Beef, Barley and Mushroom Soup
We love this soup! On a cold day there’s nothing like the brothy beefiness of a hearty Beef Barley and Mushroom soup. You control the amount of fat by trimming the Chuck Roast pieces to your preference. This soup takes a little longer to pull together because of the low, slow cook time for the chuck roast pieces. But it affords wonderfully tender beef chunks, soft grains of barley and umami-rich mushrooms. What a lovely feast!
Here are some notes to help you get the best possible soup result:
- Sure, you can use the precut stew meat pieces that the grocery store offers. But odds are that you will get a good number of gristly chunks of something resembling meat in the mix of good pieces. If you are like me, my standards are a lot higher. I want to spoon up each mouthful without concern that I’ll have to navigate gristle. For that luxury you have to process your own chuck roast.
- If using a whole chuck roast, which I highly recommend, find one that you wouldn’t mind making into a good Pot Roast (see my illustrations of well marbled beef for some direction). Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut away any large sections of fat and to then cut the remaining chuck roast down to 1” to 1 ½” squares. The more uniform they are, the better. If the squares seem a little large, remember they will cook down in size.
- NOTE: Whenever Chuck Roasts go on sale I try to buy an extra one, specifically to cut up for soup or stew. The cut up meat freezes well if it is well wrapped or vacuum sealed, and comes in handy throughout the year.
- It is not necessary to brown both or all sides of the beef pieces to start this soup. You are doing this to get the brown sticky coating (fond) that adds so much flavor to the rest of the soup. Don’t try to cook the beef pieces completely – they need low and slow heat to cook all the way through and be tender.
- Be sure to continue simmering this soup until the barley is soft and the meat is truly tender. Think of slow cooking a pot roast and be patient with this timing. You will not regret the result!
- 3 lb Chuck roast (well marbled, cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 1 lb Mushrooms (coarsley chopped)
- 3 Carrots (coarsely chopped)
- 3 Celery stalks (coarsely chopped)
- 1 Medium Onion (coarsely chopped)
- 1 Large Bay Leaf
- 2 clove Garlic (minced)
- 32 oz Beef Stock
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper (ground)
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Red Wine (optional)
Heat oil in the soup pot over medium high heat. Brown one side of the beef chunks in a single layer, working in two batches if necessary. Set aside.
Add carrots, celery and onion to the pot and saute over medium heat until soft.
Add chuck pieces, mushrooms, garlic and bay leaf to vegetables. Stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Pour beef stock over all. Stir in barley.
Bring pot to a boil then cover and lower heat to a slow simmer. Add salt, pepper and sugar.
Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until barley is soft and meat is very tender.
Add red wine, if desired. Adjust all seasonings to taste. Serve immediately.