Jamaican Beef Stew

Jamaican-style beef stew, a dish that’s also called stew beef, is a beloved Jamaican dish often served with rice, cooked potatoes or spinners, aka dumplings. It’s a rich braise of beef and vegetables and typically, scotch bonnet chiles. One thing that distinguishes it in the global lineup of beef stews is the step of cooking the beef in a spoonful of sugar that has been caramelized in a little oil. The flavor of the cooked sugar coats the meat and gives the entire dish a rich roundness. This version employs a few shortcut ingredients to build a velvety sauce that will perfume your house as it cooks with sweet, savory and spiced flavor.

Jamaican-style Beef Stew Ingredients

• Sugar: Caramelizing a small amount of sugar in oil is step that really distinguishes this stew as a Jamaican dish.
• Beef: Top sirloin diced into small cubes is the base for this meaty braise. You can use any stewing beef cut you enjoy.
• Tomatoes: Chopped plum tomatoes cook down and give the broth for this stew a sweet, tangy flavor.
• Carrots, celery and green onions: As with many beef stews, the base for this one is a variation of mirepoix made with chopped green onions in place of the traditional onion.
• Beef broth: A little broth helps the beef and vegetables braise, but it’s less than a cup of liquid. This is one factor that distinguishes Jamaican-style beef stew from other stew recipes. The meat stews in its own juices and those of the vegetables, and the end result shouldn’t have a lot of free liquid.
• Barbecue sauce: A flavor shortcut, barbecue sauce adds body and seasoning to the braising liquid. Use one made with scotch bonnet peppers to give this stew a flavor profile more typical to what you’d find in the Caribbean.
• Soy sauce: Soy sauce, not salt, is the primary seasoning ingredient in this Jamaican-style beef stew, but its dark color is a stand-in for an ingredient called browning sauce, a syrupy mixture of caramelized sugar and water which contributes deep mahogany color to many Jamaican recipes.
• Steak sauce: Like the barbecue and soy, bottled steak sauce also adds a brown color and another layer of sweet and tangy flavor to the braising liquid for this stew.
• Spices: Garlic, thyme and pepper all contribute a savory backbone to this stew. Allspice, which is also called pimento, is the dried green berries of a type of tree native to the Caribbean. Once ground, the berries have a lovely mixed-spice flavor often used in holiday baking recipes. Here, they contribute lovely sweet-spice notes.
• Hot pepper sauce: Scotch bonnet peppers contribute heat and incomparable citrusy brightness to many Jamaican dishes. Because they can be difficult to find, we recommend using a hot sauce with a scotch bonnet or habanero chile base to give this stew a kick of heat.
• Cornstarch: A slurry of cornstarch and cold water, poured in when all the other ingredients are tender, thickens the braising liquid slightly and gives it a glossy sheen.
• Cooked rice or potatoes: Some beef stew recipes eat more like soup, but this one is thick and saucy. Serve it with your choice of cooked starch to serve as a foil for the rich seasoning of the meat and vegetables.

Directions 

Step 1: Brown sugar and beef

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar; cook and stir until lightly browned, one minute. Add the beef and brown on all sides.

Step 2: Add the vegetables and simmer

Stir in the vegetables, broth, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, steak sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the meat and vegetables are tender, 1 to 1-1/4 hours.

Step 3: Thicken the sauce

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into the stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about two minutes. If desired, serve with rice or potatoes.

Recipe Variations 

• Make it a soup: As mentioned, the texture of this beef stew is quite thick, more like a saucy beef stir fry than a soup. If you’re craving something you can eat with a spoon, simply increase the volume of beef broth in this recipe to give the braising liquid your desired consistency.
• Layer in more spice: Before browning the beef, season it with a jerk seasoning blend.
• Try it with pork: You can absolutely make a pork version of this recipe by trading cubed pork shoulder for the top sirloin.

How to Store Jamaican-style Beef Stew

Pack cooled stew into an airtight container, or individual serving containers, and store in the fridge for up to five days.

Can you freeze Jamaican-style Beef Stew?

Absolutely. Freeze the cooled stew in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add water if necessary.

Jamaican-style Beef Stew Tips

Can you make Jamaican-style Beef Stew in the slow cooker? 

Yes. If you’re using a slow cooker that has a searing function, such as an Instant Pot, you can make the whole dish in it from start to finish. If you’re using a more traditional slow cooker, brown the sugar and beef in a pan on the stovetop and transfer them to the slow cooker. Use the beef broth, adding in a splash more if necessary, to release the fond (the bits of caramelized food at the bottom of the pan) from the pan and add that to the slow cooker. Then proceed with the recipe.

Can you use baby carrots to make Jamaican-style Beef Stew? 

Sure. Baby carrots or pre-cut carrot chips are an easy timesaver that will work fine in this recipe.

What other Jamaican recipes could you serve with this Jamaican-style Beef Stew? 

While you only need cooked white rice or potatoes as an accompaniment for this dish, you could absolutely follow it up with a Jamaican dessert such as rum cake, coconut toto, gizzada or mango cheesecake.