Looking for a delicious dinner recipe? Trying serving this hearty beef stew! As this beef stew with red wine simmers, your mouth will start watering! Spiced with garlic and thyme, this is a Mexican stew to savor slowly. Cooking instructions for the slow cooker and Instant Pot included!
It’s a family tradition in our household to make New Year’s resolutions.
My personal resolution this year is to add more variety to our weekly menu by cooking interesting dishes I don’t make as often as we would like to. Dishes like today’s recipe, beef stew with wine!
Why You'll Love This Beef Stew With Wine
Why You'll Love This Beef Stew With WineIt’s a wonderful stew that’s great to make for special occasions and wintertime. The best part about this dish is that it’s really easy to prepare.
Using beef cheeks and my favorite red cooking wine, I was able to a warm delicious stew cooked in a savory beef broth and some of my go-to Mexican spices!
🌎 History Behind Beef Stew
This recipe has a traditional French influence. As I’ve mentioned on many occasions before, Mexican cuisine is a fusion of many cultures, including those that arrived after the Spanish colonization.
The main influences from the Old World come from France, Spain, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
In Spanish, these types of recipes cooked with wine or vinegar are called “Estofados”, a word derived from the French “Étouffée”.
Estofados are stews made with meat that is slow cooked inside a covered pot with a sauce or in its own juices. I've actually shared a few on the blog, like this chicken vegetable stew and this estofado made with oxtail and poblano peppers.
In the Mexican cookbook “Nuevo Cocinero Mejicano” from 1878, I found several recipes that are almost identical to this red wine beef stew, with some using lamb, beef, or chicken.
Nowadays in Mexico, these stews also include tomato sauces and vegetables and vary by region!
🙋♀️ FAQ
Before I share my stew recipe, here are a few questions I’ve been asked about the homemade beef stew with wine.
What is the best kind of meat to use in this stew?
I’ve been making this recipe for many years, and I adapted it from one of the first cookbooks I bought as a newlywed, back in the 80s. The book’s name is “… y la comida se hizo rápida” (“…and the meal was made quickly”), which means that this recipe is quick and easy to prepare.
One thing to keep in mind is that the cooking time will vary depending on the cut of meat you choose.
I usually like to make this dish with beef hind shank and also beef chuck steak, because the bone-in meat has lots of flavors and adds a unique taste, but today I will be using beef cheek. You can prepare this recipe using either one of these cuts!
You can also make this dish with beef shank if you prefer using that cut of meat. Buy about 2½ lbs. and proceed with the recipe as shown below.
What can I use instead of wine in beef stew?
You can easily substitute beef broth for the wine in this beef stew. I think wine brings out some sweet notes and tenderizes the meat, but you can cook the stew without it.
How do you store leftover stew?
Store leftover beef stew with wine in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
How can I garnish this stew?
Garnish with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley and crushed piquin pepper to your liking. The addition of piquin pepper is my own thing, just to add a little bit of heat.
Can I make this stew in a slow cooker or pressure cooker?
You can use your Instant Pot, pressure cooker, slow cooker, or Dutch oven to make this dish. Cooking times will vary depending on the pot you use!
Cooking times per type of cooking method are:
- Instant Pot: 45 minutes
- Slow Cooker: 6 hours
- Pressure cooker: 50 minutes
- Regular stovetop pot or Dutch oven: 2 hours or more depending on the cut of meat.
📋 Ingredients
This Mexican stew is very delicious with wholesome ingredients and traditional Mexican spices.
Here is the list of ingredients you will need:
- Beef cheek
- Salt and pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Olive oil
- Red wine
- Beef broth (or water)
- Bay leaf
- Dried thyme (or 2 fresh sprigs)
- Marjoram
- Garlic clove
- White onion
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
🔪 Instructions
To make things easier for you, I will break down the directions for making beef stew into sections.
Cook the beef
- Using a paring knife, clean any excess fat from the meat.
- Season the meat well with salt & pepper and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of flour (you will use the leftover flour in the next step).
- Heat the oil in the pot and add the meat.
- Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, making sure all the sides are brown.
- Stir in the rest of the flour and mix well.
Add the herbs
- Place the herbs and garlic in cheesecloth.
- Tie up the cheesecloth with a string and add to the pot along with the onion.
Tip: If you don’t have cheesecloth, just place the herbs in the pot and discard them before serving.
Pour in liquid ingredients
- Pour the water (or broth) and wine into the pot, place the lid, and cook for 40 minutes (if using an Instant Pot).
- Taste to check if it needs more salt.
- Serve and enjoy!
🍽 Side Dishes
I think this savory and aromatic stew can stand alone as the entire meal. If you want, you can serve it with some Mexican red rice on the side just like I did. I love the contrast of the spiced rice with the sweet beef!
Or, you can do a soup and salad lunch and serve this with your favorite Mexican salad recipe. It's a really filling stew, so you don't need to add very many things to the table when you serve it.
📚 More Authentic Mexican Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe for Mexican beef stew, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Mexican Vegan Fava Bean Soup
- Squash Blossom and Squash Soup
- Beef Tongue in Salsa Verde
- Mushroom Soup
- Menudo Tripe Soup
I hope you make this beef stew with red wine! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
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📖 Recipe
Mexican Beef Stew With Red Wine
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. RUMBA Meats Beef Cheek* cut into 1½ in. cubes
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cups red wine
- ¾ cups of beef broth or water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or 2 fresh sprigs
- ½ teaspoon of marjoram
- 1 Large garlic clove
- ½ medium size white onion
Instructions
- Using a paring knife, clean any excess fat from the meat. Season the meat well with salt & pepper and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of flour (you will use the leftover flour in the next step).
- Heat the oil in the pot and add the meat. Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, making sure all the sides are brown. Stir in the rest of the flour and mix well.
- Place the herbs and garlic in cheesecloth. Tie up the cheesecloth with a string and add to the pot along with the onion. If you don’t have cheesecloth, just place the herbs in the pot and discard before serving. Pour the water (or broth) and wine in the pot, place the lid, and cook for 40 minutes (if using an Instant Pot). (Check NOTES for cooking time using other devices.) Taste to check if it needs more salt.
- Serve with some of the wine sauce and garnish with parsley. This dish can be served with mashed potatoes and a salad or with rice and vegetables.
Notes
- Optional garnish: 2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley and crushed piquin pepper to your liking. The addition of piquin pepper is my own thing, just to add a little bit of heat.
- You can use your Instant Pot, pressure cooker, slow cooker, or Dutch oven to make this dish. Cooking times will vary depending on the pot you use.
- Cooking times per type of cooking method are: if using an Instant Pot, 45 minutes. Slow Cooker, 6 hours. Pressure cooker 50 minutes. Regular stove top pot or Dutch oven, 2 hours.
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Christine
can't wait to try. As an aside, in Greek, the word for stew is stifado. Small word, huh?
Richard Myldy
I am new at cooking with wine. Is this red wine in the Red Wine Beef Stew a table wine or a cooking wine.
Mely Martínez
Richard,
It's table wine.
Mely Martínez
Hello Richard,
Table wine, but if you do not have it only add a couple of tablespoons of cooking wine.
Alicia
Hello Mely,
If I am using a regular stove top pot what level heat should I be cooking this dish (shank) at for the two recommend hours?
Mely Martínez
Hello Alicia,
Once it starts boiling, reduce heat and gently simmer until the meat is tender. Happy cooking!
Luis Moreno
I tried this recipe today, my wife and the kids love it. Even though I’ve only started cooking about 7 months ago. Love your recipes.
Thank you,
Luis M
mmartinez
Hello Luis,
Thank you for trying the recipe for the Red wine stew and for visiting the blog.
Happy cooking!