Beef Stew with Barley

The first time I made this, I found myself debating the definition of a "stew." For me, a stew just has more beef and more veggies in a slow cooker. Chris begged to differ, stating that a stew is determined by its consistency, and that my culinary creation was not thick enough to be a true "stew."
Oh, boy, no, you didn't. Oh no, you did not just diss my cooking. Nuh-uh..
In the end, someone came to another and said, "I was wrong, you were right." Guess who it was.
To give you a hint, I did a little victory dance, because I hardly ever hear those words. Oh sweet, sweet victory . . .

So yes, this is a stew: it's loaded with yummy beef, delicious veggies, and it IS thick, thanks to the barely. Oh, and Chris loves it . . . because it's awesome.

Ingredients

•  large zip-top bag
• 2 1/2 lb boneless beef chuck roast (or beef pre-cut for stew)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4–5 petite red potatoes (rinsed)
• 1 large onion (rinsed)
• 8 ounces fresh cut carrots
• 1 (32-ounce) box reduced-sodium beef broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 1 cup quick-cooking pearled barley
• Note: The originally recipe called for celery, but, because Chris and I aren't big celery fans, we used peas instead and it's still delish! . . . are you sensing a theme that I don't like to follow original recipes? ;]

Directions:

• Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. 
• Cut beef into 3-inch chunks and place in large zip-top bag, beef, flour, and pepper (wash hands); seal tightly and shake to coat. 
• Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Place beef in pan (wash hands); cook 2–3 minutes on each side or until browned.
• While roast browns, cut potatoes into quarters. Remove ends and peel from onion; cut onion into quarters. 
• Place roast in slow cooker. 
• Add remaining ingredients (except barley); cook 4–6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW.
• About one hour before serving, stir in barley. Do not replace lid. Cook uncovered 1 hour or until barley and beef are both tender. 

Original Recipe Here. 

Side note: When I first made this, I bought a large chuck roast, and it just about killed me to cut that sucker into chunks.  The original recipe says it takes 15 minutes to prepare, but it took me double or triple that. Maybe I have a beef-cutting handicap I wasn't aware of, but this time, I bought beef that was already cut into chunks with stew-making in mind (Publix Grocery, I love you!). Such a time saver!