The Unexpected Warm Spice That Adds A New Dimension To Beef Stew

Imagine a chilly night, a comfy sweater, candlelight, and a big old glass of red wine. What pairs more perfectly with that combo than a bowl of rich and succulent beef stew? Browned meat and alliums, caramelized tomatoes, and a low-and-slow cook contribute deep flavors to most beef stew recipes, but you can amp up the complexity even more with the addition of a delicious warming spice — cinnamon.

When paired with desserts, cinnamon tends to read as sweet, floral, and citrusy, but when you use it in savory applications, it lends a spicy, sharp, and earthy profile. It pairs really well with common stew ingredients, like onions, tomatoes, red wine, black pepper, and of course, the beef itself. Use just a little bit, and you will be amazed at how much more dynamic a simple beef stew with wine tastes. For similar reasons, cinnamon is also the secret spice your chili deserves.

You only need about half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon per two pounds of meat, and make sure to sprinkle it in after the aromatics have already been cooked down. Once you add the spices, they should only cook in the fat for about 30 seconds, so the flavors can bloom without burning. After that, add in your liquid, whether it be wine, beer, water, broth or stock. Alternatively, just throw a whole cinnamon stick into the braising liquid for a mellow flavor that perfumes the whole dish. Serve your cinnamon-scented beef stew with sweet potato mash or roasted winter squash to really complement the warm spice. 

While cinnamon may not be the most expected addition in an American or European beef stew, it is actually a common ingredient in stewed beef dishes from around the world. Take Malaysian beef rendang, for example. Cubes of beef are simmered in a sweet and tangy coconut milk and tamarind mixture that is flavored with ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, garlic, ginger, chilies, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and of course, cinnamon.

Indian-style beef curries use some similar ingredients to create an intensely aromatic dish. Onions, garlic, and ginger make up the base, and plenty of spices such as turmeric, coriander, red chili powder, and cinnamon sticks are in the mix as well. The cinnamon flavor may be reinforced with a hit of garam masala — a ground spice blend that features both sweet and savory ingredients, such as black pepper, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.

Vietnamese-style beef stew, called bo kho, also gets a double hit of cinnamon. The whole sticks are used alongside star anise, fresh chilies, lemongrass, ginger, shallots, and tomatoes in the braising liquid, and the marinade for the beef is seasoned with fish sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and Chinese five-spice powder. This spice blend typically includes star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, cinnamon, and a spicy element like black pepper, white pepper, Szechuan peppercorn, or ground ginger. Once you try cinnamon in a basic beef stew recipe, take a step up with these delectable dishes.