It says 3 min prep, its supposed to say 3 hour cooking time. Stew meat, hamburger, any beef works good here, I use a frozen pot roast and after cooking, cut it into pieces before serving. You can also add egg noodles to the whole pot 30 mins before serving for more "fill" Feeds a big family! I like the "Where's the Beef?" line cause the frozen pot roast cooks at the bottom, till about an hour or so into cooking, then it floats! lol