Aye, lad, ye be wanting to talk stews here?
It's all about the the broth, really.
I like to brown the beef, chunks of beef, not ground, in cast iron, in bacon fat. Once it is mostly brown, add onions and garlic. When the the water is gone, and it starts to dry up, add hot water to the pan, let it simmer, then scrape the leavings off the bottom when you start the stew pot. After that it is carrots, peas, etc. Potatoes go in last. Once the taters are soft, mash some up to thicken the broth.
I'm an adherent of slow cooking. Take the mixture and put it into a cooler with a bunch of towels. Let it sit for hours. The meat will become so tender...