Slow Cooked Beef and Barley Comfort Bowl

🌹Warm & Cozy Slow-Cooked Beef & Barley Bowl

🔹️When the weather turns chilly, there’s nothing like a big bowl of slow-cooked comfort to wrap you in warmth. This beef and barley soup is rich with tender chunks of beef, hearty vegetables, and wholesome barley that soaks up all that flavor from hours of gentle simmering. Whether you’re feeding the family or just craving something soulful, this is the kind of meal that makes everything feel right.

👉What You’ll Need:

◾️2 lbs beef (cut into cubes for stewing)

◾️Salt & pepper to taste

◾️10 cups water

◾️2 tbsp oil

◾️3 tbsp high-quality beef stock

◾️2 cups chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

◾️½ finely chopped onion

◾️5 garlic cloves, minced

◾️2 large potatoes, peeled & diced

◾️3-4 carrots, peeled & shredded (about 2 cups)

◾️1 cup pearl barley, rinsed

👉How to Make It:

✅️Stovetop Method:

↪️1. Season & Sear – Salt and pepper the beef, then brown in hot oil in batches until caramelized. Set aside.

↪️2. Build the Base – Return all beef to the pot. Add water and beef stock. Bring to a boil.

↪️3. Add Aromatics – Stir in celery, onions, and garlic. Cover and simmer on low for about 2 hours.

↪️4. Veggie Time – Add potatoes and carrots. Cook until soft (30–45 minutes).

↪️5. Finish with Barley – Stir in rinsed barley and simmer another 30 minutes until tender.

✅️Slow Cooker Version:

↪️1. Brown the beef as above, then transfer to slow cooker.

↪️2. Deglaze the pan with 2 cups boiling water and pour into the slow cooker with the rest of the water, stock, celery, onion, and garlic.

↪️3. Cook on low for 6 hours.

↪️4. Add potatoes and carrots, cook 1 more hour.

↪️5. Stir in barley for the final hour until tender.