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Jamaican Beef Stew

Jamaican beef stew with deep brown, glossy sauce and tender chuck simmered low and slow with scotch bonnet, thyme, carrots, potatoes, and butter beans. The stew gets a rich color from browning sauce plus a darkened sugar base before braising until nearly tender.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 3 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Jamaican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
browning sauce
  • 1 tbsp browning sauce
soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
all-purpose seasoning
  • 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning
allspice
  • 1 tsp allspice
onion
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
green onions
  • 3 green onions, chopped
vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
ketchup
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
beef broth
  • 3 cup beef broth
fresh thyme
  • 4 sprig fresh thyme
scotch bonnet pepper
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
carrots
  • 2 carrots, sliced
potatoes
  • 2 potatoes, cubed
butter beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) butter beans, drained

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Marinate the beef
  1. Combine beef chuck with browning sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, all-purpose seasoning, allspice, diced onion, minced garlic, grated ginger, and chopped green onions. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Sear and build the stew
  1. Heat vegetable oil and brown sugar in a Dutch oven over medium heat until the sugar darkens. When it turns darker, add the marinated beef (reserving the aromatics) and sear for 6-8 minutes, until browned.
  2. Stir in the reserved aromatics, ketchup, beef broth, fresh thyme, and the whole scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a simmer.
  3. Cover the Dutch oven and simmer until the beef is nearly tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Look for the liquid to bubble steadily with meat becoming tender.
Finish with vegetables and beans
  1. Add sliced carrots and cubed potatoes to the stew and continue simmering for 30-40 minutes. Cook until the vegetables are tender, with a thickened, glossy sauce.
  2. Stir in drained butter beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Keep it at a gentle bubble so the beans heat through.
  3. Remove the scotch bonnet and thyme stems before serving. Serve the stew hot over rice.

Notes

For the deepest color, don’t walk away while browning the sugar—cook just until it darkens, then immediately add the beef. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and reduce ketchup to 1 tbsp to keep the flavor while lowering sodium.