It is really easy to make tender beef stew if you follow two principles. First, make sure that you cook the stew on low heat for a long period of time, this is called the low and slow method of cooking. The second thing that you want to make sure of is that you know the type of meat you are cooking. Some cuts of meat take longer to cook than others. I prefer a chuck roast for all of my beef stews. I always know about how long it should take to cook if I cut the chuck roast into 1-inch pieces.