Very easy recipe. Just used an inside round roast of beef for the meat and it was very tender. I like my gravy medium thickness so I added a few tbsp of Bistro … they make several kinds, beef, savoury for poultry and brown gravy. I only had the savoury gravy for poultry on hand and it worked great….helps to thicken the juice to a nice gravy consistency. Also served my stew on garlic mash potatoes.