270 Smokers’ Beef Stew Recipe is Perfect Comfort Food

I love sharing recipes from trusted BBQ sources, and it’s a pleasure to share this “Smoked” Beef Stew recipe from Terry and Stephanie West of 270 Smokers, a barbecue equipment company in Lexington VA. It was tough to pin these two hard-working folks down, as they have been quite busy filling orders from their highly regarded and expertly designed smokers.

270 Smokers 1st Place Pork – Smokin’ Up the Saddle Club – Chatsworth, GA (November, 2015)

I first met Terry and Stephanie at this past year’s Tilley Harley Davidson Biker Blues & BBQ Rally (KCBS) event I judge each year up in Salisbury, NC with my Dad and his wife. They were gracious enough to speak with me about their smokers and show me how they work. Have to say, a 270 Smoker is on my wish list after hearing their story and speaking with a few folks who own one. Definitely check them out when you get a chance.

In any case, I thought it might be cool to get some recipes coming in featuring less expensive cuts of beef. The humble Chuck Roast gets little love by many BBQers, but what the Wests offer up here for their 270 Smokers’ Beef Stew sure sounds like a winner for a Friday night cook team pot luck early in the season!

Thanks to Terry and Stephanie for sharing this recipe with The BBQ Beat. If you give this a try, let them know via their Facebook link info below!

Without any further ado, let’s get on to the recipe.

270 Smokers’ Beef Stew Recipe

With the brisk days of winter upon us, a hearty beef stew was calling out as the perfect “comfort meal”.  To add depth of flavor, we first smoked the meat, then seared it and finished with a vegetable braise.

Ingredients

• 3 lb chuck roast (choice grade is fine)
• Santa Maria seasoning (garlic, salt, black pepper)
• Dizzy Pig’s Red Eye Express rub
• Assorted root vegetables and red skinned potatoes, cut into rough bite-sized pieces
• A few shallots, minced
• 1 ½ c sliced mushrooms
• Assorted tender vegetables (such as peas, corn, green beans)

Smoked Chuck Roast a la 270 Smokers

For this beef stew recipe, apply a liberal amount of Santa Maria seasoning to the entire roast, followed by a thinner layer of Red Eye Express.   Let the meat rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, bring your smoker to 250 degrees F.  (We favor a convection cabinet smoker and used our 270 Smokers “Mighty Mini” with lump charcoal as the fuel.)

Just before putting the seasoned roast directly on the smoker shelf, add chunks of smoking wood to the charcoal basket (we used pecan).  Put a disposable water pan on the diffuser plate, roughly half full with hot water, and let the smoker take over for 3 hours.

Sear the smoked meat (such as on a Big Green Egg or a cast iron pan on your stove-top) at roughly 600 degrees, for about a minute or two per side.  Remove from the grill and let the meat rest (tented under foil) for 20 minutes.   Cut into rough bite size pieces and add to a roasting pan of red skin potatoes, shallots, celery, mushrooms, and assorted root vegetables.

For a braising liquid, add 2 c beef broth, 1/2 c good Cabernet, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary.  Cover tightly and return to the smoker (or place in a warm oven) at 275 degrees until the meat and vegetables are of desired tenderness.  Add any tender vegetables at this time.

270 Smokers Beef Stew Recipe

Spoon the braising liquid into a small saucepan.  Mix a few teaspoons of cornstarch into about ½ cup of cool water, whisking well until you have a smooth slurry.  Bring the braising liquid to a boil, whisk in the slurry a tablespoon or so at a time, until you have the desired thickness.

Taste and adjust seasoning of the sauce if needed (we found that our choice of rubs and herbs imparted so much flavor to the stew, that we didn’t need to add anything else!)  Pour the warm sauce over the meat & vegetables and serve. Truly a beef stew recipe worth savoring.

About 270 Smokers

Terry and Stephanie West are the owners of 270 Smokers, a barbeque equipment company based in Lexington VA.  They have been competing together on the KCBS circuit as the 270 Smokers factory team for 3 years and prior to that, competed in KCBS and NEBS as Virginia ‘Q.  Terry is the inventor of the 270 Smoker, a patented cabinet convection smoker that utilizes a heated exhaust to create an exceptionally stable and efficient smoking environment without any supplemental fans or electronics.  To learn more about 270 Smokers, visit their website at www.270smokers.com or follow them on the 270 Smokers Facebook page.

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