3x winter stew recipes on the barbecue

NOT JUST BBQ has developed three classic herb and spice mixes to make delicious winter stew on your BBQ, during the colder winter season. Or in the pan or on the cooker, of course. Just season the meat, add vegetables, place in a cast-iron pan on the barbecue and simmer gently. With our all-in-one mix, preparing these stews is certainly easy for any hobby cook.

The outdoor kitchen has become our cosy atmospheric spot even in the heart of winter. Together, we enjoy honest food and warm ourselves by the fire of the grill. We huddle together in the covered, heated outdoor space and watch expectantly as the chef is at one with his dishes on the barbecue. Because cooking and relaxing outdoors is the trend all year round.

The outdoor kitchen is becoming the extension of our living pleasure. So vary by not only grilling a piece of meat or fish, but also use the barbecue to prepare our new, classic stews. Share easy-to-prepare dishes and special flavours with family. Step into that outdoor kitchen, and grill!

We have worked out THE perfect recipes of 3 TOP winter stew dishes for you, and even videos so you can see step-by-step how to make them. How easy! We wish you warm and cosy winter days, enjoy each other and your dishes.

We made for you:

• Boeuf Bourguignon stew packed with flavour
• Polish Bigos Hunters Stew
• Pumpkin stuffed with Hungarian goulash

1. Boeuf Bourguignon stew

This slow-cooked stew is a classic French dish packed with flavour. It is made of beef simmered in red wine, enriched with bacon, onions and mushrooms. It really is one of those family-style ‘just ladle it on’ stews.

> > WATCH THE HOW-TO VIDEO < <

Ingredients

• Not Just BBQ Boeuf Bourguignon Mix
• Not Just BBQ Firestarters
• 10 g bacon, diced,
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 kg lean stew meat (preferably pork chops), diced and pat dry
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon of flour
• 1 750 ml bottle of full-bodied, young red wine (*read post for alternatives)
• 2 to 3 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 18 to 24 small white pearl onions (or a jar of pearl onions rinsed with water and drained)
• Chopped parsley
• 1 pound fresh mushrooms, cut into quarters
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

1. Light the bbq with Firestarters, ensure direct heat 250 degrees. Let the pan get warm along with it.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the bacon. Cook for 10 minutes, drain and dry with kitchen paper. (This step removes excess salt/smoky flavour and removes some of the fat).
3. Fry the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown in a large pan on the grill. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve.
4. Fry the beef on all sides in the hot oil and bacon fat. Remove the browned beef and set aside.
5. In the same fat, add the onion and fry until it starts to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and fry for a few more minutes.
6. Put the bacon and beef back into the pan and ADD THE STEW MIX.
7. Then sprinkle the flour on top and coat the meat. Let cook for 4 minutes as the flour needs some time to cook!
8. After 4 minutes, toss the meat again and cook for another 4 minutes. (This process browns the flour and gives the meat a light crust).
9. Add the tomato puree.
10. Stir in the wine and water so that the beef is barely covered. Now is a good time to use a wooden spoon to scrape any remaining brown bits from the bottom of the pan!
11. Bring the barbecue to indirect cooking through heat shield, and temp may drop to 120 degrees.
12. As soon as it starts to simmer, put lid on. Simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. The meat is done when a fork pricks it easily.
13. While the meat cooks, prepare the onions and mushrooms.
14. Peeling pearl onions can be tricky, so here’s a trick: bring a pan full of water to the boil. While the water is boiling, cut the roots of the onions. Then add the onions and blanch them for about a minute. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Squeeze each onion at the stem end and it should just slide out of its skin. If not, use a paring knife to remove the skin. (We couldn’t find fresh pearl onions and used pearl onions from a jar that we first rinsed with water and let drain.
    Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat until bubbling. Add the onions and fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Be careful not to break the skin! Add the mushrooms cut into quarters and stir-fry briefly.
15. Add pearl onion and mushroom to the meat after it has simmered for 2 hours.
16. After 3 hours, check if the meat is cooked. If not, turn back for 15 minutes each time and check.
17. Remove from the grill and separate the sauce from the meat, bacon and carrots.
18. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve over a saucepan. Skim off the fat from the sauce and simmer for another minute or two, skimming off any extra fat as it rises. Cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add a few tablespoons of water if the sauce is too thick

2. Polish Bigos Hunters stew

This savoury winter stew has its origins in the traditional Polish dish Bigos. It is made from different types of meat and game enriched with shredded fresh cabbage. Or sauerkraut if you like that. Outdoor cooking is no longer limited to the summer months.

> > WATCH OUR HOW-TO VIDEO FOR HUNTERS STEW < <

Ingredients

• Not Just BBQ Hunters Stew Mix
• Not Just BBQ Chilli Challenge Giftpack 
• Not Just BBQ Firestarters
• 900 g sauerkraut (pot or pack)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp butter
• 2 large onions – peeled and finely chopped
• 500 g shoulder chops – cut into small cubes
• 4 kabanosy – thin, smoked Polish sausages, cut into 1 cm pieces
• 200 g ½ ring kielbasa, Polish sausage – cut into cubes
• 4 pimento berries
• 2 plums – finely chopped, or 1 tbsp powidla, Polish plum butter
• 1.5 litres of water
• 100 g fresh white mushrooms – chopped
• ½ head of white cabbage – finely chopped
• rye bread

Preparation

3. Pumpkin stuffed with Hungarian goulash