Stew
Southwestern Green Chile Beef Stew
Flour-dredged beef chuck braised with roasted Hatch green chile, Mexican lager, potatoes, carrots and corn in a velvety Southwestern gravy.
- Prep
- 40 minutes
- Cook
- 2 hours 45 minutes
- Total
- 3 hours 40 minutes
- Yield
- About 12 cups
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Ingredients
Seasoned Beef
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast (Trimmed of hard exterior fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3 tablespoons beef tallow or neutral high-heat oil (Divided, plus more if needed for browning)
Green Chile Braising Base
- 1 large yellow onion (Diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (Minced)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste (A restrained amount for savory depth without making the stew tomato-based)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (Crushed between the palms)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 cup Mexican lager (Such as Modelo Especial or Pacifico; avoid strongly bitter beer)
- 5 cups unsalted beef stock (Plus more if needed during braising)
- 2 cups roasted Hatch green chile (Peeled, seeded as desired and chopped; choose mild, medium or hot according to preference)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
Vegetables and Finish
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
- 12 ounces carrots (Peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
- 2 cups corn kernels (Fresh or thawed frozen; divided)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (Plus more to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (Chopped, plus more for serving)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (To taste after the stew has reduced)
Optional Garnishes
- sour cream or Mexican crema
- thinly sliced green onions
- crumbled cotija cheese
- warm flour or corn tortillas (For serving)
Instructions
Dredge and Brown the Beef
Heat the oven to 325°F. Pat the beef completely dry. In a large bowl, combine the flour, kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, granulated garlic, coriander and smoked paprika.
Working with one-third of the beef at a time, toss it lightly in the seasoned flour immediately before browning. Shake off all loose flour so only a thin coating remains. Discard any dredge that contacted the raw beef.
Heat 1 tablespoon tallow or oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three or four uncrowded batches for 6–8 minutes per batch, turning to develop a deep crust on several sides. Add fresh fat as needed and transfer each batch to a tray.
Keep the heat high enough to brown but not so high that the flour blackens. Dark brown fond is desirable; burned flour will make the green chile gravy bitter.
Build the Green Chile Base
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring and scraping frequently, until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, Mexican oregano and coriander. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste turns dark brick-red and the spices smell toasted. The small amount of paste should deepen the gravy without giving it a red tomato flavor.
Pour in the Mexican lager and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly. Simmer for 5–7 minutes, until reduced by approximately half and the sharp beer aroma has softened.
Add the beef stock, 1 1/2 cups of the roasted green chile, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Return the browned beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup green chile for the finish so the stew retains fresh chile character.
Braise the Stew
Bring the stew to a gentle simmer on the stovetop. Cover the Dutch oven, transfer it to the 325°F oven and braise for 75 minutes.
Carefully remove the pot and stir in the Yukon Gold potatoes and carrot pieces, submerging them in the liquid. Return the covered pot to the oven for 35–45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the beef yields easily to a fork.
If the beef remains firm, continue braising in 15-minute increments. Add a small amount of warm beef stock if the liquid falls below the upper portion of the meat.
Char the Corn
While the stew braises, heat a large dry cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of the corn in a single layer and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until tender and charred in scattered patches. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup uncharred corn.
Finish the Stew
Return the Dutch oven to the stovetop. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Stir in the charred corn, reserved uncharred corn and remaining 1/2 cup roasted green chile.
Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring gently, until the corn is hot and the seasoned flour has thickened the liquid into a velvety gravy that coats the back of a spoon.
If the gravy is too thick, add warm beef stock a few tablespoons at a time. If it is too thin, continue simmering uncovered. Do not add raw flour or cornstarch.
Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust with kosher salt, black pepper, additional lime juice or more roasted green chile according to the heat level desired.
Let the stew rest for 15 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired with crema, green onions, cotija and cilantro, and serve with warm tortillas.
Notes
This stew keeps the seasoned-flour dredge and velvety gravy of a classic American beef stew while shifting the flavor profile toward the Southwest with roasted Hatch green chile, cumin, Mexican oregano, lager, charred corn, lime and cilantro. It is a beef stew with green chile—not a bowl of red chili and not a thin New Mexican green chile soup.
The heat level depends almost entirely on the roasted green chile. Hatch chile may range from very mild to intensely hot even when packages look similar. Taste the chile before adding it and use a mixture of mild and hot batches when more control is needed.
Adding most of the chile during braising integrates its flavor into the gravy. Reserving a smaller portion for the end restores a fresher roasted-chile aroma that would otherwise fade during long cooking.
The tablespoon of tomato paste is deliberately restrained. Caramelizing it adds savory depth and color, but the finished stew should not taste tomato-based.
Mexican lager adds toasted grain flavor without the tannic quality of red wine. Avoid an aggressively hopped IPA, which becomes bitter as it reduces.
Substitutions
Roasted Anaheim or poblano peppers may replace Hatch green chile, although the flavor will be milder and less distinctly New Mexican. A blend of poblano and jalapeño provides more controlled heat.
A mild amber lager may replace Mexican lager. For an alcohol-free version, use 1 cup additional beef stock and add 1 teaspoon malt vinegar near the end.
Small red potatoes may replace Yukon Golds. Russets tend to break down too quickly.
Frozen corn works well after thawing and drying thoroughly. Canned corn is not recommended for charring because it is usually too wet and soft.
Boneless short ribs may replace chuck, although they may release more fat and cost considerably more.
Parsley may replace cilantro for diners who dislike cilantro, though the flavor will be less Southwestern.
Variations
Green Chile Beef and Pinto Bean Stew:
Add 2 cups drained cooked pinto beans with the corn during the final 15 minutes. Add extra stock as needed.
Extra-Hot Green Chile Stew:
Add one minced jalapeño or serrano with the onion and use hot Hatch chile.
Smoky Green Chile Beef Stew:
Add one minced chipotle in adobo with the tomato paste. Use restraint so it does not overpower the roasted green chile.
Green Chile Beef Stew with Hominy:
Replace the corn with 3 cups drained hominy and simmer it in the stew for the final 20 minutes.
Storage
Cool the stew promptly in shallow airtight containers and refrigerate within two hours. Store for up to four days. Keep dairy garnishes separate.
Freeze for up to three months. The potatoes may soften slightly after freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a covered Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the beef and gravy reach 165°F. Add a small amount of unsalted beef stock if the gravy has thickened.
Refresh the reheated stew with lime juice, cilantro or a spoonful of newly roasted green chile immediately before serving.
Troubleshooting
The stew is too spicy:
Dilute it with unsalted beef stock and additional cooked potatoes. Serve with crema or sour cream. Do not rely on sugar, which makes the stew taste unbalanced.
The green chile flavor is weak:
Stir in additional roasted green chile near the end and allow it to simmer for only 5 minutes.
The gravy tastes bitter:
The dredging flour, spices, tomato paste or beer may have burned or reduced too aggressively. Maintain medium heat while building the base and avoid heavily hopped beer.
The gravy is too thick:
Add warm unsalted beef stock a few tablespoons at a time.
The gravy is too thin:
Simmer uncovered after the beef is tender. The flour coating should thicken the liquid naturally.
The beef is tough:
Continue braising at 325°F in 15-minute increments. Tough chuck generally needs more time, not higher heat.
The potatoes fell apart:
Use Yukon Gold potatoes in large pieces and stir gently after they are tender.
The stew tastes heavy:
Add lime juice a few drops at a time and finish with cilantro. Acidity should brighten the gravy without making it sour.
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