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A hearty with super tender beef and lots of healthy veggies, this Beef Barley Soup is slow-roasted to create lots of fabulous flavor!!
This Slow Roasted Beef Barley Soup is one of those hearty, soul-warming soups that's perfect for a chilly fall or winter evening with a cheery fire in the hearth. Pair it with a simple green salad and some warm crusty bread and you've got a meal that will create delicious memories (and requests for repeats)!
What is Barley?
If you're not familiar with Beef Barley Soup, you might be wondering what barley is. Barley is a delicious ancient whole grain that's rich in fiber and nutrients. It has a mild, nutty taste and an appealing pasta-like texture. You can usually find barley in the same area where you find rice and grains or near the dried beans. Sometimes grocery stores will also sell it in a specialty section with other grains and unique flours.
No mess
You might frown on me for this, but I'm a little lazy and, if I can avoid extra steps in the kitchen, without compromising flavor, I'm all over it! And browning beef on the stovetop is NOT one of my favorite things to do. I hate the mess it makes and it does take a good bit of extra time.
That being said, if it's a recipe in which the flavor is greatly enhanced by "browning the beef", I'm okay with it. This Beef Barley Soup recipe, I'm happy to say, does not need that extra step. There are so many other ingredients that add layers of flavor that you won't miss the messy, time-consuming browning step.
How do I know? I have actually tried it both ways and found that it's just not necessary for this particular recipe. The results, both with browning and without, are wonderful... super tender beef and an amazingly flavorful broth studded with carrots, onions, bell peppers and sweet corn.
Flavor boosters
- Bacon. Everything's better with bacon, right? Just a few strips of bacon are sautéd until crisp then removed from the pan. Chopped onion, shallots and bell pepper are sautéd in the bacon fat until softened. Sautéing the aromatics always adds flavor but sautéing them in bacon fat doubles the flavor!
- Shallots. Shallots are members of the onion family but have a sweet, delicate unique flavor that enhance everything from salad dressings to recipes like this Beef Barley Soup.
- Purchased pesto. Pesto adds amazing flavor with just a scoop from a jar. Pesto includes basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and olive oil. Check out tips for buying (and storing) pesto below.
- Worcestershire sauce. This condiment is a magical combination of ingredients that can add tons of flavor to soups and stews.
- Dark Beer. A bottle of dark beer not only adds a nice hearty flavor to this beef soup and brings out the richness of the meat and veggies, but also gives it a beautiful rich caramel color. See the Café Tips on buying ale below.
- Italian seasoning. I love Italian seasoning as it combines a wonderful array of herbs in one jar. Italian seasoning generally includes basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. The exact quantities of each vary by brand. It definitely doesn't have to be limited to Italian cuisine. We go through a lot of it here at The Café since it's a wonderful flavor booster so I purchase it in bulk online.
- Tomato paste. This beef soup recipe includes a six-ounce can of tomato paste which adds rich, smooth flavor and adds to the deep, beautiful hue as well.
- Brown sugar. I love using a bit of brown sugar in soups like this as it helps round out all the other flavors and balances the acidity from the tomatoes. Don't worry, the soup doesn't taste sweet!
- Fresh rosemary is added to this soup at the beginning and also at the end. The first addition combines with the other ingredients during the slow roast to create a delicious, complex flavor. The rosemary that's added at the end, is a wonderful finishing touch that adds a layer of fresh flavor.
- Slow roasting. This Beef Barley Soup is slow-roasted in a 300˚F oven. Slow roasting gives all the ingredients in this recipe a chance to marry and meld. It also helps make the beef super tender. There's actually a scientific explanation for this: tenderness in meat comes from the melting of collagen which is the connective tissue protein. When the collagen melts, it turns into gelatin which is a rich liquid giving the meat fabulous flavor and silky texture. For collagen to melt, it has to be heated and cooked at low temperatures for a long period of time. That's why slow-cooked meat (like the beef in this Beef Barley Soup) has a wonderful tenderness that you won't get with quick cooking.
- The onion and bell pepper that are included in this beef soup are diced very small. As the soup cooks, the tiny-diced onion and pepper "melt" into the broth, helping create even more fabulous flavor. I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to chop these veggies into a nice small dice, lickety-split. It's my favorite and most simple kitchen tool.
Why chicken broth?
If you check out the ingredient list, you may notice that the recipe includes chicken broth. But this is a beef soup recipe, why wouldn't you use beef broth? If you have a beef broth that you love or a stash of homemade beef broth, go ahead and use it. I haven't found a commercial beef broth that has great flavor. I tend to agree with Kenji Lopez over at Serious Eats. He says, "most boxed or canned beef broth contains almost no beef at all, instead relying on yeast extracts to provide it with a savory aroma and flavor." He also points out that "In most recipes we've tested, boxed chicken broth will provide far better flavor than boxed beef broth."
Put this on you "must-make" list!
I took this soup to a lunch a few weeks ago with a group of friends. There were lots of rave reviews and inquiries if this Slow-Roasted Beef Barley Soup recipe "was on the blog?".
I said, "not yet, but soon". So here you go! When you serve soup and get requests for the recipe, send them right to The Café... I'll be waiting!
Café Tips for making this Slow-Roasted Beef Barley Soup
- I like to purchase a chuck roast for this Slow-Roasted Beef Barley Soup. I used to use stew beef for soup recipes like this but have had several butchers tell me that you can never really know what cut of beef that stew beef is made from. They tell me that whatever they have left over at the end of the day, they turn into stew meat. So it might be a nice cut of chuck but it could also be another cut that's not as tender. So I just buy a chuck roast, trim off any excess fat and cut it into whatever size pieces I want. In this particular recipe, you want to cut it into ½-inch pieces.
- I often shop at Sam's Club or Costco and the packages of chuck roast are much larger than 2 pounds (the amount needed for this soup). I freeze whatever is leftover in 2-pound packages, which is a perfect amount for most stew and soup recipes, like this Italian Vegetable Beef Soup, this Pasta Beef Soup or this hearty Beef Bourginoun Soup.
- There's a bottle of dark beer included in this recipe. Don't skip it! It adds a rich, hearty flavor, the kind you get from a soup or stew that's been simmering all day. If you don't regularly purchase beer, you can often buy just one or two bottles at larger grocery stores. I use a dark Guinness Stout for this recipe. Other good options would be Duck Rabbit Milk Stout or Bell's Kalamazoo (my son, Nick is my beer advisor, an expert and my go-to guy for beer advice). Most of the alcohol is evaporated during the cooking process.
- This recipe calls for pesto. Of course, there's nothing like homemade pesto, so if you have that, by all means, use it in this recipe. I don't usually have the time to make my own pesto so I often use prepared pesto. When purchasing pesto, look for a brand with a nice green hue. You want the main ingredients to be basil and parmesan cheese.
- I like to buy the large jars of pesto that are sold in the refrigerator section at Costco and Sam's. The flavor is great for cooking and it stores well in the freezer. I store it right in the jar that it comes in. When I want to use it, I let it thaw just a bit (10 minutes), then scoop out what I need and pop it back in the freezer. It can also be divided into smaller portions and frozen that way. Some people like to use ice cube trays to freeze the pesto. Once frozen, the cubes can be popped out and stored in a plastic freezer bag.
- This recipe calls for "tiny corn". If fresh corn is out of season, I really like to use canned Steam Crisp Shoepeg Corn. This corn has sweet, tiny, crisp kernels that are delicious when fresh corn is not available. Steam Crisp Shoepeg Corn can be found in the canned veggie section at most grocery stores.
- Don't undersalt this soup. There are lots of ingredients and you need the salt to bring out all the flavors.
- This Beef Barley soup recipe makes a large batch but it rewarms well for quick meals on the run and it also freezes well. It's a wonderful meal to have stashed in the freezer for busy days or to pass on to a friend in need.
- Sometimes this soup will get a little thick after it sits in the refrigerator as the barley will absorb some of the broth. You can always add more chicken broth to thin it out.
Thought for the day:
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
1 Chronicles 16:25
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Slow Roasted Beef Barley Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3 slices smoky bacon, 2, if using thick-cut bacon
- 1 large sweet onion, diced small
- 1 medium shallots, finely chopped (about ½ cup chopped shallots)
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced small
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 11 ounce bottle or can dark ale, see Café Tips above in the post
- 2 pounds well-marbled chuck roast cut into ½ inch pieces, trimmed of fat and cut in ½-inch pieces
- 1 15-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes
- 6 ounces tomato paste, (1 small can)
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 2 medium bay leaf
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
After 1½ hours:
- 8 ounces carrots, sliced about ¼-inch thick
- ⅔ cup pearled barley
For finishing:
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 cup tiny corn, canned or frozen, see Café Tips above
Instructions
For the soup:
- Preheat the oven to 300˚F.
- Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven (5-7 quarts) over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and has rendered most of the fat. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and set aside.
- There should be about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat left in the pan. If there is more, remove and discard any extra. If there is not quite 2 tablespoons add a little extra virgin olive oil.
- Reduce the heat slightly and add the onion, shallots and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is soft and slightly transparent,
- Add the chicken broth, ale, diced chuck roast, reserved bacon, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, pesto, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cover. Place the soup pot or Dutch oven in the preheated oven and cook for 1½ hours.
After 1½ hours:
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and barley. Cover again and return the pot to the oven for another 1½ hours.
For finishing:
- Remove the pot from the oven and add the fresh chopped rosemary and the corn. Cover and allow the soup to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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We've been having cool weather here in the mountains of Virginia and this soup was calling out to me. I cooked the meat longer to insure it was super tender and did not add any corn but other than that made as written. Delicious! So hearty, filling and tasty! The house smells wonderful while it's cooking. Great recipe--thanks!
Thank you for the wonderful review, Norma! It's great to hear how well this soup turned out for you. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know that you enjoyed this recipe!
A hit each time I make it, this rich soup freezes well. Over Christmas I made a pork version for family who prefers that meat and it was also good. Today I used B/S chicken thighs for the first time and shortened the cooking times. I wanted to try it with a lighter meat. Following upcoming surgery I may not be up for the richness of beef. Substituted a light brown ale for the stout, and the result is tasty. We eat soup year-round as summer on our part of the CA coast is often foggy and cool. I can always count on your soup recipes to be filling and well-balanced in flavor. I take frozen quarts of at least two recipes when we'll be extended houseguests visiting family.
Hi Karen, Thank you for the excellent review and for sharing so many helpful tips from your experience with making this recipe over time! It's wonderful to hear how you've been able to adapt this soup to various tastes and needs - all of your versions sound delicious. (And what a great idea to bring frozen quarts of soup to bless your hosts - surely you must be their favorite houseguest!!) We so appreciate you taking the time to let us know how much you enjoy this recipe.
Best wishes on your upcoming surgery and recovery!
I made this today and the depth of flavor is amazing. I made it exactly as the recipe. Serving tomorrow night with Irish Soda Bread. Yum! Thank you Chris for sharing.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Gayle
Awesome! Thank you for the review, Gail!
Very delicious! Made it as directed, but substituted frozen peas for corn.
Great! Thank you for the review, Esther!
I made this yesterday in preparation for dinner tonight.
I did not have barley on hand, so I added 1/2 cup of farro and 3 small Yukon gold potatoes. It was delicious. For dessert, I baked a few of the best chocolate chip cookies frozen dough I had frozen! The best!! Will definitely make again.
Awesome! Thanks for the review, Kathy!
Made this for dinner tonight. I was delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper and I will make it again.
Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes.
Thanks, Jean! So glad you enjoyed this!
Horrible weather today, so I needed to make some sort of soup. This is one of the best things I've made in a long time. Added celery root and subbed farro in for the barley. Really amazing. Just loved this recipe!
Wonderful! Thanks for your review, KMS!
This soup was excellent, both me and hubby loved it. I did add minced garlic with the onions, and sliced cremini mushrooms with the carrots (they were yummy with it). Didn't have the small corn so didn't add it. I will definitely make this soup again. Was going to make your cheddar herb soda bread to go with it, which I've made a few times and love it (so easy), but the oven temps were different. Next time I'll make the bread first and then just heat it in the oven with the soup. Thanks
Wonderful! Thank you for letting us know, Brenda!
I want to make this tomorrow and don't have a chuck roast-wish I did. Anyway, can I use any other kind of beef? sirloin or round steak? I have all the other ingredients. This sounds wonderful. I will rate it once I make it (sounds like a 5 to me). Thanks in advance
Hi Brenda, I wish I could tell you differently but I want you to have good success. Sirloin or round steak would end up tough in this recipe. I would probably be better to wait until you can find a nice chuck roast.
Hi Chris….made this last night for dinner and it was absolutely delicious! Great depth of flavors and very filling! Everyone raved about how good it was! Served with warm crusty bread and a side salad.
We are having again tonight and I imagine it will taste even better… if that’s even possible!
Merci!!
Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know, Gale!
I love all your recipes and can’t wait to try this one. Am I correct in the fact that the meat goes in raw? I have never noticed a recipe where the meat isn’t cooked first and then added. I often cook a roast and divide into packages to freeze for soups. Could I use that or would the soup not turn out as good?
Hi, good question! I actually have done it both ways and it didn't matter in the end soup. Since it's easier to not cook the beef ahead of time, I went with it that way. It comes out super tender and flavorful!
I love your soup pot! Is it still available anywhere?
Thanks so much, Jenny. I wish I had a better answer for you but I came across that pot in a consignment shop. I believe it was made in Germany.
Love your recipes for muffins and scones!
Making this soup tonight - perfect for this snowy day! What size can for the fire roasted tomatoes?
Hi Debbie, it's a 14-15 ounce can. Hope you enjoy it!
Chris...my husband & I have enjoyed so many of your recipes! (Scott...supurb photography!)
So I was letting my husband (also named Scott) know a few days ago that we were going to try Beef & Barley soup. His 1st response, "Did you check for a recipe on that blog where you've found some other really good recipes?" Yep!! This Beef & Barley recipe was worth the time & fairly long list of ingredients! We agreed this recipe is another "KEEPER"!
🙌 So happy you enjoyed it, Blyth!! 🥰 Thanks so much, for sharing your results!
Hi Chris,
I made this delicious soup last weekend. Absolutely delicious.
Thanks
Barb
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Barb!
I found Guinness Extra Stout by the bottle in my grocery store, but was unsure if this would be over-powering for the soup. Please advise, I plan to make this in a couple of days. BTW, thank you for your quote of the day in all your postings!!
Hi Melody, So happy you've enjoyed the Scriptures 💕
Regarding your question, I haven't tried Guinness Extra Stout so I'm not sure how strong it is. You could try using a little less to compensate for it being "extra".
I haven't tried this yet. Can this be made in a pressure cooker? If so, any suggestions on cook time?
You may have addressed my question somewhere, but I can't find it.
Thanks!
Anne
Hi Anne, I'm pretty sure this recipe would work fine in a pressure cooker but I would have to do some testing to determine the exact times.
Hi Chris. I’m making this soup tomorrow. Could you please tell me how much fresh Rosemary goes in at the beginning and when should I add it? I see the two teaspoons to finish the soup. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I made the Sea Salted Pumpkin Pecan Brittle today. It was the best brittle I’ve ever tasted!
Hi Diane, so happy you enjoyed the brittle!
Regarding your question, it's 2 teaspoons. I have added that to the list of ingredients. Thanks!
Enjoy!
Thank you very much for the recipe. I made it exactly as it says. Very rich, saturated and satisfying, there is nothing plain about it, as I usually find with barley. To my taste, it was a bit too acidic, and next time I will cut tomato paste probably twice. I found corn a bit out of place, it was rather dominating the taste and resembled chilli a bit, I will not add it next time. Will definitely make it again!
Thanks for sharing your review. It’s great to be able to customize recipes to your own taste.
OK Chris. I'm confused (which sadly seems to be a normal state of affairs, some days 😕). In the Ingredients list, you have: 1 large yellow bell pepper, divided. I read the entire recipe several times, & can't find where/when the division occurs. Am I missing something?
Thanks in advance for your reply! From a 23°F Alberta, Canada evening, with a frost advisory in effect. And about those 4" of SNOW we got last night... 👎 This soup will definitely cure the winter blues!
Hi Terry, so sorry for the confusion - not your fault! It should be correct now.
4 inches of snow? You lucky dog!
Question: The notes before the actual recipe say rosemary is added both at the beginning and the end of the soup process, but I only see it at the end. Please tell where the first "installment" of rosemary is added.
Thank you!
I love so very many of your recipes, especially this one! Thanks for sharing 🙂 I was wondering if using Farro instead of Barley would work?
Hi Elizabeth, I haven't tried this recipe with Farro but I think it would be delicious. The only thing I would be concerned with is the timing as there are different types of farro with different cooking times. It might work best to cook the farro separately and then add it to the finished soup.
When do you add the bacon back into the pot?
Hi Mike, it's added with the chicken broth. Thanks for noticing that. It's there now!
Hi Chris, "Adding the bacon" doesn't show up when I "print" - neither does the "ale".
Hi Debbie, sometimes the "PRINTt" version is slow to catch up with changes. I just purged our cache and checked the PRINT version. It's there now on my computer. Try refreshing the post itself then click again on the PRINT button.
Your slow-Roasted Beef Barley Soup sounds amazing.
I plan to can this to have on my shelf this winter.
That's a great idea, Julie!
I would love to try this because I love your recipes! I'm not seeing a Cafe Tip regarding the ale or even when to add it in the recipe. Can it be left out or replaced with something else?
Hi Pauline, as I mentioned in early comments, somehow an earlier version of this post was published. I have fixed that now! The Café Tips should all be there along with when to add the ale.
This looks like a fabulous soup to feed my hearty eating Thanksgiving company. Can it be made ahead and frozen? Or at what stage could I stop? Would love to have something special all ready! Many thanks!!
Hi Tricia, this soup will freeze well. Just thaw it slowly and it will be great!
Is pesto important? I have basil frozen in olive oil. Would this be okay?
Hi Susie, the reason I love pesto for flavoring is that it has so much more than just basil. It's got garlic, parmesan and a bit of olive oil. You could use your basil although you might want to add a couple cloves of minced garlic when sautéing the veggies.
I enjoy reading and making many of your posted recipes. For supper last evening I prepared and served your shredded brussel sprout salad………I’ve made Brussels sprout salad before - but - the addition of the blue cheese crumbles, whole grain croutons, and diced apples, your recipe was a hit!
I am eager to make this soup using your recipe. I too am wondering if I can use my slow cooker with a very accurate temp control or do you recommend cooking in a Dutch oven as stated in the instructions.
Also, curious as to using low sodium chicken broth rather than low sodium beef broth.
Your thoughts, please…………….
Hi Barb, so happy you've enjoyed our recipes! Yes, you should be able to use a slow cooker for this recipe after the bacon is cooked and the veggies are sautéted. Regarding the chicken broth, the reason is up above in the post. I wrote a paragraph about the reasoning. It probably wasn't there when you first read this post as an earlier version initially got published but it's the correct one now.
Ditto…regarding the slo cooker/crock pot question!
Yes! See the answer below!
Where are the tips?
Hi Jan, somehow an early version got published instead of the final version. It should all be there now.
Can this be made in a slow-cooker/Crockpot?
Hi Cathy, you could definitely make this in a slow cooker. I would cook the bacon and sauté the veggies on the stovetop and then transfer everything to the slow cooker. I didn't test this in a slow cooker though so I can't give you the exact times.