how to make brown beef for stew?!

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To answer the extended part, I prefer to make it all at once, because after meat is cooked then cooled then re-heated it doesn't absorb flavor as well as it would straight from the pot. As for how long you cook it, I would either put it on low heat for three hours, or high heat for one hour. However, time isn't as important as taste, if you find that your ingredients are well cooked earlier, then call it done, or give it more time if the beef is too pink or the potatoes aren't tender yet. :)

Cut your meat into chunks, and salt and pepper it. Then dust it w/ a little flour, shaking off excess. In a skillet, heat about a Tbsp of oil and coat bottom of pan. When it's hot, slap in your meat. Do it in batches so it doesnt get crowded. They should brown on the first side, in about 6-7 min, then flip and brown other side. Then add to crock pot and follow directions on your seasoning packet. If it calls for some water, I'd use the water to frist deglaze and clean out your skillet, scraping up bits of flavor, then pour that water and bits into the slow cooker.

Ok! First thing you do is get a bowel put some flour in it season with salt pepper and any seasoning you like,
Mix all up and empty your beef cubes into it and make sure they are all coated.
Then you brown your beef on a hot pan to seal them,put them into your casserole dish with your vegetables,pour your stock over it and cook very slow at around 150c for 3-4 hours. until the meat is tender.

Enjoy.
Ted.

It's kind of hard to explain if you're using a Crock Pot.. but let me explain it to you the way I would do it and then list some alternatives using the Crock Pot.

Put some flour in a bowl and season with salt and some pepper. You're also going to want to season the cubed beef with salt and pepper. Toss the beef into the flour and coat it evenly (dredge). In a large pot, heat up some oil. When the oil is hot you're going to shake off any excess flour from the beef and toss them into the hot oil. When the beef is browned your going to want to add the tomato sauce and mix it around until it his lost most of its moisture. At this point, it's a good idea to deglaze with some type of alcohol, preferably a dark beer. This will release anything sticking to the bottom. When the alcohol cooks out, toss in the potatoes and carrots which should be cut into large chunks (so they don't get mushy). Add your broth and beef seasoning packet and bring the entire mixture to a boil. When it comes to a boil, turn down the heat so the mixture simmers and cover with a lid. Cook until the carrots and potatoes are fork tender and the meat is the desired tenderness.

The reason I'd prefer to do this all in one pot is because all that stuff that sticks while you're browning the meat is flavor and if you transfer the meat to the Crock Pot you're leaving all this behind and, essentially, losing flavor.

If your do want to use a Crock Pot though I would transfer all the ingredients to the Crock Pot after you're done making the stew and let it cook until you're ready to eat!

Hope I could help!

Chef/Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Grad