If you don't have a slow cooker, make this in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. I used a 4-quart ovel slow cooker. "Stew beef" is a common cut, available in the meat department of your supermarket. Serves 6-8.
Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 lbs stew beef (boneless beef chuck), cut into two-inch chunks
2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 4-oz cans whole green chiles, sliced into thick rounds
1 14-oz can Ro*Tel (diced tomatoes with green chile)
1 chipotle chili in adobo, chopped, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
1/4 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought
1/4 cup homemade or canned low-sodium beef broth
1 tsp cumin
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch
Directions
In a large bowl, add the flour. Dry the beef with paper towels, and dredge each piece lightly in the flour.
Heat oil in a large frying pan, and brown the beef on all sides (be careful not to overcrowd the pan; brown the beef in batches). Add browned beef to a 4-quart slow cooker, along with all remaining ingredients except the arrowroot/cornstarch.
Cook on LOW for 8 hours (if using a Dutch oven, cook for 3-4 hours). Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and hot sauce, if needed.
If at the end of the cooking time, the liquid has not thickened to a consistency you like, pour all but half a cup of the liquid into a sauce pan. Pour the remaining half cup of liquid into a measuring cup, and whisk in the arrowroot or cornstarch. Bring the liquid in the sauce pan to a low boil, and add the arrowroot mixture. The sauce will thicken, and you can reunite it with the stew.
Serve hot, over egg noodles or rice. Can be frozen.