Slow Cooker Beef Stew Becomes Rich And Luxurious With A Splash Of This Spanish Booze

Slow cooker beef stew is a hearty, comforting blend of root vegetables and meat best enjoyed in the glow of a warm fire on a frigid evening. One way you can guarantee a better beef stew with the rich, luxurious flavor that vignette deserves is by adding a splash of sherry wine. 

Sherry is a Spanish wine typically made from white grapes, then blended with a wine alcohol similar to brandy. Dry varieties typically boast a nutty depth, with flavors like tobacco and spice, which help enhance beef stew's beef flavor without the dessert-like hints of dried fruit and caramel or molasses that come with sweet and creamy sherries. 

Cooking sherry is shelf-stable for up to a year and cheaper than drinking sherry. But it's made with lower-quality booze and contains loads of salt and preservatives, which make it unsuitable for drinking and are some of the reasons you should think twice about using cooking wine. Plus, there are many affordable drinking sherry options, though dry sherry usually goes bad within days after opening and is one opened alcohol you must keep in the fridge. So it's best to have a plan as to what you'll do with whatever you don't use, such as drinking it alongside your beef stew.

Technically, when incorporating sherry into a slow cooker beef stew recipe, you can combine everything and hit start. But there are a few things you'll want to consider before you start chucking your ingredients into the pot.

One of the mistakes to avoid when making beef stew is neglecting to brown the beef first. So start by searing it in a hot pan. You can then deglaze the pan with your sherry and pour the resulting liquid into a slow cooker. Deglazing is an important step, as it loosens the flavorful fond that results from browning the meat. This step also incorporates a distinct nutty flavor to enliven the cooking liquid. Before you turn on the slow cooker, make sure to add the rest of the cooking liquids, like water and stock. At this stage, you may add a bit more sherry for an even deeper, more pronounced savory flavor. You can also add veggies like carrots, potatoes, and celery to make this dish more robust.

If you've never added sherry to a beef stew before, it's important to be wary of the total amount added. For a light-touch flavor boost, start with a few tablespoons. If you're after a more pronounced savory punch, use up to a cup. Don't forget to reduce the amount of other liquids to reflect the added sherry, making sure to balance among the other ingredients. For example, if you're using cooking sherry, which can be particularly salty, it's best to taste test as you go and dilute the sherry with unsalted liquid.