Beef and Barley Soup

by sweetpea2

This is my favorite beef and barley soup recipe. If I don't have beef shanks, I use stew beef, or even round steak that I cut up into small cubes. Though, I think it has the best flavor when you use the bones.

Ingredients:

* 3 lb. meaty cross-cut beef shank or neck
* 3/4 cup pearl barley
* 2 carrots, sliced
* 1 med. size onion, chopped
* 1/2 cup chopped parsley
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. pepper
* 1/2 tsp. dry thyme
* 1/2 tsp. dry savory
* 2 cans beef broth
* 2 cups water

Directions:

Put all the beef and barley soup ingredients in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

After it is cooked, take out the meat and bones. Pick the meat off the bones. Throw the bones. Put the meat pieces back into the soup.

You can also serve the meat on the bone and let each person pick their own meat off. But that is sort of messy and not so good if you have kids.