🌾 Chuckwagon Recipe #20: Old-Fashioned Beef & Potato Camp Stew

A true trail classic — simple ingredients, slow comfort, and full bellies.

Serves: 6–8Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 45–50 minutes

This is the kind of stew a chuckwagon cook would’ve had simmering while the fire crackled and the sun dipped low. No frills — just honest, filling comfort.

🥩 Ingredients

• 1 lb beef stew meat (or chuck roast, cubed)

• 2 tbsp bacon grease or butter

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 medium potatoes, diced

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

• 4–5 cups beef broth

• 1 tsp thyme

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp salt (to taste)

• Optional: splash of Worcestershire for depth

🍳 Instructions

1. Brown the BeefHeat bacon grease in a Dutch oven. Add beef and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside.

2. Build the BaseIn the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until fragrant.

3. Add VegetablesStir in potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cook 3–4 minutes.

4. Create the StewReturn beef to the pot. Add diced tomatoes, broth, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.

5. Simmer SlowBring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer 35–40 minutes, until beef is tender and potatoes are soft.

6. ServeLadle into bowls and serve with cornbread, biscuits, or skillet bread.

🤠 Chuckwagon Tip

Mash a few potatoes right in the pot during the last 5 minutes — it naturally thickens the stew the old camp-cook way.