Collagen-rich cuts, like chuck and short rib, are tough when cooked for a brief period of time, but tenderize with low, slow cooking. Their collagen breaks down and converts into gelatin, which gives the meat moistness even as water is cooked out of the muscle fibers.
Short rib can be quite a bit more expensive than the chuck, but the short rib has some distinct advantages. First, it’s a more consistent cut than the chuck, so you get less variation in the pot from one piece to the next. Second, it’s extra delicious, with an even deeper beefy flavor than the chuck (which, I should stress, is no slouch in the flavor department).
Most beef stew and soup recipes have you start by browning the meat (and if they don’t, run away!). Browning builds excellent flavor, but it comes at a price: The browned bits of meat dry out in the process.
To solve this, we recommend that you buy the beef in large pieces, brown those, and only then cut them up into smaller, bite-size bits. This gives you the best of both worlds: a flavorful soup and a high proportion of meat that’s juicy and tender.
If your beef is already cut into stewing pieces, you can still make it work: Simply brown half of it. If it’s a very large cut, like a chuck roast, you can cut it into steaks first to get slightly more surface area for browning, though this will require browning in batches in the soup pot.
Just like with a minestrone, we want to sauté our aromatic vegetables as well. It produces a more flavorful broth than if we just dumped the vegetables into the soup raw.
A splash of fish sauce, if you like, can add even more depth and richness to the soup. Its fishiness disappears into the complex blend of aromas and flavors, leaving behind nothing but a more profound sense of savoriness
Ingredients:
2 pounds (1kg) boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1 ½–inch steaks, or 3 pounds (1.3kg) bone-in beef short ribs, ribs removed and reserved (see note)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon (15ml) canola oil
3 large carrots (10 ounces; 280g), diced
1 large yellow onion (12 ounces; 340g), diced
2 ribs celery (6 ounces; 170g), diced
4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 quarts (3L) homemade or store-bought chicken stock (see note)
Sachet of 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, and 5 whole black peppercorns
1cup pearled barley (7 ounces; 200g)
½ teaspoon (3ml) Asian fish sauce (optional)
Minced fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions:
Step 1
Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Working in batches if necessary, add beef and cook, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large platter.
Step 2
Add carrots, onion, celery, and garlic to pot and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Scrape vegetables into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Add stock to pot, return to heat, and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cut beef into chunks and add to pot, along with reserved bones, if using, and herb sachet. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer and cook until beef is tender, 1 to 2 hours; skim any foam that rises to the top.
Step 4
Discard bones and herb sachet. Add barley, reserved vegetables, and fish sauce, if using, and simmer until barley and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If soup is too dry, top up with water to achieve desired consistency. Serve, garnishing with parsley.
Beef chuck is the easier and more affordable option, and produces very good results. Short ribs, especially when combined with their bones, create an even more deeply beefy stew. Ask your butcher to remove and reserve the bones for you if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself. If you have beef chuck that’s already cut into chunks for stewing, we recommend searing only half of them in step 1 and adding the other half raw in step 3.
Most store-bought beef stock has poor flavor, which is why we recommend chicken stock instead; if you have good-quality homemade beef stock available, feel free to use it.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Beef barley soup freezes very well and will keep, frozen, for three to six months.