Kimberley Station Beef Stew with Damper
A rich, slow-simmered beef and root vegetable stew served alongside crusty bush damper bread, rooted in northern cattle-station kitchens.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 135 min
- Total
- 160 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 680 kcal
Equipment
- •Heavy-based Dutch oven or camp oven
- •Large mixing bowl
- •Baking tray
- •Wooden spoon
- •Chef's knife
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 680 kcal
- fat
- 26 g
- carbs
- 62 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 48 g
- calories
- 680 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Heat half the vegetable oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- 2
Season the beef chuck cubes generously with fine sea salt and black pepper.
- 3
Brown the beef in small batches until well seared, then transfer to a plate.
- 4
Add remaining oil to the pot and fry the chopped onions and carrots for five minutes.
- 5
Stir in plain flour and tomato paste, cooking for one minute until fragrant.
- 6
Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
- 7
Return the beef to the pot, cover with a tight lid, and simmer gently for ninety minutes.
- 8
Add potato chunks to the stew and simmer uncovered for thirty minutes until tender.
- 9
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C and line a heavy baking tray with baking paper.
- 10
Rub chilled diced butter into self-raising flour with your fingertips until fine crumbs form.
- 11
Stir in milk to form a soft dough, shape into a round loaf, and score a cross on top.
- 12
Bake damper for thirty minutes until golden and hollow-sounding, then serve warm with hot stew.
Chef's tips
Do not rush browning the beef chuck; a dark crust on the meat provides the rich station-style gravy. For the damper, handle the dough as gently and briefly as possible to keep the crumb tender.
Ingredient substitutions
- beef chuck steak → beef gravy beef or blade steak cut into similar chunks
- milk → water or powdered milk mixed with water, the traditional camp-oven style
Storage
Store leftover stew and damper separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat the stew gently in a saucepan over medium heat with a splash of water, and warm the damper in a moderate oven for eight minutes.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Over-kneading the damper dough, which results in a heavy, dense bread instead of a light loaf.
- •Boiling the stew too vigorously, which toughens the beef muscle fibres instead of melting them.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Kimberley Station Beef Stew with Damper?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
