For this beef barley soup recipe, we braise beef chuck until it is fork tender, then the barley and vegetables are cooked and finally, the ingredients are combined and seasoned to finish the soup.
Heat the oil and butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add the stew meat and sauté until beef is dark brown for about 8 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pot. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add the water, beef broth, tomatoes with juices, bay leaves, thyme and basil. Add the beef shank and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and uncovered until beef is almost tender for about 1 hour.
Add the barley and corn kernel and simmer until the beef is tender for about 30 minutes longer. Add the peas and seasoning to taste.
You could also make this soup using beef short ribs the same way as this recipe for beef noodle soup. What's important, though, is to cook the barley separately. The beef needs to for quite a while and the barley would become too soggy if cooked for that long.
This recipe connects to Stock Making Fundamentals — learn the technique step by step in the video lessons.
The secret to a silky soup like this one is patience at the blending stage — take your time and pass it through a fine sieve if you want a truly professional finish. If you'd like to go deeper, Stock Making Fundamentals covers this in full.
If you'd ever like hands-on guidance for your own kitchen or restaurant, I also offer 1-on-1 coaching through OCS, or you can reach me directly for consulting at 911ChefEric.com.
Recipes come out right when you understand the method. Chef Eric’s courses teach the foundations step by step — knife skills, stocks, soups and classic French technique — with video lessons and short quizzes. Not sure where to start? OCRS™ will build your roadmap in five questions.
