Beef and barley soup has tender beef chunks, barley, and carrot, mushrooms in an thick tomato beef broth. You will get the comfort and richness of classic beef soup along with nutritious wholegrain and veggies. This is a hearty soup that’s feels like a hug in cold winter days.

Ladle showing chunks of roasted chuck, carrots, mushrooms and barley

While we enjoy soups throughout the year, winter just makes you crave a hot, brimming soup all the time. Beef barley soup is just perfect for cold winters. The chuck cubes are browned and cooked in a tomato-based aromatic beef broth until they become tender and melt in your mouth. Nutritious whole grain Barley makes the soup filling and also adds texture. We have already taken care of the protein and carbs part, for fiber I have added veggies like celery, carrots, and mushrooms. All in all this soup is hearty, wholesome, and extremely delicious.

The only flip side of the recipe is it takes a bit of long to cook, but again most of it is hands-off. The long and slow cooking gives that complex flavor to the soup.

Right cuts of beef for Soups

Many have a question – which is the best cut of beef for barley soup or any soup in general?

The thumb rule is to get cuts from worked-up portions of the animal. The reason is – the worked-up parts of the animal like the shoulder develop a lot of collagen. Collagen forms the bulk of the connective tissue that joins the muscle fibers in these areas. It is the most abundant form of protein in most animals. (I am getting too technical here, but you got the point right?)

Chucks (part of the shoulder) and short ribs are collagen-rich and touch pieces. They need a long time to cook when the collagen melts and forms gelatin-like stuff, that not only keeps the chuck pieces moist but also does not dry.

Other tender popular cuts like the tenderloin are not ideal. While the soup cooks, it dries up and becomes chewy.

So, best advice – get the chuck or at least the short ribs. Chuck pieces are easy to cube and add to the soup and more convenient than the ribs where you will have to remove the rib bones. Just trim the chuck pieces of excess fat as fat can make the soup very greasy when cooked.

Barley soup made in a dutch oven with beef and vegetables in a broth.

Ingredients

To make a beef barley soup, you will have to arrange a good cut of beef, aromatics, and sauces that you should already have in your pantry and common herbs available in your garden.

Chuck – Just make sure to trim them of excess fat and cut them into less than 1-inch cubes.
Barley – Pearl barley is processed and therefore cooks faster and is less chewy than other unprocessed forms. You will have to wash and it cooks along with everything else.
Oil – used to brown the beef chunks. Any neutral cooking oil will work.

Vegetables – I have added carrots and mushrooms. You could use green beans.
Beef stock – forms the body of the soup. A good quality beef stock is really worth it. Make sure it is low sodium. Alternately use beef bullion.
Aromatics – Onion, garlic, and celery.
Tomato paste – which forms a base for the aromatics, herbs, and spices.
Herbs & Spices – Thyme and bay leaf. Go for at least 2 teaspoons of minced thyme, if you are using fresh. For dried thyme, the quantity should be reduced to 1/2 teaspoon.
Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Steps to make beef barley soup

Soak barley

Wash the barley and soak it in warm water. Let it soak till you need to add them after the soup cooks for an hour.

Roast the chuck pieces

This I would say is the most important step. Roasting/browning the beef well helps develop flavor. Pat the beef chunks dry. Moisture on the chunks will make a lot of steam and not allow them to sear properly and develop that nice brown color. We do not want to steam chuck pieces.

Heat a Dutch oven. To check if it is hot enough, splash a few drops of water on it. If they steam, it is hot enough. Add oil now and wait to see some smoke.

We should be roasting the chuck pieces in batches. Avoid crowding, as that will not let the heat escape and will steam the pieces instead. Sear it for high heat for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Turn them over and you should see a nice brown crust on the beef pieces. Brown them for up to 3 minutes on the other side too. Take them off using a slotted spoon.

Spices & herbs sing flavor

While you can get all the components cooked right, a soup still has to pack loads of flavor. Aromatics like onion and garlic along with spices and herbs up the dish to another level.

After taking off the beef chunks, add chopped onion and garlic and saute them for 30 seconds to a minute. The onions and garlic should lose their raw smell. Add chopped carrots, celery, and bay leaf, thyme. Saute for 2 minutes to allow everything to develop flavor. Add tomato paste and saute for a further 2 minutes on low heat to caramelize the tomato a bit.

Cook onion, garlic. followed by carrot, celery, thyme and bay leaf.

Deglaze with beef stock and season sauce

Add beef stock to the pot and scarp the bottom of the pot to release any stuck brown bit. Season with soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Once the liquid in the pot come to a low simmer, add the browned beef chunks along with any leftover liquid in the bowl.

Add roasted beef chunks, sauces. Cook on low

Bring the content to a boil and then, reduce heat, cover it, and let it simmer for an hour. Keep stirring in between to prevent things settling down at the bottom.

After an hour, add the soaked barley grains along with the mushrooms. Cover and cook again on low heat for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Add chopped parsley and serve.

If you prefer watching detailed video recipe

Beef barley soup served in a white bowl with chopped fresh parsley sprinkled on top.

To cook barley in advance or not?

Barley is a tough grain and takes time to cook well. It needs to be cooked just right, that holds its shape without disintegrating in the soup. When barley gets cooked right in the soup, the starch from it thickens the soup and also makes it creamy. The grains also absorbs the flavors.

I used to add uncooked barley directly to the soup until I figured out this hack. When I begin with the prep work like chopping veggies etc, rinse barley a couple of times and soak in enough water until use. Before adding, drain the water. Soaking barley cut shorts the cooking time and also each grain cooks really well.

Alternatively, you can use quick cooking barley, that doesn’t need longer to cook.

Can we make Beef Barley Soup In Advance?

Yes. Infact the flavors gets only better when it rests overnight. Make the soup, let it cool down a bit, cover and refrigerate overnight. The soup might thicken a bit, you can adjust the thickness while reheating.

How to store soup

Beef barley soup can be easily frozen for up to 6 months in the freezer. Keep one important thing in mind – the soup thickens when it freezes and when you thaw and reheat it, it will lose even more water. Add more warm stock or water while reheating to adjust the consistency.

You can refrigerate this for up to 4 days. For refrigerated, soups, just reheat them back in the Dutch oven or even microwave them. For frozen soups, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator section and then reheat them as usual.