Jump to RecipeThis Instant Pot Beef & Barley Stew is a cozy, soul warming, slurp inducing recipe with a classic flavorful beef broth, tender beef, nourishing vegetables, and perfectly cooked barley. This hearty soup is the perfect cure for the frosty nights of a seemingly endless winter season!
Did you catch my unbridled enthusiam in the above recipe description about the fact that it will likely be another 6 weeks (best case!) before I see some flowers and grass!?
Yeah.. well I know I’m not the only one that is less than thrilled about this cold hard fact, and yes I totally intended that pun! And THAT is why we have cozy warm stews like this Beef and Barley soup quickly prepared in the Instant Pot. Warm bowls like this one are here to cuddle us into a moment of reprieve from the grey. To warm to the bone, and remind us that just like the stars shine brightest on the coldest nights, soups heal deeper in the winter.
What type of Beef Should I Use for Beef and Barley Soup?
Most recipes call for a stew meat that has a fair amount of marbleization to it. Typical cuts include chuck roast, chuck shoulder, brisket, you could even use flank steak.
For this recipe I actually used 2 Ribeye Steaks! I had some in my freezer that needed to be cooked and it worked magnificently! However, if I was buying meat specifically for making soup, I would have chosen a less expensive stew meat that would get the job done just as well.
No matter which beef you purchase, remember that you want a bit of fat content. When cooked at the extreme pressure and steam that the Instant Pot, the fat practically melts away, leaving you tender, fall -apart -in -your- mouth type pieces of beef. That fat is also what builds that yum yuminess in the broth.
What Type of Barley Should I Use?
Barley is a cereal grain, and a member if the grass family. It was one of the first cultivated grains, dating as far back as 10,000 years ago! Barley is super healthy and has nice chewy texture and a nutty flavor.
When buying barley, you may find that you have a few choices to choose from. These differences are related to the way in which the grain is processed.
Hulled Barely: This is Barley in its most natural form, where the bran layer has not been removed. Often called whole wheat barley, this variety of barley is very nutritious, high in fiber and protein. However, it does require a longer cook time and is quite chewy, and has a bolder taste.
Pearl Barley: Pearl barley is a type of barley that has been processed to remove the hull and bran. Pearl barley is faster cooking and has a better texture. Its’s just the right combination of soft, and chewy. This is the kind I would recommend for Beef and Barley Soup!
Quick Pearled Barley: Quick barley is a type of barley flake that cooks in about 10 minutes, because it has been partially cooked and dried during the flake-rolling process. This would not be good for Beef and Barley Soup as it not hold it’s shape or texture, giving you a mushy result.
If you can’t find Pearled Barley for any reason in your local store, it is available for you right here on Amazon!
How to Make Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Chop vegetables and cut beef into 2 inch cubes or smaller. Season the beef with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
Press “saute” on Instant Pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Work in batches to sear all of beef cubes. Set aside.
Deglaze pot with red wine, scraping bottom of pot to incorporate any browned meat stuck to bottom into the red wine. Add onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery and garlic. Let simmer with the wine for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Press “cancel” to stop the saute function. Add beef broth, seared beef, barley and bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Secure lid to Instant Pot, turn knob to “sealed” position. Cook on “high pressure” for 15 minutes. When cycle has completed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
Before serving, remove the bouquet garni and add freshly chopped parsley. Adjust seasonings with salt to taste. Serve warm with chopped parsley on top and a loaf of crusty bread.
Could I Make Beef and Barley in the Slow Cooker or Stove Top?
Yes! Definitely!
This recipe can easily be adapted to use in the slow cooker or on your stovetop.
For Slow Cooker: You would follow directions 1-3, which involves browning your beef, sautéing the vegetables and deglazing with wine. Then, transfer to the slow cooker along with remaining ingredients and set to low for 6-8 hours on low. The barley may be a little softer than if you chose the stovetop or instant pot route, but the soup will still be delish!
For Stove Top: You would do this very similarly to the Instant Pot version. Brown meat, then vegetables, deglaze, then return beef and broth and bouquet garni to the pot. Simmer for 60 minutes, then add barley and cook an additional 30 minutes.
Check Out Some My Other Soup Recipes:
{Instant Pot} Cozy Beef and Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 lb red potato peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lbs beef
- ½ cup red wine
- 6 cups beef stock
- ½ cup barley
- 1 tied bouquet garni thyme and rosemary
- ½ tsp salt plus more to season meat
- ¼ tsp black pepper plus more to season meat
- 3 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Cut beef into 2 inch cubes or smaller. Season with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
- Press "saute" on Instant Pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Work in batches to sear all of beef cubes. Set aside.
- Deglaze pot with red wine, scraping bottom of pot to incorporate any browned meat stuck to bottom into the red wine. Add onion, carrots, potatoes, and celery and garlic. Let simmer with the wine for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Press "cancel" to stop the saute function. Add beef broth, seared beef, barley and bouquet garni, salt and pepper. Secure lid to Instant Pot, turn knob to "sealed" position. Cook on "high pressure" for 15 minutes. When cycle has completed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
- Remove tied herbs (bouquet garni) before serving. Season with additional seasonings to taste. Serve warm with chopped parsley on top and a loaf of crusty bread.
Nutrition
The recipe looks delicious. I haven’t made it yet, but I have a question. I really like barley and I would like to eliminate the potatoes and possibly add more barley. Any suggestion as t how that would affect the amount of broth?
Thanks !
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for your great question! Go ahead and leave the potatoes out if you prefer. The ratio of barley and broth should be about 2:1. Meaning that for the 1/2 cup in the recipe, expect 1 cup of the broth to be absorbed to cook the barley. I would say adding as much as 3/4 cup of barely you shouldn’t need to add more broth. But any more than that, you may want to add another cup of broth if you prefer a thinner consistency, like the pictures shown.
Hope you love it!