Beef hotpot recipe

Beef hotpot is a hearty, traditional stew that makes for a warming, winter meal.

Slow-cooked beef hotpot is a dish rich in flavour and packed with root veg, fresh herbs, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Slow cooking is a way of achieving succulent, melt-in-the-mouth tenderness from cheaper cuts of meat. When shopping for this recipe go for braising steak, or ask your butcher for lean cuts like shin or leg, with the bone removed, and cut into strips. Quality beef stock will also add to the depth of flavour and richness of the gravy.

Read our tried and tested reviews of the best slow cookers

Ingredients

• 1tsbp sunflower oil
• 750 g (1½lb) braising beef, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2tbsp plain flour
• 600ml (1 pint) beef stock
• 2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1tbsp tomato purée
• 2tsp English mustard
• 3 sprigs of rosemary
• 125g (4oz) carrots, diced
• 125g (4oz) swede, diced
• 125g (4oz) parsnip, diced
• 700g (1 lb 6 oz) potatoes, thinly sliced
• 25g (1oz) butter
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the slow cooker if necessary; see the manufacturer’s handbook.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the beef a few pieces at a time until all the meat is in the pan, then fry over a high heat, stirring, until browned. Remove the beef from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the slow cooker pot.
3. Add the onion to the pan and fry, stirring, for 5 mins or until softened and just beginning to turn golden. Stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the stock. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, mustard and leaves from 2 sprigs of the rosemary. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil, stirring.
4. Add the diced vegetables to the slow cooker pot. Pour the onion and sauce over them, then cover with the potato slices, arranging them so that they overlap and pressing them down into the stock. Sprinkle with the leaves torn from the remaining stem of rosemary and a little salt and pepper.
5. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 7–8 hrs until the potatoes are tender. Lift the pot out of the housing using oven gloves; dot the potatoes with the butter and brown under a preheated hot grill, if liked.

Watch how to make beef hotpot

Top tips for making beef hotpot

What is a hot pot?

A hot pot is a traditional Chinese cooking process. It’s a big pot filled with ingredients such as meat and veg which are served in a boiling broth. The hotpot has been adapted in many ways, for example, the British hotpot is more like a stew or casserole and is a one-pot, slow-cooked dish where all the ingredients are cooked at the same time. Topped with sliced potatoes and a generous sprinkling of cheese.

How to make a hot pot in a slow cooker

This step-by-step recipe shows you exactly how to make a hearty hotpot in a slow cooker. Just pre-cook the beef and make up your sauce by following our video recipe and then pop all the ingredients into your slow cooker and leave to cook.