Dawsons’ Cowboy Chunky Beef Stew

Editor's Note: “This recipe will feed approximately 40 people,” Dawn says. “[It’s] a delicious, hearty stew that will have cowboys lined up at the chuckwagon two days ahead of time.” The recipe can be cooked over an open fire or in an oven; unlike many other recipes, the ingredients in this recipe can be downsized in equal proportions for smaller groups.

Ingredients

• 2 (3-pound) beef roasts (such as chuck or arm, also referred to as pot roast), diced into 1” cubes and sprinkled with meat tenderizer

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) olive oil

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon cayenne powder

• 4 large sweet onions, diced

• 5 pounds red potatoes, diced or cubed; peel half and leave the other half unpeeled

• 5 (14.5-ounce) cans Swanson Beef Bone Broth

• 3 cups water

• 1 (7-ounce) can Mexicorn, undrained

• 1 (7-ounce) can white shoepeg corn, undrained

• 5 cups or 2 pounds carrots, sliced

• 6 fresh ears of corn, chopped in 1 to 2” pieces with the cob left on during the stewing

Directions

1. Put the diced beef in a big stew pot with olive oil, cumin, black pepper, cayenne and 2 of the diced sweet onions. Once meat has begun to brown and the juices have accumulated, drain off and set aside those juices.
2. Continue to cook the meat, browning on all sides for best flavor. This can take a while with that much meat. Smaller batches are quicker, but less beef broth accumulates.
3. Once the meat is browned, add the remaining ingredients except the ears of corn (add them about an hour before serving).
4. Transfer to a very large cast-iron stew pot, place over the fire and cook at a simmer for as little to 3 and as many as 5 hours depending on how long it takes the fire to cook the meat and vegetables tender. Or, put in a large covered roasting pan and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 5 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. (Tip: To make this as tasty as possible, make sure your meat cooks until it is very tender as the big chunks need to be easy to eat with a spoon.)

Recipe featured in Taste of Kansas: Chuckwagon Cooking