Place hamburger, garlic and onion in a stock pot on medium heat.
Break up and stir occasionally as hamburger browns; discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat before proceeding.
Add carrots and celery to pot and cook on medium heat, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of pot until vegetables soften. (~ 5 minutes)
Add chicken broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper to pot; return to boil.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
Add barley; simmer until barley and carrots are tender (~30 minutes).
