipe:

Back in the 1970’s my great-grandparents used to operate a food truck on the east side of Oʻahu, and this beef stew has a long and rich history that I’ll now explain in detail over the next 3 pages. 

NOT. 

No long and drawn out personal backstory, just recipe. I will say this though, I don’t really follow recipes. I cook based on smell and taste and what’s in the pantry and what’s in the fridge, so this recipe is just a basic guide for a super hearty and flavorful beef stew that tastes extra good after hiking all day and drinking whiskey on an empty stomach. I will add or subtract to this recipe over time as I experiment and try different things.

Ingredient List:

1-2lbs well-marbled chuck roast cut into chunks or beef short ribs (bone in preferred)

1 large or 2 small can whole tomatoes (if it comes in a red and yellow can it usually tastes better) 

1-2 cups fine chop sweet onions, carrots, celery, garlic, (jalapeno and bell pepper if desired)

½-1 cup mushrooms (optional)

3-4 tblsp dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, or italian seasoning)

2-3 tblsp seasoning mix (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sage, black pepper)

½ tblsp fennel seed

½ tblsp celery seed

1 tblsp fish sauce

1 tblsp balsamic vinegar/vinegar of choice

(Red wine or dark beer optional)

Couple bay leaves if get in the pantry

1 square bouillon (you probably won’t use it all)

2-3 tblsp oil

Pinch salt. 

Instructions:

The first and most important step is to prepare your meat at least a day before you go hiking. You’re going to want to dry brine the meat- salt each chunk liberally and place in the fridge on a rack for at least 4-5 hours (until you can no longer see any visible moisture on the surface of the meat) and up to 24 hours. The salt will draw moisture out of the surface layers of the meat, which in turn dissolves the salt and as that moisture evaporates in the fridge the salt penetrates down into the meat, imbuing it with delicious salty flavor.  The moisture loss will also help the meat freeze better, and I highly recommend that after dry brining you vacuum seal the meat and place in the freezer. You don’t have to do this, but you will have better results if you do. 

Now hike to your campsite and set up your tent and cooking space before it starts to rain. Once you’re set up and comfortable the next step is to open one of your beers and take a big gulp to rehydrate after hiking. Once you have a good buzz going go ahead and fire up the trangia and get your billy pot on there. Add the oil and get it up to searing temperature. 

By now your meat should be thawed, but don’t worry if it still feels like it could be a little frozen inside. We’re shooting for a good sear on all sides of the meat, the inside will cook thoroughly later. If you dry brined like I instructed, the reduced moisture content in the surface of the meat will give you a much better crust (maillard reaction). For this recipe you don’t need to flour the meat, but it doesn’t hurt if you do.

Once you get a solid sear on all of your meat, dump a little more oil in the pot if you need to and toss your mirepoix in there with a pinch of salt (not too much). Turn down your heat to medium–you don’t want any black burnt bits in there, but you do want your vegetables to take on some of the good meat flavor left in the pot. You can cook your veggies as much or as little as you’d like as long as you get them to the point where they start to sweat. For the mountain stew I like to cook mine down until they’re really soft and almost mushy.

Once the vegetables are cooked to your satisfaction, add the meat back in the pot, dump in your seasoning, dried herbs and seeds and gently mix until all the meat chunks and vegetables are coated in seasoning.

Cook for another minute or two and then add the tomatoes. I prefer using whole tomatoes and crushing them by hand into the pot so I can control how chunky my stew is, but you could use diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes if you’d like. You can also add your wine/beer in at this point as well. Add liquid to reach your desired consistency, but remember it’s easier to add more than it is to take out.

Once all the tomatoes are in it usually take at least 1.5-2 hours before your meat is nice and soft. I like to let things simmer for about an hour before tasting- once you taste then add bouillon to your liking. Keep in mind that the fish sauce will add a little bit of salt. When you feel like it’s about 30 minutes before you want to eat, go ahead and remove the lid from the pot and let the stew thicken up slightly. Get your rice going about the same time you remove the lid. Once you take the lid off, go ahead and add your fish sauce and vinegar, and once your stew has thickened down to your desired viscosity then dig in. 

This stew is best enjoyed up in the mountains in the company of the wind and the rain. I like to eat beef stew with rice, but you can have it with bread and butter, or the carbohydrate of your choice. I don’t use potatoes in my stew, but I’m going to make kalo beef stew as soon as I can get some good table kalo. If you got da hookups, let me know. This recipe is just a starting point for a great stew– you can add or subtract whatever you like and adjust the seasoning to your taste. I like my mountain stew strong and hearty and thick without big chunks of veggies, but also enjoy a more traditional beef stew when I’m at home. If you make this recipe let me know how it goes.

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Aloha,

Braddah Codes