Simmering Barley Soup with Beef

2 lb. of well marbled beef cubes for stewing

Season with salt and pepper.

2 tbsp of oil

ten glasses of water

Good grade beef foundation, three measured teaspoons

2 cups (or 3 stalks) of chopped celery, 2 onions (or 5 cloves) of minced garlic

2 cups of shredded potato, peeled and big

About 2 cups of peeled and shredded carrots (three or four big ones)

1-cup rinsied pearl barley

Instructions

Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Turn up the heat to medium-high in a big stockpot and add the oil.

Add one-third of the meat when the pan is really hot. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Once it has browned evenly, transfer it to a platter. Cook the leftover meat in two further batches. (You want to brown the meat, not steam it, so don't add it all at once.)

Brown the meat on both sides, then return it to the saucepan with 10 cups of water. For the beef stock, add three good teaspoons.

Toss in the chopped garlic, onions, and celery. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a while. Cover and simmer for around two hours.

The meat should be soft enough to be easily broken apart with a wooden spoon before adding the shredded potato and carrots. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer gently for 30–45 minutes, or until carrots are soft.

Pour in one cup of barley. Reduce heat to low and bring to a boil. After 30 minutes of cooking, the barley should be soft and the soup should taste like home.

Crock-pot Directions:

Prepare a big pan and brown the meat as directed. Transfer the seared meat to a large slow cooker. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Mash all the browned chunks together. Put this in the crock pot with the other eight cups of water.

In a slow cooker, combine the beef broth, celery, onions, and garlic. Stir to combine.

Simmer for around six hours. After a further hour, stir in the carrots and potatoes. Simmer for about one another hour or until the barley is soft, then add it.