Slow cooker Jamaican Beef Stew -Rich and exciting, beautifully tender cooked low and slow for hours! One pot meal Loaded with vegetables ! Warm, comforting and hearty.
This slow cooker Jamaican beef stew will have you doing the happy dance.And get out your cool moves. It sure does that for me. Doing the dance with a spoon in my mouth. Boy oh Boy what can I say…
Melding Jamaican flavors in one pot infused with beef and vegetables yields an OUTSTANDING result. The stew is so hearty, comforting and oh so delicious.Yes, I use that word too often but it is.
We have all had beef stew-right? Any good beef stew has tender beef and root vegetables cooked in liquid to form a gravy but all those elements are taken to new heights with this recipe. And you still get your gravy without flour.
Every element here is highlighted with Jamaican seasonings including scotch bonnet for some heat, allspice, (pimento), carrots for some sweet notes , garlic, ginger and of course some thyme to round out the bold flavors.
For many, making delicious food at home is too much of a task due to busy schedules but since this recipe uses a slow cooker, all you have to do is set it and forget it for hours. This means you start the stew in the morning and dinner will be ready for you when you get home minus the effort.
Along with convenience, there are quite a few benefits of using a slow cooker to make this Jamaican stew. For starters, slow cookers transform inexpensive cuts of beef into fall apart tender meat. Additionally, slow cooking promotes absorption of all the spices resulting in fuller, more robust flavors with more depth. As a plus, cooking foods on low heat for an extended time destroys fewer nutrients.
Gather all the ingredients and give this recipe a try. When it is ready, just sit down and savor the stew.
It is sure to be one of your favorite suppers and the leftovers are even better.
Enjoy!!!
Tips and Notes for Making Stew Beef
- 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. Didn’t have enough potatoes so I include un-ripe 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 of like chuck, leg shanks, 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. Can’t be beat.
- As always 10 minutes of browning and sautéing beef, vegetables and spices yields maximum amount of flavor. You don’t have to but it is advisable. Yields maximum amount of flavor.
- If you want to get an extra touch of sweetness then add 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar.
Slow Cooker Jamaican Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew beef (cut in small chunks)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 green onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons ginger, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- Scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 teaspoon hot sauce)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder, beef, chicken, or vegetable (optional, adjust to taste)
- 2 cups broth (or water) more as needed
- 2-3 large carrots, cut in large chunks
- 2-3 pounds potatoes, cut in large chunks
- 2-3 tablespoons 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, then add water or broth to the skillet and scrape all 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.
- Remove 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 all mushy when done. Same with the carrots and other vegetables. Didn’t have enough potatoes, so I include 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 of 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, then 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.
Nutrition Information:
Alexandra Avilés says
This recipe sounds delicious! But I wanted to know if the allspice berries should be kept while or if they should be ground for the recipe. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Cracked or ground works just as well.
Stephanie B says
This recipe is everything. Yum!stephanie
Lolo Daniels says
I made this with lamb on New Year’s Day. It smelt amazing!!! The flavour and taste was incredible!!! We ate it with basmati rice and salad and I must say it made our day!!! Thank you for this recipe. I am really falling in love with Carribean food and I want to make curry goat next.
ImmaculateBites says
Glad to hear this , so happy it worked out well for you. Curry Goat is a great choice- can’t seem to get enough of it. Enjoy!
Fredddoug says
Love Love Love this stew it is Fabulous!!
The flavor was so goooood! Only thing i added was i floured the meat up front to thicken the stew…. Thanks a Bunch!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Aaron says
Hi there, the recipe says smoked paprika but the steps don’t seem to include it.
Terri Fantom says
Use this recipe a lot, it’s lovely and easy.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you.
Ken says
I. Love. this. recipe! I’ve been making it for over a year and I’m still in awe by how delicious it is. Plus it’s fairly straight forward and a hearty meal. I could live off of this
Emily Cohen says
This recipe was delicious. However, the instructions weren’t clear, as the ingredients including peppers, but didn’t tell them how to cut them up and it included ginger but didn’t tell us when to put it is the recipe (I added it with the onions).
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Emily! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Recipe updated. Glad you loved the recipe :).
Valerie Whincup says
Would you please let me know what size of slow cooker I should use. Thank you for your help.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Valerie! A 6 quarts slow cooker will work great. If you have a smaller slow cooker, feel free to halve the recipe! Happy cooking!
Valerie Whincup says
I would love to make this recipe, but can you tell me what size of crock pot I should use? Thank you.
Tash says
Hello
This looks delish. Can this be made in a insta pot or pressure cooker?
ImmaculateBites says
It sure can. However, I don’t have exact cooking times.
Lauren says
Hi I have a 6.5l slow cooker will this recipe fill it or will I have to double or triple the recipe? I love to batch cook and freeze!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lauren,
This recipe would not fill a 6.5qt slow cooker. You should double it .
AJ Fresh says
I’m picking up the ingredients for this Caribbean beef stew to make it tomorrow. Do you recommend marinating the beef overnight?
Imma Adamu says
Marinating often allows the ingredients to seep deep into the beef, adding flavor.. and you know me I am so big on flavor. However you don’t need to. The recipe should turn out just right.Let me know AJ.
Shannon says
I loved the beef stew stew. I didn’t follow the recipe to a T leaving out the hot pepper and the parsley and I used better than bouillon instead of the cubes. It was so delicious and a big hit with my fiancé and my son. Thank you for sharing
paul bonds says
I totally love caribbean and african food so i have tried this dish as it looks good.It is in the slow cooker now and will be ready in 3 1/2 hours.Will leave feedback on the outcome.Only used half a scotch bonnet because of the kids.I would pesonally use 3-4 but thats my taste.Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Paul. Do let me know how it works out for you!
Paul says
Thanks.Turned out great.Next time i will spice it a bit more but only for my taste.Everyone enjoyed it and i served it with rice and peas and fried dumplings.Thanks again and ready to try my next recipe on your site.Thanks again.