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Jamaican Beef Stew

Jamaican beef stew with deep brown, glossy braised beef is built on a browning-sauce marinade and slow simmered until nearly tender. Carrots, potatoes, and butter beans finish cooking for a thick, hearty stew served over rice.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soups, Stews & Chili
Cuisine: Jamaican
Calories: 570

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Browning sauce
  • 1 tbsp browning sauce
Soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
All-purpose seasoning
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
Allspice
  • 1 tsp allspice
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
Green onions
  • 3 green onions, chopped
Vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
Ketchup
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
Beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
Fresh thyme
  • 4 sprig fresh thyme sprigs
Scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
Carrots
  • 2 carrots, sliced
Potatoes
  • 2 potatoes, cubed
Butter beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) butter beans, drained

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Marinate the beef
  1. Combine beef chuck with browning sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, all-purpose seasoning, allspice, diced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger, and chopped green onions. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Brown and build the stew
  1. In a Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil and brown sugar, stirring until the sugar darkens and looks caramel-colored. Add the marinated beef and sear for 6-8 minutes without moving it too much.
  2. Stir in the reserved aromatics from the marinade, then add ketchup, beef broth, fresh thyme sprigs, and the whole scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to release the browned bits.
  3. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, checking occasionally so the stew bubbles gently. Cook until the beef is nearly tender and the sauce looks dark and glossy.
Finish with vegetables
  1. Add sliced carrots and cubed potatoes, then simmer for 30-40 minutes until they are tender. Keep the lid on between checks to maintain a steady simmer.
  2. Stir in the drained butter beans and simmer for 10 minutes so the beans heat through. Remove from heat when the stew is thick and the vegetables are fully cooked.
Serve
  1. Remove the scotch bonnet and thyme stems from the stew. Serve hot over rice.

Notes

Pro tip: sear the beef in batches if needed so it browns instead of steams, which helps the stew turn deep brown and glossy. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge overnight) for best texture. For a lower-sodium option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and swap the Worcestershire/soy for lower-sodium versions.