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Polynesian Beef

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Polynesian Beef is an easy slow cooker weeknight dinner! It’s easy to throw together and gets rave reviews every time it gets served!

 

Main image of Crock Pot Polynesian Beef

 

This crockpot Polynesian beef is a savory dish of beef, pineapple, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. It tastes incredible on a bed of rice or mashed potatoes.

I love having pineapple beef because it is so easy to make! Crockpot meals mean less work for me!

I also love that this Hawaiian beef recipe uses all basic ingredients. You don’t need to go to any specialty stores for any of these ingredients.

And this is a hearty stew that fills you up and leaves you satisfied for a long time! Even the voracious kids!

But the best part is the flavor. It’s incredible. Fantastic. Amazing. And that’s just what other people have said about it! And I’m not even kidding!

 

season salt, paprika and ground ginger in a ziploc bag

 

What Ingredients are in Polynesian Beef?

This family favorite is made with large chunks of pineapple, perfectly cooked meat, and a little bit of everything delicious.

  • Stew Meat: Find pre-cut stew meat or use roast and cut into stew meat pieces.
  • Seasonings: Grab your seasoning salt, paprika, and ground ginger.
  • Olive Oil: The oil will keep the stew meat from sticking when you sear it.
  • Garlic and Onions: Together the perfect storm! Chop these up small.
  • Pineapple: Use canned pineapple and don’t drain pineapple because you’ll want the pineapple juice too!
  • Beef Bouillon: You could also use chicken bouillon cubes but the beef pairs better with the stew meat.
  • Vinegar: White vinegar gives a nice tangy sort of flavor to the meat.
  • Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes means this dinner is even easier to make.
  • Brown Sugar: And a little sweetener to balance out the vinegar, tomatoes, and pineapple.
  • Cornstarch: This will thicken the stew so it’s more stew like and less soup like
  • Water: Mix well with cornstarch before adding to the beef stew.
  • Soy Sauce: Can’t have crock pot Polynesian beef without that soy sauce!

Pro Tips:

  • Low sodium soy sauce will give you less salt than regular soy sauce. You can always add more salt if needed.
  • Other easy mix-ins are bamboo shoot, straw mushroom, pea pods, or baby corn.
  • A garnish of green onion always adds a nice finishing touch too!

 

season salt, paprika and ground ginger added to a ziploc bag with stew beef

 

How to Cook Beef with Pineapple

Cooking with pineapple is actually really simple as long as you use the right type of pineapple.

Fresh pineapple is extremely acidic and actually breaks down the beef so that it becomes mushy and gross.

You need canned pineapple because the acidity has been broken down. Then you get all the flavor but none of the texture issues.

Here’s how to cook this easy beef with pineapple recipe:

  1. Sear Beef: After mixing the beef and seasonings, get a nice sear on each side of the beef in a large skillet.
  2. Dump: Then toss beef, garlic, pineapple, bouillon, vinegar, onions, and tomatoes in the slow cooker and let the slow cooker do the work.
  3. Cook: At the end of your cooking time add the cornstarch mixture and let the stew thicken.

Pro Tips:

  • Don’t fully cook the beef when you sear it! Otherwise it’ll get over done in the crock pot. Just get a nice color on the outside.
  • Store over rice or mashed potatoes for a super filling and hearty meal. (Jasmine rice is our favorite!)
  • Use a gallon size ziploc bag and shake bag to combine beef and seasonings.
  • Cook time is generally 4 – 6 hours depending on your crockpot and your beef.
  • You may need to sear the beef in multiple batches depending on your pan size.

 

seasoned beef searing in a pan

 

How to Store Leftover Polynesian Beef

Any leftover Polynesian beef should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Let the Polynesian beef cool completely to room temperature before transferring to your container.

You can also store any leftovers in the freezer and have yourself a quick freezer meal!

In fact I like to double the recipe, one to eat now and one to eat later. It’s that good.

Simply place the beef in a freezer safe bag and freeze! Pull out and thaw in the fridge and then reheat on the stove.

 

seared stew meat added to crock pot

 

How Long Does Polynesian Beef Last?

Polynesian beef will stay good in the fridge for up to 5 days.

It’ll also keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Never let it sit in the heat for long periods of time to help it stay fresh.

 

garlic, pineapple, bouillon, vinegar, onions and rotel added to crock pot

 

Can I Make Polynesian Beef in Advance?

Absolutely!

Even crockpot meals can be too much some days. I totally get that!

You can easily make this Polynesian beef to serve the next day. Simply let it cool and store like normal.

Then reheat on the stovetop in a large pot until heated through.

 

 

Can Dogs Eat Polynesian Beef?

Dogs shouldn’t eat Polynesian beef. As with other recipes calling for garlic and onions, dogs should stay far away.

Garlic and onions are both toxic for dogs and can cause massive harm.

Dogs should be able to eat some of the beef but you’d want to cook a separate batch for them without any of the seasonings. 

They don’t need seasonings or care about them!

 

wooden spoon held close to camera lens showing off yummy beef and pineapple

 

More Stew Beef Recipes You’ll Love

Looking for other unique stew beef recipes? Stew meat can be used for more than just stew!

Here’s some recipes that really let that beef stew meat shine!

More Pineapple Recipes You’ll Love

And don’t forget, you don’t need to buy the most expensive cuts of meat.

Just buy the regular stew meat and save yourself some money!

 

close up of beef and pineapple over rice on a plate

 

Polynesian Beef is a quick and easy recipe that everyone will love! It’s easy to throw together and the perfect weeknight meal! Enjoy!

 

Yield: 6 Servings

Polynesian Beef

polynesian beef over rice with crock pot in background

Polynesian Beef is an easy slow cooker weeknight dinner! It’s easy to throw together and gets rave reviews every time it gets served!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 lbs stew meat
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 (20 ounce) can of pineapple chunks with juice
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 (10 ounce) can mild Rotel tomatoes
  • 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

  1. In a gallon size ziploc bag, add season salt, paprika, and ground ginger. Shake bag to mix.
  2. Add stew meat to seasoning, close bag and shake until all pieces are lightly covered.
  3. In a large skillet, add olive oil. Heat pan over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add stew meat. This may require a few batches (it took me 3 batches to do all of the meat).
  4. Sear the beef on each side. DO NOT FULLY COOK. Just get a nice sear on it to seal in the flavor.
  5. Once meat has a nice color, transfer to crock pot. Repeat with remaining batches.
  6. Add to crock pot, garlic, pineapple with juice, bouillon cubes, vinegar, onions and Rotel..
  7. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours (depending on your crock pot), until beef is cooked through and tender.
  8. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, cornstarch, water and soy sauce.
  9. Pour this over the beef, stir and cook on high for 30 minutes - 1 hour, or until mixture thickens.
  10. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 389Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 1212mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 39g
Originally Posted: December 13, 2016

Photos & Text Updated: October 18, 2022

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Joy

Friday 24th of September 2021

I need your advice, I am using Polynesian sauce from Chick-fil-A in this recipe. Other than the beef, what ingredients from your recipe should I still use? In other words, by using a premade Polynesian sauce, how many of your ingredients should I leave out? Thank you in advance!

Janelle

Monday 11th of October 2021

Hum...this one is hard. I've never tried to use the Polynesian sauce. I'd still season and sear the beef as directed. Then add the Polynesian sauce and pineapple with juice to the crock pot. Mix well. Cook as directed. Watch it. If it's too dry, add water. However as I said, I've never tried this before so it's just a guess. If you try it out, come back and leave what worked for you! Good luck!

Jacqualyn

Friday 17th of May 2019

Love this recipe! I cooked it on the stovetop in about 45 minutes because I used steak tips from Omaha Steak. We also substituted crushed tomatoes and crushed pineapple. For the vegetarian in our family we substituted black beans for the beef and it is also amazing! Thanks🤗

Janelle

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

So glad you liked it Jacqualyn! And love the substitution ideas!

Wendy

Thursday 19th of July 2018

The pineapple that is used, do you use the type with real juice or with syrup?

Janelle

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

Either will work with this recipe, however I try to buy the kind in it's own juice for personal reasons.

esther

Monday 18th of June 2018

what a nice beef stew

Janelle

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

Esther, I make this for my family often and love it! Hope you try it and enjoy it as much as my family does! Thanks for your comments!

Joan

Thursday 7th of June 2018

Looking forward to trying several of these tasty recipes. J.

Janelle

Tuesday 5th of March 2019

Joan, thank you for checking out my recipes. I hope you find some that you enjoy on Nums the Word! Let me know how they turn out! Thanks for your comment! Enjoy!

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