Perfect Winter Soup
When winter kicks around, there are few foods that will warm you up faster than a steaming bowl of soup or stew. This beef barley soup is the perfect answer to cold weather when the only way to really warm up is from the inside out. It’s full of goodness, is rich and hearty and keeps you satisfied until the next mealtime rolls around.
The Right Cut of Beef for Soup
The best beef barley soup has tender chunks of beef that just fall apart when you bite into them. They need to be tender enough t0 cut in half with a spoon because that’s what you’ll be using to eat a bowl of this soup. Makes sense, right? Well, the first step in getting those tender chunks is to use the right cut of beef. That right cut is chuck, or the shoulder of beef. It is a cut of beef that is full of flavor and has enough connective tissue to break down into tender morsels. You could buy chuck already cut up into stew meat or you could just buy some chuck and cut it up yourself – it’s not hard to do and that way you can determine the size of the pieces, which need to be spoon-sized.
Steps to Making Tender Beef Barley Soup
Once you have the right cut of beef, there are just a couple of other steps to ensuring the meat is full of flavor and tender. First of all, brown the cubes of beef in batches – don’t be tempted to throw it all in at once. Overcrowding the pan will just cause too much liquid to accumulate in the pot and you won’t brown a thing. Honest. You’ll need to do at least three batches of browning to get the right color on the beef cubes and that color gives your beef flavor AND creates a lot of flavor on the bottom of the pot, which then blends into your soup liquid when you deglaze. The other step that ensures you’ll have tender beef is to simmer the stew gently. Very gently! You should just see a little movement in the pot, not boiling bubbles. Let the soup simmer for an hour and your beautiful cubes of beef will turn into tender spoonable pieces.
How to Cook Barley for Soup
Here’s the great news – you don’t have to cook the barley separately for this soup! The liquid quantity in this recipe is enough to cook the barley right in the soup after you simmer the beef. The added bonus in cooking it this way is that it absorbs the flavor of the soup as it absorbs the liquid. This recipe calls for pearl barley (barley that has had the husk and bran removed). You could use hulled barley (barley with just the husk removed) instead if you prefer. Hulled barley is considered a whole grain and has more nutrients left in it, but does take a little longer to cook. If you use hulled barley, you will need to cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer (or add 5 minutes to the pressure cooker time).
What to serve with Beef Barley Soup
You could enjoy a bowl of this soup for lunch or dinner and either way it doesn’t need much to accompany it. A beautiful soft dinner roll or a buttermilk biscuit would be nice, along with a green salad – a simple arugula salad or a heartier radicchio salad with crisp apples. While some soups are good as a starter course, this beef barley soup is definitely the main meal.
A Word about Leftovers
You can definitely package up the leftovers of this soup (if there are any) and keep it in the refrigerator or freeze it for a rainy day. Either way, however, when you do re-heat the soup you will need to thin it with some water. The barley will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so by the next day it will be more of a stew than a soup. That’s not a bad thing if you’re in the mood for stew, but just know that thinning it with water will not dilute the flavor – there’s plenty of that to go around.
I haven’t made this yet because I was wondering if you thought it could be done in a slow cooker and if the answer is yes what changes would need to he made. Thank you for your answer in advance.
Hi Allyson. To make this recipe in a slow cooker, follow the pressure cooker directions and ingredient quantities and slow cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours. If your slow cooker does not have a browning function, I would brown the beef cubes on the stove top first. Sauté the veggies and deglaze the pan with some stock and then add all the ingredients to your slow cooker.
I enjoy all your recipes and cooking segments!!
Your photos look so appetizing! I can’t wait to try.
On a different note, the little tin of thyme is so lovely. Do you know where it could be purchased?
This recipe was EXCELLENT!!! My grandson loved it. It was gone within 24 hours.
Thanks for all you recipes and you videos! You make cooking feel easy and simple, no stress. Been cooking for over 40 years,, recipes my mother or mother-in-law did. Revamped most of them. Learned new skills from you and other Chefs thru tv or videos. Still have a fear with breads and rolls because of the yeast and rising, but I’ll master it someday. Keep teaching us!
Best soup ever. Warms the heart.
Your friend David (QVC) mentioned he made this recipe last weekend, so I decided to give it a try.. I made it in my pressure cooker,,,,,it was delicious! It was even better the next night after it thickened. The beef was so tender and I’ll definitely make again. Thanks for sharing it with us.
This was absolutely delicious! Definitely a keeper. Every recipe of yours I have tried has been a success. Thank you, Meredith.
i made this recipe (beef barley soup) and found that 3/4 cup barley made the soup too thick for my taste. I would recommend using 1/2 cup or less to keep it more like a soup and not a stew. nevertheless it was delicious.
This recipe is delicious! I used sirloin tips instead of stew beef. I added only 7 1/2 cups of the beef stock, but added 1 cup of my favorite red wine about 1/2 hour before it was done. Everyone loved it. I’ve made it 3 times.
I’m making this soup tomorrow. Very similar to my way of making beef barley soup.( my sisters recipe). However, I’ve not added tomato paste. I’m thinking that will only add to the flavor of the soup. Your recipes are the best!😋
This is my go to recipe for beef barley soup. It is delicious and so easy. However, I add less barley than listed because I prefer a more “soupy” soup. I have made lots of your recipes and have loved every one. Thanks Meredith for sharing them with us.
Made today, & I love it. But can’t wait until tomorrow, the 2nd day is always better. I read some of the reviews, & I might try adding the red wine next time. Thank You, this recipe is a keeper.
I didn’t think I liked Beef Barley Soup until I made your recipe. It was so good and just enough left for a lunch. I accidentally picked up the Cumin and added 1 tsp thinking it was Thyme. I caught my mistake and just added the thyme too. It came out just fine.
Will be making this one again.
I’ve made this twice adding an extra carrot and celery stalk plus fresh green beans. It’s so warming at this time of year. My 92 year old mother loves it. I think this would also be great without barley for those who are not fans
This soup is excellent! Made exactly as it says.
Dear Blue Jean Chef,
This recipe was so good and very easy to follow. Adding this recipe to my soup repritoire. Thanks for sharing 👍 😊
Made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! Thank you Meredith. Love your recipes!
This is the best recipe for stove top soup! I never really liked beef vegetable soup, always too bland, until I made this recipe. The broth is wonderful! I can’t find the pressure cooker ( Instant Pot) adjustments as to time. Would like to try it in my instant pot.
If you look on top of the recipe title you will see the tabs for the different cooking methods. Just click on the Pressure Cooker tab for the PC version.
Seeing this recipe, it reminded me fondly of lunches with my mother at Lord&Taylor soup bar, only it was a lamb barley soup. Ohhhh on a cold day it hit the spot! I think I have the lamb version
recipe in my recpe card file (n0t on ymy computer) so I will have to go seek it out. Thanks Meredith for bringing a lovely memory back to me. Mum and I both oved that soup!