Crock Pot Beef Stew

Comes from www.cookingcache.com/crockpotbeefstew.shtml Submitted there by Lisa C. My family raves about this & it is very simple & easy.

• Ready In: 7 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 12 ladels full

Ingredients

• 2  lbs stewing beef
• 1⁄4 cup flour
• 1  teaspoon paprika
• 4  large carrots
• 3  large potatoes
• 1  cup condensed beef broth
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄3 cup soy sauce
• 1  large onion
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

Directions

1. Layer potatoes, then carrots. Top with meat; sprinkle meat with soy sauce, salt, paprika, pepper and flour. Spread with chopped onions. Combine beef broth and tomato sauce; pour overall.
2. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-5. (I have found that I usually have to put this on high for about 6-7 hours, not sure if it is just my crock pot).
3. Notes:
4. Instead of sprinkling the meat with soy sauce, salt, paprika, pepper and flour as the recipe says, I mix those all together in a bowl. This prevents the flour from becoming clumpy.
5. Instead of chopped onion I use some of the small white boiling onions. I don't like onions but my husband does; these stay together pretty well and are easy for me to avoid.
6. I tend to use baby carrots, I just find them easier to cut and don't have to peel them.
7. I also like to add a couple dashes of cayenne pepper, it adds a zing.
8. For the beef broth (I don't usually keep that on hand) I dissolve 1 beef bouillon cube into 1 cup boiling water.
9. Lisa wrote that she sometimes will add about a 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce on the very top before she puts the cover on. Any variety, she says that adds an extra kick.