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Cranberry Cider Braised Beef Stew with Rosemary Polenta. Slow cooked beef stew with cider, wine, fresh herbs, and sweet cranberries. If there’s one cozy autumn meal you need to be making, it’s this beef stew. It’s such a simple dinner to throw together, even kind of festive, and totally delicious. Serve this stew over a bed of creamy rosemary polenta and you’ll have the perfect dinner for a cold night in with family and friends.
Is anyone else in a bit of disbelief that we are already six days into November? It’s weird because on one hand, it feels like November, the temperatures are cold, the leaves have fallen, and Thanksgiving is my current focus (well, and the new cookbook, of course). On the other hand, it feels like it should still be September. Where did October go? How are we entering into the final days of 2019? Soon it’s going to be onto Christmas, my mind is just in complete shock.
I know that everyone says this, but how is time flying by so quickly? I’m currently on a plane headed to LA, but by the time this post goes live on Wednesday I’ll be finishing up my LA trip and already be heading back that night on a plane home – wow!
It is supposed to be a nice eighty-ish degrees in LA. I’m sure the next few days will be a little confusing to me weather-wise. Especially since I’m in full-on cozy fall mode…as you can tell from pretty much every recipe I’ll be sharing this month…but I’ll take it!
So what’s my point in all this crazy airplane rambling? Well, it’s November, and with November comes the arrival of fresh cranberries.
Most of the time we all only think to use cranberries in our Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. Maybe sometimes we’ll incorporate them into a cocktail, but rarely do we think to use cranberries in other ways.
Thankfully that’s why I’m here. I love using cranberries in savory ways throughout the months of November and December. Not only are cranberries festive and pretty…they can also be a sweet yet tart addition to savory recipes when used correctly. Enter this beef stew. It’s classic beef stew, but with a twist. And it’s just as delicious as you can imagine.
Here are the stewy details.
Start with the beef. The wonderful thing about beef stew is that you can use a cheaper cut of meat, but make it taste incredible. Cooking the beef low and slow helps to tenderize it and rid the beef of any toughness.
No time for low and slow? No worries, I also tested this recipe out in the instant pot. I was pleasantly surprised with just how mouth-wateringly good the beef turned out.
As with most meat-based recipes, I like to brown the beef before adding any kind of liquid. I know it’s an additional step, but I find it makes for an even more flavorful stew.
Brown the beef, then simply add in sweet cider, a touch of red wine, plenty of carrots, shallots, herbs, and all the other delicious workings of a great beef stew. The key to this stew is the use of fresh apple cider and tart cranberries. The cider spices up the sauce and balances out the tartness from the cranberries. And I know cranberries may seem odd, but trust me, beef and cranberries are such a delicious combination.
If you tried last year’s cranberry braised short ribs, you’ll love this beef stew.
Of course, if you’re truly not a fan, you can easily omit the cranberries from the recipe.
Now, onto that rosemary polenta.
Just before you’re ready to eat, you should start making the polenta. You could also do something like mashed potatoes or egg noodles, but I’ve found that rosemary polenta is particularly delicious.
To give the polenta a really delicious flavor, I started off by frying the rosemary in a little olive with a few cloves of garlic. This infuses the oil but doesn’t leave you with an overpowering rosemary flavor. Once the rosemary is crisp just add water, then stir in the instant polenta.
If you’re new to instant polenta, it only takes five minutes to make but leaves you with the creamiest, butteriest polenta. This is one of my go-to (and gluten free) side dishes throughout the colder days of the year. It’s healthy, easy to make, and so delicious.
Finish it up.
Once the beef is tender and the stew sauce has thickened into a loose gravy, spoon the beef over plates of steaming polenta.
Then top with that crisped rosemary and enjoy with a side of crusty bread…and maybe a glass of wine too.
I know it’s only Wednesday, but I don’t see why we can’t make it just as special as a Saturday. Right?
So let’s do it!
PS. How amazing would it be if I actually came home to this cooking away tonight? Unfortunately, I don’t get in until later, and then have to make the hour and a half trek home…ugh. Not my favorite.
BUT that leaves me with a thought. If you know someone who needs a little cheering up. Or you’d just like to do something nice for someone you love…make this beef.
It’s sure to be a win!
If you make this cranberry cider braised beef stew with rosemary polenta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cranberry Cider Braised Beef Stew with Rosemary Polenta.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 693 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cubed
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon can also use beef broth
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or honey
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 1/2 cups dry instant polenta
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, sear the beef on both sides. Remove the beef and transfer to the slow cooker. 2. To the slow cooker, add the shallots and carrots. Add the cider, wine, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar (or honey), thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. During the last 2 hours of cooking, add the cranberries. 3. To make the polenta. Heat the butter, garlic, and rosemary in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is golden and the rosemary is crisp and "fried", about 3 minutes. Remove the rosemary and reserve. To the pan, add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If the polenta thickens too much, thin with additional water or cream for an extra luscious polenta. 4. To serve, remove the thyme and bay leaves from the stew. Serve the stew and gravy over the polenta. Top with crisped rosemary. Enjoy!
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 2. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe braiser, sear the beef on both sides. Remove the beef to a plate. Add the shallots and carrots, cook 5 minutes or until the shallots begin to caramelize. Add back the beef. Add the cider, wine, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar (or honey), thyme, and bay leaves. Sprinkle the cranberries overtop. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the beef is tender.3. Make the polenta and finish as directed above.
Instant Pot
- 1. Switch the instant pot to sauté. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Sear the beef on both sides until browned. Turn the instant pot off. 2. To the instant pot, add the shallots and carrots. Add the cider, wine, balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, brown sugar (or honey), thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, gently stir to combine. Seal the instant pot and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. 3. Switch the instant pot to sauté. Add the cranberries and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil 8-10 minutes until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens slightly. 4. Make the polenta and finish as directed above.
I plan on making this tomorrow…it looks amazing.
Is the apple cider alcoholic or can you just use Apple juice??
Thank you
Jill
Hey Jill,
I use non-alcoholic apple cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We’re not really beef eaters. How do you think this would be with lamb?
Hey Kate,
I think lamb would work well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Am cooking this today and cannot wait! I couldn’t find fresh cranberries at the store yet, so I picked up frozen. Would you still add the frozen two hours before it’s done or adjust when I throw them in?
Hey Jocelyn,
I would just add them as directed! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this today in the crockpot and it was great! I couldn’t find instant polenta so i pan seared pre cooked polenta with butter, garlic, and rosemary. Meat has been very expensive at my grocery store recently so I substituted half the beef with diced mushrooms and added celery. The cranberries added a good flavor and it was nice to try something new but would probably only use 1 cup next time. Your recipes are so flavorful! Ive got about a dozen more bookmarked to make next :o)
That is so amazing! I am really glad you enjoyed this and I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes, Coral! Thank you! xTieghan
I must have done something wrong, it was crazy tart. The cranberries even turned the vegetables sour. This took me 10 hours to cook in the crockpot which may be the mistake. I added in the cranberries at the 5th hour thinking it would only need two more. How can I cut the tartness Ana Dave this dish?
Hey Susan,
So sorry you had issues with this dish. Did you adjust the recipe at all? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Made this tonight for dinner in the instant pot. We loved the flavor of the broth but upon reading some of the comments went back to directions for oven and slow cooker and see the cranberries get added to simmer with everything for at least two hours…. wondering why in the instant pot recipe you chose to add them in the last 10 minutes of cooking on saute mode. They were so tart (i kind of liked contrast with the richness of the beef and the creaminess of the polenta, but still had to pick a lot of them out.) I may try this again and add them before I close the instant pot have a feeling they’ll soak up some of the sweet/savoriness of the dish and be amazing. If cooking them for a couple of hours with everything does make a huge difference (as I suspect it does), you may want to consider adjusting the instant pot directions? 🙂
Hey Christine,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, sorry you did not like the cranberries. I haven’t had an issue with them in the instant pot, but I will go back through the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If I want to double the amount of meat, should I double all the ingredients? How should I change the cooking time?
Hey Lisa,
Yes if you double the meat you will want to double all of the ingredients. Cooking time depends on what method you are using. I would be cautious with how much meat you can fit in your slow cooker and instant pot. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Are you using American style apple cider (non-alcoholic) or hard cider?
Hey Maren,
For this recipe I used non-alcoholic apple cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was a dinner hit! The recipe was easy enough to follow. I accidentally added the rosemary to the stew and did not have fresh cranberries but used 1 1/2 cup dried, but it was still delicious. I may try next time without the added sugar because it was quite sweet. Also used precooked polenta according the package instructions and added rosemary and garlic. Superb!!! Definitely going to be a monthly, if not biweekly meal for our house.
Thank you so much Arsenia! I am glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Dear Tieghan, thank you so much for this delicious recipe. My guests and I really loved it. I added some parsnips & brown mushrooms to it as well. The veggies really soaked up the wonderful flavour. I slow cooked it in the oven. Can definitively recommend it. For starters I made your cranberry & brie tarts which are the best. The theme for the evening was cranberries :-).
Andrea (Stuttgart, Germany)
Hi Andrea! I am so happy to hear that you and your guests loved this recipe! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. I made this the first time with cherries instead of cranberries because they were out of season, and it was delicious. I made it for a group of people who all asked for the recipe. HIGHLY recommend!! AND, it’s SO easy!!!
Thank you so much for trying this and sharing it!! SO glad you have been loving it Amanda! xTieghan
This stew is fabulous. Made it exactly as the recipe calls for with no changes. Used red wine. Braised in a Lodge pot in the oven for three hours Chuck was falling apart and the flavors melded beautifully. Very well balanced.
Hi Beth! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Made the IP version – delicious and easy!
Thank you! I am so glad that turned out so well for you! xTieghan
In the crockpot as we speak. I’m serving over rosemary and garlic oven-roasted potatoes rather than mashed potatoes or polenta (we have a family member with textural issues). Smells heavenly and it’s only been two hours! Thanks for another sure-to-be-fantastic recipe!
That is so amazing! I hope this turns out amazing for you Tandi! xTieghan
Made this for Christmas dinner and everyone was so impressed. It was pretty easy and you kinda just throw it in and forget about it! HBH recipes never fail I highly recommend trying this. The polenta was delicious too!
I am so glad you loved this Gabrielle! Thank you for trying it! Merry Christmas! xTieghan