My grandparents are greatly missed. Grandma knit on the couch as Grandpa enjoyed cooking. They return to me in part because of this. Growing up, this recipe was one of my favorites. This soup is of the traditional, slow-cooked, lick-the-bowl variety that sticks to your ribs. Family members adore it. It is customary to serve it during the holidays with a lovely slice of rye bread.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 6 hrs |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs |
| Total Time: | 14 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 4 quarts |
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 2 ½ cups water
- 8 ounces broken dried mushrooms
- ½ cup water
- 1 (3 pound) boneless chuck roast
- 5 quarts water
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped fresh dill
- 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Combine barley and 2 1/2 cups water in a bowl; cover and let soak overnight. Combine dried mushrooms and 1/2 cup water in a bowl; cover and let soak overnight.
- Place the chuck roast in a large stockpot over medium heat; cover the roast with 5 quarts water. Bring the water to a boil, skimming any foam off the surface. Boil the roast until the foam no longer forms on the water, about 15 minutes. Pour the barley, mushrooms, and the water from both bowls into the stockpot; stir in the parsley, dill, broth, salt, and pepper. Return the mixture to a boil; reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring every hour, until soup has reduced to desired thickness, 4 to 6 hours.
- Remove large pieces of beef from the soup; trim and discard fat. Cut remaining meat into bite-sized pieces and return them to the soup.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 416 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 74 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 993 mg |
| Sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I made it for a family dinner, my son-in-law who was undergoing chemotherapy at the time requested a batch every week because it made him feel so good.
I enjoyed this soup, but would definitely do some tweaking next time. Good flavors.
Yum. Like some of the other commenters, I was concerned that this soup might be a bit bland. I made it as the recipe was written except that I used dry herbs. The flavor was wonderful, not at all bland. I’ll definitely make it again.
This was the best soup that I’ve ever made! I believe the fresh dill accentuates and brings forward all the wonderful flavors in the soup. My 20 year old boys loved the soup as well, and, it is tough to get compliments regarding food from them.
I basically followed the recipe with the following changes: I pre-cut the meat and browned it before adding stock instead of broth. I neglected to soak the barley and mushroom overnight so as I was preparing the meat, I boiled the barley then removed it from the heat and let it sit until half-way cooked, I pored boiling water over the mushrooms until they were tender. And I used dried herbs instead of fresh. This was the best beef soup I ever had. Needless to say, yes, yes, yes I will make it again.
I thought it would last for lunch the next day . It didn’t . It was a hit .
I made a batch of this for my husband and me. We loved it, so now i am making a double batch for him to take to camp for the guys.
I like to add extra dill and the whole box of barley…you can thin it with water if you like as it will be thicker like a casserole but that’s how my family preferred it. It is addictive also.
I needed a recipe for beef mushroom barley soup and when I discovered this recipe, I knew. The outcome was amazing. A definite keeper. Bravo!!!
This was the best recipe I’ve been looking for. Made a wonderful Hearty soup and using a Bottom Round Beef Roast/Chuck Roast, we had wonderful tender beef for slicing into sandwiches on Rye Bread with Horseradish. Flavor was great, simply beef, barley & mushrooms. Followed recipe, but didn’t need canned broth or additional vegetables. Just serve with pickles or marinated veggies as a side We all love it! No need to search any further. Thanks Lobby Lady for sharing. Great simple flavor of B.M.B.! Perhaps, Cathie, more salt was needed. A 5+ stars!!!
I thought it was a really good soup but I added additional mushrooms and spices. I think that next time I will add some other veggies also. I will Definately make it again.
I was dissapointed with the recipe. I guess I’m not a big fan of that much dill. If I try it again it will be without it. I also used fresh mushrooms and pre-cut stew meat and put in a crockpot for the day. The meat was tender.
This was not a hit in my family. Nobody wanted seconds and I ended up freezing the leftovers. I will have to try a different beef barley soup recipe.
Very tasty! Just the thing for a cold Midwestern night! The next time I make it I will follow the suggestion of some of the other reviewers and use fresh rather than dried mushrooms and I’ll also increase the amount of barley, ’cause I just love it in soup. Might toss a leek or two in next time too. But otherwise I thought it was great. I was worried that the spare seasonings would make for a very bland soup, but the richness added by the long cooking time – and I kept the pot simmering for 6 hours – compensated. Thanks!
The whole family asked for seconds! Very good! I didn’t have time to soak my barley, and when the meat was done the soup was thick, like oatmeal. So, I added some extra broth. You may want to have some extra broth on hand, also. I used 8 oz of fresh mushrooms – could have used a bit more.
The guys loved this rich hearty soup and my husband’s friends even (a first!) asked for the recipe. I used already cut up stew meat instead of chuck roast, fresh mushrooms instead of dried, and farro (much like barley) instead of barley. I made the substitutions because that’s what I had on hand – I was looking for a recipe to use the mushrooms and beef I already had. Glad I found this 🙂 I boiled the stew meat and skimmed off the foam as directed. After skimming, I added the farro (barley) and cooked it with the beef (no pre-soaking) at a slow boil for about 20 minutes until al dente. I then added the quartered mushrooms and seasonings to the pot and reduced to a simmer. I cooked until the meat was very tender in about 2 1/2 hrs. It was very filling with some nice rustic crusty bread. Also ridiculously easy using meat already cut up and quick cooking barley. I only needed to chop the mushrooms and herbs and cooked everything in one pot so cleanup was a snap too. A winner at my house!
I used fresh Portobello mushrooms and diced leeks and it turned out thick, beefy and delicious.
I found some chinese dried mushrooms, and I wish I had used regular, fresh , white mushrooms. They were all Icould find in the way of dried mushrooms. I did not care for their smell or taste.
This was the best! I love barley and found quick cooking barley. I used stew meat that I cut into smaller pieces. Also, had fresh mushrooms YUMMIE. My husband ate 4 bowls in one sitting—and he’s not ususally a “soup guy”. My new favorite soup!!
I made some changes-I cooked stew meat in the crock pot with a package of brown gravy mix and 2 cups of water. Once that was about done, I cooked quick barley (1cup) according to the package directions. I put the barley, parsley, salt, etc all in the crock pot with the meat to finish for about an hour.
Nobody at our house really loved this soup. I don’t think it is seasoned enough. I probably won’t make it again.