This soup is so good! This is a very hearty soup. I Will reduce the amount of veggies and increase the liquid next time. It has such a wonderful taste, thanks for sharing.

Delicious! I omitted the frozen veggies, doubled the celery and carrots, added an additional cup of water and 1 tsp of beef boullion. I also threw in about a cup of tomato sauce that I had leftover in the fridge. Like many others, I simply dumped everything in the slow cooker, except the barley, which I added 1/2 hr before the soup was done. I cooked on high for 5 1/2 hours. Will definitely make again!

Excellent. Not exactly a crockpot recipe, as only the meat is cooked in the crockpot, but still yummy in the end.

Lovely taste, but be careful with the Barley... I added to much and had gloup!

This soup was perfect tonight! I used 1.5 lbs of beef shank instead of beef chuck. It was what I had on hand at the time plus my family was sick. I seasoned the shank with hawaiian sea salt and black pepper and seared in a pot with a 2T of olive oil. I was looking for a dark brown coloring on the meat for both sides. I added 4 cans of beef broth and simmered for about 4 hours. I omitted the sugar, beef bouillon cubes, water, stewed tomatoes, and frozen vegetables. After 4 hours of simmering the beef shank and it was tender, I took it out and set it aside. I added fresh vegetables using 4 carrots, chopped, half a zucchini and celery, diced, half of an onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves and 1 bay leaf to the pot. I cut up the beef and added it back in the pot along with the broth and vegetables. An hour before serving, I added 1/2 cup of pearl barley. Everything seemed to come together nicely so I removed the bay leaf. It was then that I seasoned it again. I added frozen sweet peas, turned off the stove, covered it with a lid. The soup was so flavorful and comforting! Just salt, black pepper, garlic, and the flavors from the beef bones all add to the wonderful tasty soup. The meat is fork tender and melts in my mouth. The vegetables are soft and the barley cooked perfectly! Since I didn't use the cooking method intended in this recipe I rated this 4 stars, otherwise it would have been a 5 stars. I serve with, "Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread," also from this website.

overall this is a very good soup with a few alterations; I added additional beef bullion for a bit richer flavor and cut the frozen veggies in half. After it had been simmering for some time I removed the bay leaves. i really, really disliked the smell and didn't see much difference in the flavor. It came together quickly and it was very easy to adjust according to our preferences without sacrificing flavor.

Works great with venison too.

Wonderful! I doubled the broth added some extra spice (parsley, basil, and a small amount of chilli powder) I used corn instead of the mixed veggies and added a small can of diced green chilis.

I used a can beef barley soup instead of plain barley. One of our favorite soups. I have also doubled the meat to make it a stew.

i cut the meat into cubes, coated them in flour, garlic powder, and salt, and browned it in olive oil. this thickened it some. i also added diced potatoes. SO GOOD!