Beef stew is a cold weather essential. Stew peas on to get all the hot deets on this ultra-comforting stew.

It gets more tender the longer it cooks. The opposite is true with beef chuck. If you find your beef isn’t tender after 45 minutes, continue simmering, adding more broth or water as needed. Some people have told us that this recipe is missing flour. There’s no rule that beef stew needs a thickening agent.

In fact, many recipes skip it, not just ours. As the soup simmers, the potatoes give off plenty of starch, creating some of the most velvety broth we’ve ever had. Wine adds a layer of rich complex flavor to your stew. If you don’t have any leftover cooking wine on hand, your stew will be delicious without it—just sub in more beef stock! Word to the wise, though: open wine keeps for MONTHS in the fridge. For drinking eh, not so much. So yes, that half glass of Pinot from September will work just fine.

Have more leftover wine burning a hole in your fridge? Make our red wine poke cake! And yes, you can make it ahead! Cook all the way through step 6, then cool the stew to room temperature before refrigerating in a resealable container. Before serving, reheat in a large pot over medium-low heat. If it’s particularly thick, loosen it up with some broth or water. While beef stew is a perfect meal all on its own, we also love beef stew served over some al dente egg noodles.