The first cold Saturday of fall always smelled like this at my grandma's house. She would brown the beef in her old cast-iron Dutch oven, let the stew bubble away slowly all afternoon, and then, just before supper, drop big spoonfuls of buttermilk biscuit dough right on top and slide the whole pot into the oven. The biscuits soak up the gravy underneath while their tops turn crisp and golden. It is a full meal in one pot, it feeds a hungry family of six, and it is the dish my cousins still ask about every time we get together. If you have never tried stew and biscuits baked together, this is the recipe to start with.
Servings: 6 · Prep: 30 min · Cook: 135 min
Ingredients
- 2 lb (900 g) beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 1/4 cups (280 g), divided all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
- 4 cups (950 ml) beef broth
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 cup (140 g) frozen peas
- 1 tbsp (12 g) baking powder
- 1/2 cup (115 g) cold butter, cubed
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
- to taste salt and pepper
Method
- Pat the beef chuck dry with paper towels, season it well with salt and pepper, and toss it with 1/4 cup (30 g) of the all-purpose flour until every piece is lightly coated. The flour helps the meat brown and later thickens the gravy.
- Heat 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a large oven-safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in two batches, about 4 minutes per side, without crowding the pot, then move it to a plate. Add the last tablespoon of oil if the pot looks dry.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, then stir in the garlic and the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, until the paste darkens slightly.
- Pour in the beef broth and the Worcestershire sauce, add the thyme and the bay leaves, and return the beef with its juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook on low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef is almost tender.
- Add the carrots and the celery and simmer, uncovered, for another 25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the frozen peas, remove the bay leaves, and taste for salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- While the stew finishes, make the biscuits. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 cups (250 g) of flour with the baking powder and 1 tsp of salt. Rub in the cold butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with a few pea-size pieces left.
- Pour in the cold buttermilk and stir gently with a fork, just until a soft, shaggy dough forms. Do not overmix, or the biscuits will be tough instead of fluffy.
- Drop 8 to 10 large spoonfuls of dough over the hot, bubbling stew, leaving a little space between them so the gravy can bubble up around the edges.
- Bake uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, until the biscuits are tall and deep golden and the stew is bubbling around them. Let the pot rest for 10 minutes before serving so the gravy settles and thickens a little more.
Tips and variations
- Beef chuck is the best cut here: it turns meltingly tender during the long simmer, while leaner cuts stay dry and chewy.
- No buttermilk? Stir 1 tbsp (15 ml) of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup (240 ml) of whole milk and let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- You can make the stew a day ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it on the stove until bubbling, then add the biscuit dough and bake as written.
- For a cheesy twist, fold 1/2 cup (55 g) of grated sharp cheddar into the biscuit dough just before adding the buttermilk.
I hope this pot of stew and biscuits warms up your kitchen the way it warmed up Grandma's on those first chilly evenings of fall. Set it right in the middle of the table, hand everyone a big spoon, and enjoy every cozy bite!
