Why It Works
- Searing the beef produces a rich flavor and results in a more complex-tasting stew.
- Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and sherry vinegar brighten the sauce, ensuring the sauce doesn’t fall flat.
Slow-cooker beef stroganoff is a great way to transform a cheap, tough cut of beef, like chuck, into something special. There are many iterations of beef stroganoff; the best versions, writes former Serious Eats editor Kenji in his recipe for the dish, taste like “it was cooked all day,” with “tender meat and rich, deep, rib-sticking flavors.” Though the dish is easy to make on the stovetop, it’s also a good candidate for the slow cooker, where the meat braises until it’s fall-apart tender.
Technically, you could just toss the meat into the slow cooker without browning it. Here, however, I take the time to brown the beef, allowing the Maillard reaction to occur and enhance the meat’s flavor, resulting in a richer, more complex stew. Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and vinegar brighten the sauce, ensuring the dish doesn’t fall flat.
While most stroganoff recipes include mushrooms, I’ve found that they turn rubbery when slow-cooked, so I’ve left them out. If you prefer to include mushrooms here, roast or sauté the mushrooms separately before stirring them into the thickened finished sauce. Ladled over egg noodles, this slow cooker stroganoff is a comforting meal well worth the wait—and perfect for a cold, snowy day in.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
