Slow cooker Jamaican Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Jamaican Beef Stew is rich, exciting, and beautifully tender. Cooked low and slow for hours, this fantastic one-pot meal is loaded with vegetables! Warm, comforting, and hearty.
This slow cooker Jamaican beef stew recipe will have you doing the happy dance. So, break out your cool moves coz it sure does that for me. Dancing with a spoon in my mouth. Boy, oh boy, what can I say?
Infusing Jamaican flavors with beef and vegetables in one pot yields an OUTSTANDING result. This soul food stew is hearty, healthy, and oh-so delicious. Yes, I use that word way too often, but it is what it is.
We’ve all had beef stew, right? Any good beef stew enjoys tender beef and root vegetables cooked in a gravy. However, all those elements are taken to new heights with this recipe. And you get your gravy without any flour. Did I hear gluten-free?
Every element here is highlighted with Jamaican seasonings, including scotch bonnet for some heat, allspice (pimento), carrots for sweet notes, garlic, ginger, and, of course, thyme to round out the bold flavors.
Plus, no need to use your busy schedules as an excuse not to cook at home since the slow cooker does all the work while you rush off to work. Just set it and forget it for hours! Start the stew in the morning, and an effortless dinner is ready when you get home.
Along with convenience, using a slow cooker offers many other benefits. For starters, they transform inexpensive cuts of beef into fall-apart tender meat. Additionally, all the spices have time to fully absorb for more robust flavors. Another plus is that low heat destroys fewer nutrients.
So, let’s gather the ingredients and try this super easy beef stew recipe. When it’s ready, sit down and savor.
How to Slow Cook Jamaican Beef Stew
- Season stew beef with salt and pepper thoroughly.
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven or pan over medium heat. Add stew beef and sear for 2-3 minutes per side (flipping once) until beef browns. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches if necessary. Then, add the seared beef to the slow cooker.
- Saute – Add onions, green onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, bell pepper, bay leaf, scotch bonnet or hot sauce, and smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add tomato paste and bouillon. Stir for another minute, add water or broth to the skillet, and scrape the sides down. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and pour it all into the slow cooker.
- Assemble – Toss carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker and add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Cook – Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Serve – Remove and serve with fresh bread. Enjoy!
It will surely be one of your favorite suppers, and the leftovers are even better.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- To make this completely paleo, leave out white potatoes and go with sweet potatoes instead. Or better yet, use plantains. Be sure to cut them in big chunks so they do not get all mushy when done
- Same with the carrots and other vegetables. I didn’t have enough potatoes, so I also included green plantains. Ripe plantains are too sweet and soft to work well
- Don’t waste your money on expensive cuts of meat. Go with the tougher and cheaper cuts, like chuck, leg shanks, and bottom round. They benefit from long hours of cooking as the collagen breaks down for fork-tender and flavorful beef.
- Browning and sautéing the stew ingredients first yields maximum flavor. But feel free to omit this step if you don’t have time. It will still be great.
- For extra flavor enhancement, add a tablespoon of brown sugar.
Slow Cooker Jamaican Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (950g) stew beef (cut into small chunks)
- ¼ cup (60ml) canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 green onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon (15g) garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons (10g) ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon (2-3g) fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon (2g) allspice
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 teaspoon hot sauce)
- 1 teaspoon (2g) smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons (30g) tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon (3-4g) bouillon powder, beef, chicken, or vegetable (optional, adjust to taste)
- 2 cups (475ml) broth (or water) more as needed
- 2-3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
- 2-3 pounds (900-1250g) potatoes, cut into large chunks
- 2-3 tablespoons (7-10g) parsley (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season stew beef with salt and pepper to thoroughly cover all sides.
- Heat the oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven or pan over medium heat. Add stew beef and brown well, turning once, 2-3 minutes per side, until beef browns up. Do not overcrowd the pan. Cook in batches, if necessary. Add beef to the slow cooker.
- Add onions, green onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, bell pepper, bay leaf, scotch bonnet or hot sauce, and smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add tomato paste and bouillon. Stir for another minute, add water or broth to the skillet to deglaze the pan, and scrape the bottom and sides. Bring to a boil, remove, and pour into the slow cooker.
- Toss carrots and potatoes into the slow cooker and add salt and pepper according to preference.
- Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Turn off the heat, and serve with bread. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes:
- To make this paleo, leave out white potatoes and go with sweet potatoes instead. Or better yet, use plantains. Be sure to cut them in big chunks so they do not get mushy when done. Same with the carrots and other vegetables. I didn’t have enough potatoes, so I included unripe or green plantains as well. Ripe plantains do not work well here.
- Don’t waste your money on expensive cuts of meat. Go with the tougher and cheaper cuts, like chuck, leg shanks, and bottom round. It benefits from long hours of cooking- collagen breaks down, leaving the meat fork tender and infused with the flavors from the stew. It can’t be beat.
- As always, 10 minutes of browning and sautéing beef, vegetables, and spices yields the maximum amount of flavor. You don’t have to but it is advisable.
- If you want to get an extra touch of sweetness, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Love this but there is paprika in the ingredients and it does not say when to add it in the recipe so I forgot it.. was still really tasty
Thanks for catching that. You add it with the other seasonings. I’ve fixed the recipe 🙂
I love this stew. I have made it a couple of times now and it will become my go to stew. I just love the flavours and spice. Thanks for sharing a delicious recipe
Thank you so much for your love and support, Your words inspired me to bring more amazing and easy-to-cook recipes 🙂 Much Love!
So flavourful!!! Loved this so much!
Thank you, Maria!
That was delicious with just the right amount of spicy!
Thank you, Randy!
Amazing recipe! I used coconut milk and not tomato paste and it was amazing. Thank you for sharing!