It’s almost time for the big game. Within a few hours, you’ll have a houseful of hungry fans clamoring for food. Let them snack all evening on a wide array of finger foods or just serve a few of the appetizers along with a hefty pot of chili or soup.
This beef and barley soup is a hearty, stick to the ribs meal that will supply you and your guests with enough stamina to cheer, whoop and holler all through the game
Even though it will take a while for the roast to cook, the rest of the soup is fast to throw together. While the roast is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients so that they will be ready as soon as the roast is done. Keep in mind that the roast is going to cook more in the soup, so it should not be well-done during the braising. The desired internal temperature for the roast should be 120-130. It will finish cooking in the soup.
Let the roast rest for a few minutes before slicing or all of that marvelous juice will run out, resulting in tough meat.
Beef Barley Soup
- 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
- 1 quart reduced sodium beef broth, divided
- 1/2 cup barley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
Directions
Prepare the roast:
Season the roast with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add roast and sear on all sides until well browned. Place roast in a large slow cooker, cover with 2 cups of broth and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-9 hours, if time allows. Add barley and bay leaf during the last hour of cooking. Remove meat, and let rest for 15 minutes before chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf.
Alternatively, the roast may be braised low and slow in the oven. Follow above directions, except place roast in a roasting pan or other large baking dish, add broth, cover and bake at 325 for 3 hours or until tender. During the last hour, add the barley and bay leaf. Follow the original recipe from here.
Make the soup:
Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion carrots celery, corn and peas until onion is translucent and carrots are softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the cooking liquid from the roast as well as remaining beef broth. There should be 4 cups total. If not, add some hot water to make up the difference. Add the stewed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and the beef mixture.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid, add potato and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until potato is tender. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed
Makes about 6 servings
Here are some other soup and chili recipes for the big game:
Chili with Beans
Slow Cooker White Chili
Quicker White Chili
Pasta e Fagioli
Beef Stew
Dooley’s Angus Inn Baked Potato Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Jalapeno and Cheddar Cornbread
Green Onion and Cheddar Biscuits
Reasor’s Deli
If there’s no time to cook, stop by Reasor’s deli to get party trays, ribs, fried chicken and all the fixings. Let them do the cooking so that you can concentrate on the game.
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