Beef and Barley Soup

Whether it’s the coldest day of the year or the beginning of warmer temperatures, this beef and barley soup is the perfect recipe to prepare. Full of hearty chunks of beef, carrots, and celery and finished with pearled barley, the soup has a warming effect that’s second to none. The best part is that it takes only a few steps to prepare, simply some browning of the meat, and you’re on your way!

Why this recipe works.

If you think beef and barley soup sounds like a meal your grandparents would have enjoyed, you are right, but so were your grandparents. This soup will show you why it is worth making and will be in your regular rotation. Slow-cooking beef chuck roast is what creates a tender beef bourguignon or a fall-a-part Sunday roast. This same technique can create a tender and flavor-filled beef and barley soup. Oftentimes beef soup is part of vegetable soup and can be boring without much flavor. To create a soup full of beef flavor, this recipe creates a rich stock with the roast. After slow-cooking cooking, the beef, carrots, celery, and onion are added with barley and herbs. The barley soaks in the beef stock while tenderizing, making a hearty and full-filling meal.

Everything you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Chuck roast is a perfect choice for long and slow cooking. The roast has ribbons of fast that melt during cooking, leaving a tender and melt-in-your-mouth meat.
• Beef stock is a great way to ensure a rich flavor. Use low-sodium when possible to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Diced tomatoes give a bit of acidity and texture to the soup. The tomatoes add some bright flavor and blend easily with the beef flavor.
• Red wine is a great way to add a rich flavor. Use a wine you enjoy drinking, like cabernet sauvignon.
• Parsley is often used as a garnish, but don’t throw the stems away as many flavors are trapped in the stems. Use the stems during the cooking process to help give a fresh vegetable flavor.
• Pearled barley is barley that has been removed from the outer fibrous shell. The barley is added in the last hour of cooking, so it doesn’t overcook.

Here’s how to make this recipe.

1. Slice the roast. Prepare the chuck roast by cutting it into 1-inch pieces, starting by slicing it into strips and then into cubes. Place the meat cubes on a plate and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Toss the meat in the spices to ensure each piece is well coated.

2. Brown the roast. Heat the neutral oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add half of the sliced chuck roast, leaving space around each piece of meat so that it browns. Once the first half of the meat has browned, remove it to a plate and add the second half. When the second half has browned, remove it as well and set the meat aside. Leave all of the juices and browned bits in the pan.

3. Add the flavorings. Chop up the onion and add it directly to the fond in the pan. Let it sauté until it has turned a deep brown color. Then add the tomato paste and stir it with the onion to cook off some of the raw tomato flavor. Add the red wine, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan.

4. Add the liquid and herbs. Once the red wine has cooked off, add the beef back into the stockpot along with any juices. Pour on the beef stock and diced tomatoes and stir everything together. Separately, slice off the stalks of the fresh parsley and, using butcher’s twine, combine the parsley, rosemary, and thyme. Smash the garlic cloves and remove the skin. Then add the herb packet, bay leaves, and garlic cloves to the soup. Let the soup come to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer and allow it to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.

5. Add the barley and vegetables. In the last hour of simmering, add in the pearled barley, chopped carrots, and chopped celery. Stir everything together and let it simmer for 1 to 1 ¼ hours. Once the soup has fully cooked, remove it from the stove, remove the herb packet and bay leaves, add the leaves of fresh parsley, and serve immediately.

These pro tips will make this recipe a success.

• When slicing the chuck roast into cubes, make sure to remove any large chunks of fat. While some fat is good when it comes to this soup, overly large pieces can be chewy and not welcome when biting into the meat.
• Brown the meat in two batches. This will ensure that the pieces of meat have ample space in which to develop their crust without touching each other, which would cause them to steam rather than caramelize. You’ll know the meat is ready to be turned when it releases easily from the bottom of the pan.
• Make sure to add the chopped carrots and celery to the soup in the last hour of cooking. If these two vegetables are added too early, they’ll become mushy and way too soft. One hour should be the perfect amount of time to soften them.

You’ll love these soup recipes.

• Roasted carrot soup
• Easy taco soup
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• Turkey quinoa chili
• Tomato tortellini soup
• Black bean soup
• Creamy curry lentil soup
• White bean chicken chili
• Creamy tomato soup