Apple Beef Stew

Ok, so here I am again. Aren't you glad to see me? This time it's with my (probably very unhealthy obsession with) slow cooker stew - yes, another stew! I discovered this the other day. It has a bit of a tang to it and tastes a little sweet, which is very different from my other Beef Stew recipe.





*Apple Beef Stew*

1 lb. Stew Meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
½ tsp. Ground Thyme
2 - 3 heaping TBSP. Flour
4 medium Potatoes, diced
2 small Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Small Bag of Baby Carrots
¼ Cup Onion, minced
3 Stalks Celery, diced
2 Medium "cooking" Apples (McIntosh or Golden Delicious is good), sliced
2 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar
3 - 3½ Cups Apple Juice

1. Put meat in medium mixing bowl. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme on top of meat and stir. Cover and set in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. After meat has set, put in a 5 - 6qt slow cooker. Sprinkle with flour.
3. Layer as follows: Potatoes, Garlic, Carrots, Onion, Celery, Apples. Then pour vinegar and apple juice over all.
4. Cover and cook on low for 10 - 12 hrs, or high for 5 - 6 hrs.

Notes:
The apples tend to get a little mushy and you hardly know they are there. Due to them cooking for so long, there is probably no way to keep them from being that way, other than to maybe cut them into bigger chunks. "Stew Meat" is usually a tougher (and generally cheaper) cut of meat and can be bought already cut into bite sized chunks. Also, chuck meat works well; the slow cooking tenderizes it and really helps bring out the flavor. I use venison in a lot of my recipes, but beef works just as well. If 2lbs of meat is desired, simply double the amount of pepper and thyme. In step 1, it is not necessary to let meat set for 30 minutes, it just helps to draw out the flavor of the meat. The flour is there to help thicken the sauce. I like to serve my stew with biscuits.