Beef and Barley Soup

Nuts and Bolts:

I love soup, and I make it year-round. I make all kinds of soups, and this is one of my favorites. All my stock or broth-based meat soups have a simple blend: broth, meat, lots of veggies, and a starch. My soups tend to be more of a stew and are a complete meal. When I make soups, I prefer to use a slow cooker because it can cook on the counter all day.

My thoughts on Beef And Barley Soup:

1. This soup can be cooked on a stovetop or in a slow cooker.

2. I always sauté my onion and brown my meat before adding them to the pot.

3. I use dried mushrooms in soup over fresh since they plum up nicely when cooked and add a lovely richness to the soup.

4. You can use beef or lamb for this soup.

5. You can use any vegetables you enjoy. Some of the vegetables I have used in this soup are carrots, kohlrabi, rutabaga, parsnips, potatoes, and turnips.

6. I use soups to clean out my fridge of vegetables I have lurking from my CSA or from a dinner that just never got made.

7. This soup reheats well and can be frozen. As this recipe is written, it is not safe to can.

Method:

For this recipe, you will need five to six cups of beef stock/broth, two medium or one large onion, two garlic cloves minced, two to three pounds of beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces, one pound of carrots peeled and sliced, two turnips peeled and sliced, one parsnip peeled and sliced, one cup of red wine,  one quart of tomatoes or a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, crushed, 2-4 oz of dried porcini mushrooms, a ½-¾ cup of pearled barley, one to two teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon divided of Chicago steak seasoning, one bay leaf, one teaspoon of dried thyme or two-three springs of fresh thyme, two tablespoons of olive oil divided, salt and pepper to taste.

On the Left is the onions sauteing. On the right is the beef starting to brown.

I start by chopping the onion and set it aside. Then put a sauté pan on the stove with medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Next, add onions and sauté them until translucent. Then place them on a plate and set them aside. For the beef, I buy precut stewing meat, and even then, sometimes, it needs to be cut smaller, and some of the fat needs to be trimmed.  Then in a bowl, season the beef cubes with salt, pepper, ½ tablespoon of Chicago steak seasoning, and one teaspoon or less Worcestershire sauce. Then wipe out the pan used for the onion and heat the pan with some of the oil. Next, brown the meat in batches and adding more oil if needed to prevent sticking. It should take 2-3 minutes a side to brown. Once all the meat is brown, put it on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by the onions.  Then add the minced garlic to the slow cooker.  Followed by washing, peeling, and cutting the vegetables. Then add them to the slow cooker.

 Important tip: I like to make my soups chunky, so I tend to slice my vegetables. If you want smaller bites, then chop the vegetables. Also, my family loves carrots, but if your family is not a fan, put in less. I make my soups with about a pound to a pound and a half of vegetables so that this soup can be a complete meal.

Next, add the dried porcini, mushrooms which can be added whole or broken up to be bitesize.

Important tip: I like to put dried mushrooms in soups or pot roasts because they rehydrate in the liquid and become soft and luscious. Also, they add an extra earth flavor to beef-based dishes, so It gives a soup or a stew an extra bit of heartiness.

 In a separate bowl, crush the tomatoes and add them with the soup. Then I put in the rest of the Worcestershire sauce. 

Important tip: I use my home-canned tomatoes and stock. So, if you use store-bought, you might need more broth or tomatoes.

Here is the slow cooker loaded with all of the ingredients, and it is ready to be started.

Then add the ½-¾ cups of pearl barley and add a little more salt, pepper, the rest of Chicago steak seasoning, the thyme, and a bay leaf. 

Then add the stock and red wine. Then turn on the soup for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  Just leave it to cook but stir it occasionally and adjust seasoning as needed. 

Here is the beef and barley soup ready to be served.

Final thoughts  on Beef and Barley:

This soup is versatile. You can make it with lamb and any vegetable you wish. If you make it in the slow cooker, it can go all day, and you will have a great dinner. I like to serve with my milk bread dinner rolls to make a cozy fall meal.

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Beef and Barley Soup

Author: Dorothy's Mess

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 cups of beef, medium to large onions
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 pounds of beef stew meat
• 1 pound of carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 turnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup of wine
• 1 quart of tomatoes or a 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes, crushed
• 4 oz of porcini mushrooms
• ½-¾ cup of pearled barley
• 1-2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chicago steak seasoning, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2-3 springs of fresh time
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Start by chopping the onion and set it aside. Put a sauté pan on the stove over medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Next, add onions and sauté them until translucent, place them on a plate, and set them aside.
2. Then cut and trim the beef into bite-sized cubes. In a bowl, season the beef cubes with salt, pepper, ½ tablespoon of Chicago steak seasoning, and 1 teaspoon or less Worcestershire sauce.
3. Then wipe out the pan used for the onion and heat the pan with some of the oil. Then brown the meat in batches and add more oil if needed to prevent sticking. It should take 2-3 minutes a side to brown.
4. Once all the meat is brown, put it on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by the onions. Then add the minced garlic to the slow cooker, followed by adding the prepared vegetables to the slow cooker.
5. Next, add the dried porcini mushrooms, which can be added whole or broken up to be bitesize.
6. In a separate bowl, crush the tomatoes and add them to the soup. Followed by adding ½-¾ cups of pearl barley,
7. Then add the stock and red wine. Then I put in the rest of the Worcestershire sauce, and add a little more salt and pepper, the rest of Chicago steak seasoning, the thyme, and bay leaves.
8. Then turn on the soup for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
9. Just leave it to cook but stir it occasionally and adjust seasoning as needed. Enjoy!

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