11 Best Winter Beef Recipe Items

Winter calls in for big batches of beef stew and flavorful tenderloin dinners; whether it is a holiday, a weeknight, or chilly, you may crave a carnivorous comfort to warm yourself up with these succulent and tender beef dishes.
Warming beef is a classic recipe for go-to comfort food during the cozy fall and winter seasons. It is nothing better than filling your house with the savoury and mouth-watering aromas of a beef stew on a chilly day. The great thing is that beef simmers on a stove; it can also be made easily in a slow cooker or pressure cooker on a busy weeknight. So, we have the recipe whether you like to enjoy it the traditional way with beef, potatoes, and vegetables, or you want to mix it with cultural variations of fry, brisket, gravy, and stir-fries for you. So, this winter, try one of the eleven warming beef recipes that simmer to perfection.

Here are the top Winter beef recipe items:

• Sherry Braised Beef Short Ribs
• Steak and blue cheese pie
• Slow-cooked brisket with thyme, red wine, and onions
• Slow-cooker beef stew
• Pot-roast beef with French onion gravy
• Beef stroganoff
• Beef bulgogi stir-fry
• Ale-glazed beef filet with crispy onion crust
• Beef goulash
• Beef cannelloni
• Beef & vegetable casserole

Let’s look at each one in detailed

1. Sherry Braised Beef Short Ribs

Beef short ribs are unique; as long as two things happen, you are in for some excellent eats. First, the beef must be well brown; it is dark, crusty, and caramelized. Just braise them until they’re fork-tender. After browning correctly, the only way to mess these up is to undercook them, so do not do that.

Ingredients

• Four slices of bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces.
• 3 1/2 pounds of beef short ribs.
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Six sprigs of fresh thyme leave stripped
• One bay leaf
• One onion, diced
• Three cloves of garlic, minced.
• Two tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry sherry
• 1-quart beef broth

Method of cooking

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the bacon in the skillet. Cook on medium to high heat, occasionally turning it until evenly browned, for about ten minutes. 
• Transfer the crisped bacon with a slotted spoon to a Dutch oven. Retain bacon drippings in the skillet.
• Generously season ribs with salt and pepper.
• Heat the bacon drippings in the same skillet over high heat. Cook short ribs in hot bacon fat until browned and caramelized on all sides, three to five minutes per side. 
• Transfer the ribs to the oven, reserving the drippings in the skillet. Add thyme and bay leaf to the ribs.
• In a skillet, reduce the heat to medium and cook and stir onion for five to ten minutes till soft and golden. Add garlic and cook until fragrant for thirty seconds.
• Whisk flour into the onion mixture and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Pour sherry into the onion mixture and cook until thick and hot for two minutes. Put the onion-sherry mix into the oven and add beef broth and salt. Bring ribs mixture to simmer and cover the range with a lid.
• Transfer the Dutch oven to the preheated oven and cook until short ribs are fork-tender, about two hours. Remove the ribs to a serving dish, reserving sauce in the pot.
• Set the oven to high heat and boil sauce until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon reduced sauce over ribs.

2. Steak and blue cheese pie

It is a golden-crusted puff pastry pie stuffed with braising steak, blue cheese, brown ale, and thyme. Perfect for a comforting meal during chilly winter nights

Method of cooking

• Heat oil in a casserole or heavy-based lidded pan over high heat, and fry the steak pieces until deep golden brown all over 
• Slightly reduce the heat and add the onions to the pan with more oil. Fry for eight to ten minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. 
• Sprinkle some over the flour and stir until combined; slowly pour the ale, a little at a time, and stir continuously until the flour has absorbed the liquid and expanded. 
• When all the ale is incorporated, add the herbs and sugar. Bring to a simmer, return the steak to the pan and the stock. Return the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for two hours thirty minutes, or until the meat is very tender. 
• Remove the lid for the final twenty to thirty minutes to reduce the gravy, thick enough to coat the meat.
• Season well and stir in the vinegar. Add a pinch more sugar when needed, depending on the bitterness of the beer used. Leave to cool completely, then chill overnight.
• Heat the oven to 200C. Crumble cheese into large pieces and stir the cold filling mix—tip in a lipped pie dish.
• Roll the pastry evenly on a lightly floured surface until about 5mm thick and slightly larger than the pie dish. Brush some beaten egg along the rim of the dish. 
• Lift the pastry lid on the top, press along the perimeter to seal, trim away any excess and crimp the edge. Glaze with more egg, and decorate with any pastry off-cuts. 
• Cut a small steam hole on the top, and bake for thirty to forty minutes or until golden, puffed up, and bubbling.

3. Slow-cooked brisket with thyme, red wine, and onions

It is a simple slow cooker beef brisket recipe. Its easily melt-in-the-mouth beef makes a perfect Sunday roast for when you have guests for dinner.

Method of cooking

• Heat a frying pan until hot. Rub the joints all over with oil and season well. Sear on all sides until golden; make sure you get a nice dark color. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Add onions to the frying pan and cook for ten minutes or until starting to go golden at the edges.
• Sprinkle over the flour, and cook for three to four minutes. Gradually add the wine, stirring, then stir in the stock and Worcestershire sauce. 
• Tip the onion mixture on the beef, add the thyme and star anise, and tuck in the carrots and celery.
• Set the slow cooker on a high and cook for five hours. Please take out the brisket and put it on a plate. Scoop out the carrot, celery, and thyme, and discard. 
• Serve the brisket with the gravy, nicely thickened with the melted onions.

4. Slow-cooker beef stew

The hearty stew is full of iron, protein, and natural antioxidants. Pop the beef shin, red wine, and veggies into a slow cooker and leave for four hours

Method of cooking

• Heat the slow cooker on high. Toss the beef in seasoned flour, and shake off the excess. 
• Heat one tbsp of the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Fry some beef chunks, making sure not to crowd the pan on high heat until browned. It will add a lovely deep colour to the final stew. 
• Take the beef out of the pan and put it in the slow cooker. 
• Pour red wine into a frying pan and let it bubble, scraping the crusty bits from the base—tip in the slow cooker. 
• Add the onion, celery, carrots, tomato purée, rosemary, and beef stock to the slow cooker and stir. Put on the lid and cook for four hours, then season. 
• If you like, serve the stew in bowls with mashed potato, broccoli, and a sprinkle of parsley. 

5. Pot-roast beef with French onion gravy

Topside and silverside are cheaper and leaner cuts of the meat, well-suited for slow-cooking. The stock and juices make a great sauce when combined with the caramelized onions. It makes a great winter dinner recipe.

Method of cooking

• Heat oven to 160C. Rub the meat with one tsp of the oil and plenty of seasoning. 
• Heat a flameproof casserole dish and cook the meat for ten mins till it turns brown. Meanwhile, add two tsp oil to a frying pan and fry the carrots and celery for ten mins until turning golden.
• Lift the beef to a plate, splash the wine into the hot casserole and boil for two mins. 
• Pour in the stock, return the meat, then tuck in carrots, celery, and bay leaves, trying not to submerge the carrots too much—cover and cook for two hrs. 
• Thinly slice the onions. Heat 1 tbsp oil in one pan and stir in the onions, thyme, and some seasoning. 
• Cover and cook gently for twenty mins until the onions are softened but not colored. 
• Remove the lid, turn up the heat, add the butter and sugar, let the onions caramelize to a dark golden brown, and stir often. Remove the thyme springs, then set them aside.
• When the beef is ready, it will become tender and easy to pull apart at the edges. 
• Remove from the casserole and snip off the strings. Reheat the onion pan, stir in the flour and cook for one min. 
• Whisk the floury onions in the beefy juices in the casserole to make a thick onion gravy. 
• Add the beef and carrots to the casserole, slice the meat and bring to the table on a platter, with carrots to the side and gravy spooned over.

Look for more recipes for winter:

• Can you smoke corned beef bisket?
• Best winter chicken breast reciepes

6. Beef stroganoff

Make the classic beef stroganoff with steak and mushrooms for a tasty midweek meal. Garnish with some parsley and serve with pappardelle pasta or rice. This recipe would fill your chilly winter dinners. 

Method of cooking

• Heat one tbsp olive oil in the non-stick frying pan, add one sliced onion and cook on medium heat until completely softened, for fifteen mins, adding a little splash of water if it starts to stick.
• Crush in 1 garlic clove, cook for 2-3 mins more, and add one tbsp butter.
• Once the butter is foaming, add 250g sliced mushrooms and cook for five mins until completely softened.
• Season everything well, then tip on a plate.
• Tip one tbsp plain flour in a bowl with some salt and pepper, and toss 500g sliced filet steak in the seasoned flour.
• Add steak to the pan, splash in a bit of oil if the pan is dry, and fry for three to four minutes till well coloured.
• Tip the onion and mushroom back into the pan. Whisk 150g crème fraîche, 100ml beef stock and 1 tsp English mustard, then stir into the pan.
• Cook over medium heat for around five mins.
• Scatter some chopped parsley, and serve with pappardelle or rice.

7. Beef bulgogi stir-fry

This recipe gets ready quicker than a takeaway and is much tastier. This low-calorie stir-fry is easier to make and gets ready in twenty minutes.

Method of cooking

• Put the ginger, soy, mirin, garlic, pineapple, chilli flakes, sugar, and 1 tbsp of the sesame oil in the food processor and blend till fine. 
• Pour the marinade into a bowl, add the meat, mix well and leave while preparing the onion.
• Heat the rest of the oil in the wok or frying pan until hot. Add the onion and stir-fry for a few mins. Add the beef and the marinade, constantly stirring until it’s cooked through, about 5 mins. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and serve with rice and chopped spring onions.

8. Ale-glazed beef filet with crispy onion crust

It is a show-stopping dish that is easy to make. When served with some veggies, the beef is mouth-watering to look. You may try this dish when you see snowflakes outside your window panes. 

Method of cooking

• For the glaze, whisk all ingredients evenly together in a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for twenty-five to thirty mins to reduce until sticky. 
• Next, crush the onions with a pestle and mortar, or blitz in a food processor until there is a fine crumb. 
• Heat the oven to 180C. Generously season the beef all over. Heat oil in the frying pan over high heat and spend ten mins searing the beef well on all sides. 
• Remove from the pan, then set the beef on a wire rack in a roasting tin. Brush all over with some glaze, roast for ten mins, then turn it over and do the same again, reserving some of the glazes for brushing at the end. 
• If you want the beef rare and have a meat thermometer, the core temperature should be 52C. For medium-rare, roast for another ten to fifteen mins – the core temperature should be 55-60C.
• Finally, cover the beef and let it rest for fifteen to twenty mins.
• Boil the carrots in salted water for five to seven mins until tender, then drain. Tip the carrots in the frying pan you used to sear the beef and the butter and fennel seeds. 
• Fry over medium heat until golden; add the spinach, any resting juices from the meat, and 1 tsp of the beef glaze. Cook until the spinach has wilted. 
• To serve, scatter the crispy onions on a plate. Brush the beef with the glaze and roll it in the onions. Sit on a board, carve in thick slices and serve with the carrots and spinach.

9. Beef goulash

Make this hearty beef goulash to feed your family on the chilly nights. Stir in soured cream and parsley for an indulgent, crowd-pleasing supper.

Method of cooking

• Heat oven to 160C.
• Heat one tbsp olive oil in a flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based saucepan. 
• Sprinkle 700g stewing steak chunks with 30g plain flour, brown them nicely in three batches, and add 1 tbsp oil for each collection. Set the browned meat aside.
• Add the remaining one tbsp oil to the casserole dish, followed by one large thinly sliced onion, two finely chopped garlic cloves, one green pepper, and one red pepper, both finely sliced. 
• Fry until softened, around five to ten mins.
• Return the beef to the pan with two tbsp tomato purée and paprika. Cook, stirring two for two mins.
• Add two large diced tomatoes, 300ml beef stock, and 75ml dry white wine—cover and bake in the oven for one hour, 30 mins – 2 hrs. Alternatively, cover and cook on the hob on a gentle heat for about an hour, removing the lid after 45 mins.
• Sprinkle over two tbsp parsley leaves and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in 150ml soured cream and serve.

10. Beef cannelloni

Although the dish is effortless to look at, the tender beef inside cooked with sauces and butter is tasty. 

Method of cooking

• For the filling, dry-fry beef in a non-stick pan on medium-high heat and break with a wooden spoon until browned for about ten mins. Remove and set aside. 
• Add oil and cook the onion for five mins, until soft. Add the garlic for one minute, then tip in the beef and 1½ jars of the passata sauce and the sugar. Simmer for 20 mins.
• Heat the butter in a small pan. When foaming, stir in the flour for one min. Add the milk gradually, mix all the milk to achieve a lump-free sauce, then bubble for two mins while stirring. 
• Remove from heat and stir in the soft cheese with seasoning until dissolved. Set aside, cover with cling film to stop a skin from forming.
• Put the rest of the sauce into the base of two to three large baking dishes or twelve individual ovenproof foil containers. 
• Spoon beef into the cannelloni tubes using a teaspoon and lay it on the sauce. Pour the white sauce, then sprinkle with Parmesan. 
• If freezing, allow cooling, then freeze wrapped well in cling film. To eat straight away, heat the oven to 200C and cook for 40-45 mins until the pasta is tender and topping golden. 

11. Beef & vegetable casserole

A traditional braised beef stew with the thick, rich gravy is an ideal recipe for cheap cuts, as slow-cooking guarantees a tender dish.

Method of cooking

• Heat the oven to 160 degrees C and put the kettle on.
• Put two thickly sliced celery sticks, one chopped onion, two chunkily sliced carrots, five-bay leaves, and one whole thyme sprig in a flameproof casserole dish with 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 1 tbsp butter.
• Soften for ten mins, then stir in 2 tbsp plain flour until it doesn’t look dusty anymore, followed by two tbsp tomato purée, two tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and two crumbled beef stock cubes.
• Gradually stir in 600ml hot water, tip in 850g stewing beef, and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Place and cover it in the oven for 2hrs 30 mins, then uncover and cook for thirty minutes to one hour till the meat is tender and the sauce thickens.
• Garnish with picked leaves of the remaining thyme spring.

Conclusion

Enjoy a hearty and satiating meal with the slow-cooker beef recipes. Alongside the beef, the recipes have plenty of veggies, like slow-cooker-friendly carrots and potatoes, and plenty of the flavorful spices to create a delicious dinner. Recipes like slow-Cooker beef stew and Beef stroganoff are comforting and perfect to combat the cold winter weather.

After enjoying the beef recipes, we are sure you will try one from the list for your next winter dinner. So, do write to us about how you liked our recipes. We would love to hear from you in the comments below.