Reviewed: Nov. 20, 2009

I thought this was going to be better. It was really boring in terms of taste. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, since I added a few extra veggies I has in my fridge (2 red peppers, 3 potatoes, no mushrooms). And I didn't add any wine, as I didn't have any. The wine would have added nice depth, but I think it still would have been missing something. I cooked it 8 hours in my slow cooker and I found it just tastes like veggies and barley. Hardly any beef or any other flavor at all. I will eat the enormous pot-worth I made, but I probably won't make it again.

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2ys4you

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Living In: Lachine, Quebec, Canada

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2009

Probably my best slow cooker product to date. I adapted the recipe to the slow cooker by simply adding everything except the barley and mushrooms until there were about 2 hours left on the slow cooker. I also substituted lamb and bison (had sitting in the freezer) for beef and also added potatoes.

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Mike Bogdanski

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Reviewed: Oct. 14, 2009

Barley beef stew should taste like barley, and beef. This tastes like wine and vinegar. At 8:30pm, fter 3 hours of simmering, and without having eaten all day, I didn't finish half of my cup.

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deepcreekpagan

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Oak Hill, Florida, USA

Living In: Crestline, California, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2009

I used this recipe as a backbone but adjusted to taste. I cubed and browned three pounds of blade roast, then sauteed a pound of mushrooms on top of the fond the meat left behind. I then sauteed 2 diced onions and most of a head of garlic. I added the browned meat back into the pot, dumped in 8 roughly chopped carrots, added a can of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of lamb stock I had made for another recipe, one cup of shiraz wine, about a half cup of pearl barley, three bay leaves, and probably close to a tablespoon thyme. I did not add any flour to thicken it, completely forgot the celery, and chose to omit the vinegar as it was stupendous without it. The lamb stock added a very nice richness to the stew and browning the meat added a tremendous depth of flavor.

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val_squared

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Sep. 12, 2009

Great stew. I added a green and red pepper, califlower and babay bella mushrooms. I did not add the wine and felt it didn't need it. I did have to cook it for about 2 hrs and the barley was still crunchy. But this had great flavor.

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equis

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Reviewed: Sep. 8, 2009

This was so delish. Like others, I browned my meat and vegetables on the stove, and then added everything else to the crockpot. I ommitted the mushrooms, but compensated with more celery and carrots. Also, I used 1/2 cup of barley and added 1 extra cup of water. It turned out perfect. I will make this again and again.

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Debra Steeb

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA

Living In: Belgium, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

Really great stew. I skipped the flour because I didn't see a need to add it. Next time I'll try it in the slow cooker. The balsamic vinegar adds a great zing.

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mamalulu

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Reviewed: Mar. 18, 2009

OmiGosh!! I made this stew(I made soup)for dinner the night before last. My DH and grown son, finished off the entire pot, minus my one bowl, in one night. I followed the recipe to the letter, except for doubling the entire recipe. definitly will be making this again. I was very reluctant to begin with about putting the wine into the recipe, but was oh so glad that i did when all was said and done. My Son and DH raved over this one. Will most decidedly go into the family recipe box. Thanks so much for sharing.

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theyluvsmygrub

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Los Angeles, California, USA

Living In: Lancaster, California, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2009

This is an excellent recipe. I made a few small changes. I added a 28oz can of chopped tomatoes and left out the 1 c water. I precooked the barley in 1 c beef stock(use "better than bouillon" a great product)for 15'. I left out the balsamic as the stew was already very sweet(muir glen tomatoes) and I left out the flour/water. It did'nt need any thickening. DEELICIOUS!

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billbrout

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Reviewed: Feb. 14, 2009

This stew is outstanding! We love soups and stews, and this one moves very close to the top of our list. The only changes I made were chopping the mushrooms very finely (to help disguise them from my husband who "hates" mushrooms), reduced the wine to 1/3 cup, and used a whole can of beef broth (instead of 1 cup -- just for convenience). I also doubled the barley to 2/3 c., and therefore increased the water to 2 cups. I did NOT need to use the flour/water to thicken -- it's plenty thick this way! And don't be afraid of the balsamic vinegar -- sounds weird, but it added that little something extra that makes this stew even better! I followed Step #1 as described, but then threw everything into a crockpot and let it cook all day. Absolutely wonderful -- I'm making a double batch next time!

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GardenGirl11

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 23, 2009

This recipe allows quite a bit of versatility with ingredients. Tastes great and is fairly easy to prepare.

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Dean

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Living In: Laramie, Wyoming, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 31, 2008

This is a hearty, delicious soup. I made it for an evening gathering on a cold winter night, and it was absolutely a hit. I used sirloin steak and let it cook maybe 4 hours and it was very tender. Do NOT skip the balsamic vinegar ending. It MAKES the soup stand out. Your guests will never guess it's in there: it's very subtle but makes the soup distinctive.

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HOODOORIDER

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Dec. 24, 2008

This is the perfect meal to warm you up on a cold winter day! Rather than add the flour at the end, I put it into a ziploc bag, added salt, pepper and garlic powder, then shook the stew beef in it. Threw it all in the pot with the olive oil and browned the beef that way, first, then added the remaining ingredients. Followed other suggestions - 2 cups beef broth and 1 cup wine. Use whatever kind of mushrooms are on sale. Used quick cooking barley - doubled up. Added a can of peas with their juice, which gave it a nice little depth. The longer you cook it, the better it is!

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MSDISH

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Hampton, New Hampshire, USA

Living In: Park City, Utah, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 9, 2008

Yummy! Really great hearty meal! I froze the extras in lunch size portions for my husband- He LOVED it!! When we ran out he was so disappointed! I highly recommend this recipe.

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Crystal

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Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2008

Very good. I omitted the red wine and a cup of water, and I added another can of stewed tomatoes. The consistency was great as was the flavor

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kimwins

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Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008

I thought this stew was bland and had very little flavor. On a positive note the meat was very tender. I would not try again.

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bub6958

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 9, 2008

my family loved this stew.

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annesur

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Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2008

This stew is so good and freezes well too! I love all the fresh veggies in it! So thick and hearty, makes a great meal

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Julie

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Reviewed: Nov. 5, 2008

I made this for a casual dinner with friends. What a hit! I had to add extra water, wine and beef broth because we like more "sugo" in our stews. Has anyone calculated the nutritional info on this recipe?

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Linda

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Reviewed: Sep. 11, 2008

In my opinion, there was too much wine in this recipe. It just didn't have the right flavor - I ate half a bowl and my son and husband took just 2 bites - with encouragement. I have used red wine in other soups, but this was overpowering. I would cut the wine in at least half, but since I have a better recipe for beef barley soup, I'm not planning on making this again.

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