SUPERB beef stew! I took the great base recipe, and tweaked it with a compilation of reviewer recommendations. The end result is a winner, to be sure. Here is what I did (and I won't change a thing the next time I make it): 1. Increase flour to 1/3 cup and substitute seasoned salt for regular salt. Put flour mixture into gallon-sized, zippered bag. Shake beef in bag to coat. Sauté coated beef in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until browned. Add chopped onion to beef to sauté and soften. Transfer to slow cooker. 2. Mix beef broth (I used Swanson's Certified Organic in aseptic carton) with 1 TABLEspoon Worcestershire and ½ cup red wine. Pour into hot skillet to deglaze, then pour over beef and onions in cooker. 3. Add remaining ingredients with these additions: increase garlic to 2 cloves minced, 2 bay leaves; add 1 packet McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning. Your home will smell wonderful all day, and your meal will be a savory feast! I served the stew in bowls, accompanied by slices of fresh, crusty bread.

I have been making this stew for almost 3 years and wanted to review it again. Although I'm sure Corinne's suggestions are good, what I like most about this recipe is the simplicity of preparation...no browning the beef. I've made this over a couple dozen times at least - doubled - and have never had leftovers. It is a terrific recipe as written.

I made this stew for the first time using Corinne's suggestion. The stew turned out great! The next week, I made the stew following the exact recipe (minus the celery, since I didn't have any); and I must say that the stew turned out EVEN BETTER when following the exact recipe. (Also, I didn't have as many dishes to wash.) This stew is SO DELICIOUS. Next time I make this you can bet I will follow the recipe EXACTLY AS WRITTEN.

THIS is a terrific basic recipe!! Nothing to stop you from adding your favorite things - although the TASTE is GREAT just like it is. I used chuck because it's not as dry as a bottom round. I had a tomato so I chopped it up & added it. I saw where someone had added an envelope of beef gravy - great idea too!!! Thank goodness there's people out there REALLY KNOW HOW TO COOK!! Oh, and don't bother to brown the beef the way some recipes state - it only makes the beef dry. Thanks for this recipe.

I made similar adjustments to previous raters. I dredged the beef in flour/salt/pepper and pan friend until browned in olive oil before adding to the slow cooker. Then I added some butter and onion to the pan and cooked until softened. Next I deglazed the pan with some of the broth being sure to scrape up the yummy bits. In total I used 2 10 oz cans of beef broth. I added 10 oz. sliced button mushrooms. Used almost 2T worchestershire sauce, added a bunch of extra herbs and finally thickened with cornstarch. It was perfect.

I followed Corinnes suggestions and this came out fantastic! The flavor and cosistency were wonderful, and just as good the next day. So you dont have to search for it, here is her suggestion: 1. Increase flour to 1/3 cup and substitute seasoned salt for regular salt. Put flour mixture into gallon-sized, zippered bag. Shake beef in bag to coat. Sauté coated beef in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil until browned. Add chopped onion to beef to sauté and soften. Transfer to slow cooker. 2. Mix beef broth with 1 TABLEspoon Worcestershire and ½ cup red wine. Pour into hot skillet to deglaze, then pour over beef and onions in cooker. 3. Add remaining ingredients with these additions: increase garlic to 2 cloves minced, 2 bay leaves; add 1 packet McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning.

This was a great start for my tweeking, which I always seem to do! With no changes it still would have been at least 4 stars, it just needed some extra flavors. First added a little more veggies substituting red potatoes. I dredged the meat in flour, salt & pepper, then pan fried in a little olive oil for only 5 minutes just until brown on all sides. Removed the meat to the crock pot and deglazed the pan with beef broth and some red wine. Added in some Mc Cormicks stew seasoning, rosemary, thyme and parsely. Increased the Worchestire sauce to 1 T. Then about an hour before done (about 11 hours) added a C. of fresh mushrooms. This turned out great! Perfectly thick for pouring over some mashed potatoes. Thank you for the great recipe!

Excellent! VERY thick stew, so if you like a little bit of juice, increase the water. I used inside round sirloin marinating beef (didn't have stewing beef on hand, and this is leaner than stewing beef). I added an extra 1/2 cup of water, an extra celery stalk, frozen peas (during the last hour of cooking) and more potatoes to ensure that it was filling enough for four hungry adults. It was polished off! Double this recipe if you have more than four adults, or if you want some leftovers. I served it with Maritime brown bread and cheese - yummy! Thanks for the great recipe!

I have this exact recipe in the recipe booklet that came with my slow cooker! I make it all of the time and my family loves it. I use a packet of dry onion soup mix in place of all the spices, only because it's an easy and convenient way to toss it together.

This just tasted like regular old beef stew to me. Nothing unusual or great about it. My fiance said there was too much meat and not enough vegetables. I'll keep searching for another recipes. I think this would've benefited from a 1/2 c. red wine.