Stewed Beef and Gravy

Step 1 -Season the beef stew meat with salt and pepper.

Step 2 -Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Step 3 -Add the beef stew meat to the skillet, stirring once or twice to sear as many sides of the cubes as possible, about 3-4 minutes.

Step 4 -Remove the beef stew meat from the heat and set it aside.

Step 5 -In a medium-sized pot, combine the beef broth, beefy onion soup mix, and 1/2 of the water, stirring well.

Step 6 -Add the beef stew meat to the broth mixture and stir.

Step 7 -Cover the pot and cook over low heat until the beef stew meat is cooked through at 145 degrees F, about 1-2 hours. Do not let the pot reach a full boil, or the beef stew meat will get tough.

Step 8 -When the beef stew meat is cooked through, add the cornstarch to a small bowl and whisk together with the remaining 1/2 cup of water until it is smooth.

Step 9 -Drizzle the cornstarch liquid into the beef stew meat mixture and bring it to a low simmer while stirring.

Step 10 -Cook the gravy and beef stew meat mixture until the broth has thickened into a gravy, about 1 minute.

Step 11 -Serve over white rice or egg noodles.