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The first Sunday the evenings got dark early, my father would come in from outside, smell the kitchen and say, well, it’s barley soup weather. My mother started it after lunch. She browned the beef in batches until it went dark and crusty, softened the onions, carrots and celery in the same pot, poured in the broth and let it simmer slow all afternoon until the beef fell apart under a spoon. Near the end went a handful of pearl barley, which swelled up and turned the whole pot thick and silky. My father ate it with a thick slice of buttered bread, and he dunked the bread, and nobody stopped him.
The joke in our house was that whatever was left on Sunday night had turned nearly into a stew by Monday. Barley never stops drinking, and that is the one thing to get right with this soup. Put it in too early, or put in too much, and it soaks up the broth and turns gluey. Rinsed, measured, and added for the last 45 minutes, it cooks tender and thickens the soup just enough. Here is when the barley goes in so it doesn’t soak up the whole pot, and how to bring Monday’s leftovers back to a soup.
Why this beef and barley soup works
- Chuck roast. Chuck has enough fat and connective tissue to turn meltingly tender in a long simmer, where leaner cuts go dry.
- Browned in batches. Room in the pot lets the beef sear dark instead of steaming gray, and the browned bits give the soup its deep flavor.
- Vegetables in the same pot. Onions, carrots and celery loosen everything stuck to the bottom and carry it into the broth.
- A long, slow simmer. Two hours at a bare simmer makes the beef fall-apart tender.
- Barley added late and rinsed. Rinsed pearl barley added in the last 45 minutes cooks plump and tender and thickens the soup without turning it to paste.
Ingredients
Makes about 3 quarts, 8 generous bowls. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the soup
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut in 3/4 inch cubes (900g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 10 cups beef broth (2.4 liters)
- 1 can (14.5 ounces, 411g) diced tomatoes with their juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 cup pearl barley (150g)
To finish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Buttered bread, for serving
Use pearl barley, which cooks in about 45 minutes. Hulled barley takes much longer and stays chewy. Quick-cooking barley goes in for only the last 15 minutes.
How to make beef and barley soup
- Pat the beef dry and season it with the salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, without crowding, turning until dark brown on two or three sides, about 5 minutes a batch. Add oil as needed and move each batch to a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook, scraping up the browned bits, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until the paste darkens.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a bare simmer.
- Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is nearly tender.
- Meanwhile, rinse the barley in a fine strainer under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Stir the rinsed barley into the soup. Simmer, uncovered, stirring now and then so it does not settle on the bottom, for 45 minutes, until the barley is plump and tender and the beef falls apart under a spoon.
- Take out the bay leaves, taste and add salt and pepper, and stir in the parsley. Serve hot with buttered bread.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not skip the browning. That dark crust on the beef is where most of the flavor comes from.
- Keep the simmer gentle. A hard boil makes the beef tough and stringy.
- Stir after the barley goes in. It sinks and can stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Leftovers will be very thick the next day. Add broth or water a little at a time as you reheat, until it is a soup again.
Variations
- Mushroom. Brown 8 ounces sliced mushrooms after the beef and add them with the vegetables.
- Slow cooker. Brown the beef and vegetables, put everything except the barley in the slow cooker on low for 7 hours, then add the barley and cook on high for 1 more hour.
- Potato. Add 2 diced potatoes with the barley for an even heartier pot.
- Green beans or peas. Stir in a cup of frozen green beans or peas for the last 10 minutes.
Storage and make-ahead
Keep the soup covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The barley keeps thickening, so add broth or water when you reheat.
It freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently, thinning as needed.
If you plan to freeze most of the pot, cook the barley separately and add it to each bowl as you serve, so it stays plump.
Frequently asked questions
When do I add the barley to beef soup?
Add rinsed pearl barley for the last 45 minutes of cooking. Added at the start, it overcooks, soaks up most of the broth and turns the soup gluey.
Why did my soup turn into stew overnight?
Barley keeps absorbing liquid as it sits. Stir in broth or water when you reheat until the soup is as thin as you like.
What cut of beef is best for beef and barley soup?
Chuck roast. It turns tender in a long simmer and stays juicy. Stew meat labeled chuck works too.
Do I need to soak pearl barley?
No. Just rinse it in a strainer to wash off the loose starch, which keeps the soup silky.
Make it on the first dark Sunday, save some for Monday, and let whoever wants to dunk the bread do it.
Old-Fashioned Beef and Barley Soup (Thick, Hearty and Better the Next Day)
Hearty beef and barley soup: chuck browned in batches, onion, carrots and celery, beef broth and tomato simmered until tender, with rinsed pearl barley added for the last 45 minutes so it thickens without soaking up the pot.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 10 cups beef broth
- 1 can (14.5 ounces, 411g) diced tomatoes with their juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Buttered bread, for serving
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and season it with the salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, without crowding, turning until dark brown on two or three sides, about 5 minutes a batch. Add oil as needed and move each batch to a plate.
- Turn the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook, scraping up the browned bits, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft.
- Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until the paste darkens.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a bare simmer.
- Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is nearly tender.
- Meanwhile, rinse the barley in a fine strainer under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Stir the rinsed barley into the soup. Simmer, uncovered, stirring now and then so it does not settle on the bottom, for 45 minutes, until the barley is plump and tender and the beef falls apart under a spoon.
- Take out the bay leaves, taste and add salt and pepper, and stir in the parsley. Serve hot with buttered bread.
