Beef Barley Soup
Stock this in your Freezer to make it through a Meat Shortage!
It’s kind of hard to write about soup or even make soup when it is 90 degrees outside BUT I am planning for the future. A future where meat may become increasingly difficult to get as more and more workers in the Meat Industry are affected by COVID19. I do not mean to be doom and gloom but being prepared is never a bad idea and based on the news we may have limitations on the amount of meat we can buy. One good way to stretch meat is this recipe of mine for Beef Barley soup. Growing up I loved Campbells Vegetable Beef Soup. I loved the somewhat bland flavor of it and the little Barley pieces. I think this is where my love for Beef Barley soup began. I could not eat the Campbell’s soup now if you paid me. Possibly age related but more sophistication of what I expect for a meal. Years ago I messed around with different ingredients and came up with this recipe - YES it’s an original. It is so simple, good and hearty and it freezes well. More importantly it can stretch a good Chuck Roast into food for 16+ servings.
I love soup! I am also very particular about it. Soup is soup and Stew is stew. Soup should have broth and every spoonful should be filled with a little bit of each ingredient. Stew on the other hand is thick, the pieces are larger and well…it’s Stew!!
Click the “Jump to Recipe” button for the recipe. But here are some tips for your consideration.
Simmering with wine after searing in Olive Oil.
This soup is best when slow cooked for two hours. Therefore it is very important that you use Whole Barley and not little pieces found in cheaper bags of Barley. It is also important that you use all of the liquid. If you like really THICK soup eliminate two cups of the water. But I suggest you leave the liquid ratio alone for the first time with this recipe. If you are freezing part of it you will be happy you had the liquid.
I traditionally make this soup with 2 large Beef Shanks. I love the way the bone and marrow flavors the soup. Using the Beef Shank involves you searing the Beef Shanks whole during the first step and later after cooking the soup an hour or hour and a half creates an extra step where you remove the bone from the soup and cut the meat into small bite sized pieces. Because Beef Shank is scarce I tried the soup with a nice quality, nicely marbled Chuck Roast and it was still delicious.
When using Chuck Roast I recommend you cut the roast in half and freeze half for a future meal. Cut the remaining half in small cubes. (small - remember we are making soup and not stew! :) )
Be absolutely certain to dry the meat thoroughly with paper towels before searing. The meat will create juice/water while browning. If this happens don’t worry…just continue to brown the meat until the water is evaporated…which creates flavor in the pot!
For added flavor put a sprig or two of thyme in some cheese cloth and add it to the soup. I do this on occasion but usually I just keep this soup basic.
Finally, if you have a Cast Iron Pot - use it for this soup. I love Cast Iron for slow cooked foods. But it won’t make this soup any less delicious if you don’t.
This pot of soup will serve 8 people. For a family of four that is a meal for now and one for the freezer for later. This pot just came off the stove. It will continue to thicken if you leave the lid on for a period of time.
