This simple comforting Irish inspired lamb and pearl barley stew recipe will warm you up with its chewy and hearty barley, soft cooked vegetables, and tender and flavorful lamb.
This lamb and barley stew recipe is ready in ~ 30-45 minutes but can also be braised in the slow cooker / crock-pot on low for 8 hours.
Advice For Preparing Lamb For Barley Stew
Dice the lamb in small pieces for this lamb and pearl barley recipe. Dicing the lamb into bite size pieces is necessary so that it remains tender and does not get tough.
Diced lamb cooks fast, especially when it's cut into bite size pieces. Sear it first and set it aside and add in at the last minute so it doesn't get tough.
Is searing necessary? Not really, but it does add to overall flavor and texture.
Remember that lamb shoulder can be a tough cut of meat. If the lamb is chunked into large pieces than it needs to be cooked longer. Advice: Cut lamb into bite sized chunks or have the butcher do it.
Can I Substitute a Different Meat For Lamb and Barley Stew?
Don't like lamb? Substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs or very small cubes of chuck roast. Be careful with chuck roast as it's a tough cut, so would have to be diced small for pearl barley stew.
Like an even leaner meat? Chicken breast works great too as a protein for pearl barley stew but will cook in minutes when diced.
Thinly sliced flank steak or skirt steak will also work but it will need to be added in the last couple minutes of cooking as it will cook fast as well.
The Difference Between Lamb Barley Stew and Lamb Barley Soup
What's the difference between stew and soup?
Stew is barely covered with liquid and is much thicker than soup. Add more broth (or even water in a pinch) if you want a lamb and barley soup instead of stew.
Like a thicker stew? Dredge the diced lamb into flour before searing. The flour will thicken the barley stew up even more.
Make Lamb and Barley Stew Recipe Faster
Don't want to cut up green beans or don't like them?
Buy frozen green beans and/or substitute frozen peas and add them into the lamb and barley stew 5 minutes before serving.
Lamb And Pearl Barley Stew
EatSimpleFood.com
This simple comforting Irish inspired lamb and pearl barley stew recipe will warm you up with its chewy and hearty barley, soft cooked veggies, and tender lamb.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop / Oven / Crockpot /Instant Pot
- Cuisine: International
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed & cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery, sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup pearl barley
- 2 cups green beans, cut into 1" pieces
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped - as garnish
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Dice lamb shoulder into bite size pieces and lightly salt and pepper.
- Bring a large pot (I prefer a 6 quart dutch oven
) to medium high heat and add the lamb in batches (overcrowding the pan will cause the lamb to steam & not brown).
- Sear 6-8 minutes or until brown. Remove lamb from pan with slotted spoon (leaving any drippings in pan) and set aside.
- Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pan. Reduce heat and cook 5-7 minutes or until veggies are soft and translucent.
- Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add a little olive oil if pot is dry.
- Add chicken broth and bay leaves, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Add pearl barley, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook covered ~ 30 minutes.
- Add lamb (and any juice) and green beans and cook ~ 10 minutes or until barley is soft but chewy and green beans are cooked to your liking.
- Add salt to taste. Spoon into bowls and garnish with parsley. Happy stewin'! beckie
) to medium high heat and add the lamb in batches (overcrowding the pan will cause the lamb to steam & not brown). Notes
- Don't want to cut up green beans or don't like them? Buy frozen green beans and/or substitute frozen peas.
- Ran out of broth but want the stew thinner? Add some water instead.
- Don't want to cut the lamb into bite size pieces 'cause it's taking too long? Make the chunks bigger but increase the cooking time by throwing in the lamb with the pearl barley.
You May Also Like
If you like thick stews, check out these recipes:
Serving Suggestion
Serve Lamb and Barley Stew with one of these complimentary earthy recipes:
Looks fantastic!! Can it be cooked few days ahead ?
Definitely Tina! It may thicken up a bit but you can always add a little chicken stock to loosen it up if needed.
Growing up in the 1950s, we had lamb and barley often as lamb back then was pretty inexpensive. It was a stew that used ground lamb, barley, onions, and shredded carrots, would I change this recipe much to use ground lamb? Has anyone else had L&B this way?
Hi Nancy, that sounds delicious. I would do the recipe the same. Cook the ground lamb and onions together first. Maybe even the shredded carrots with that. Follow the rest of the recipe. That will make this recipe even easier. I will try the ground lamb version soon. Thanks - Beckie