The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

Among Ireland’s most iconic pub foods, this rich and robust Irish Beef with Guinness Stew will make your taste buds sing and have you begging for seconds!

There are many variations of beef stew surfacing the web.  But what sets a traditional Irish Beef Stew from Ireland apart from others is its inclusion of Guinness stout.

The alcohol is evaporated as the stew simmers and you are left with a deep and robust flavor.  If you use any other beer besides Guinness EXTRA STOUT you will still get a great stew, but it may not be as robust or as deep.  Regular Guinness will work as well.

This is the ONE and ONLY stew recipe I have.   It is the only stew recipe I make, and with very good reason.

The meat is so soft and tender, the veggies are perfectly cooked and the gravy is so rich and deep that when it is spooned over a bowl of mashed potatoes it becomes heaven in a bowl.

Root vegetables add flavor as well as thickening power.  Some chefs will add parsnips or barley but true Irish stew is just meat, potatoes and onions.

As it made it’s way west, alcohol began to replace the stock.  More herbs were added and you can find it served now over a bread bowl, mashed potatoes and/or with soda bread.

Here are some tips to help you get the most flavor out of your Irish Beef Stew:

• Sear the beef over high heat in a hot skillet.  Flavor comes from a good sear.  Also, scraping up those caramelized brown bits from the bottom of the pan (otherwise known as deglazing) is going to give your stew a deep, rich flavor.
• Another searing tip – make sure you brown the beef in batches.  Yes it will take a little more time, but if you crowd the pan the beef will not sear, it will steam resulting in gray unattractive lumps of meat.
• This stew uses not one but two types of alcohol, red wine AND Guinness, each giving the stew a deeper dimension of flavor.
• Don’t throw the onions in raw!  Use that hot skillet with all that flavor to your advantage and get those onions nice and brown.
• If you are adding potatoes to the stew, we prefer to add them about 3 hours in so they don’t completely fall apart.

Tips to help you make this a weeknight meal:

• Cut up the veggies the night before (onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms).  Store them in an airtight container in the fridge.  You can even cut up the potatoes to save some time, just keep them in a pot of water overnight so they don’t turn brown.
• Ask your butcher to cut up the beef for you.  When I make this beef stew I buy 3 lbs. of beef chuck, because by the time I’m done trimming it, I’m left with about 2 lbs. which is ideal for this recipe.  So if you’re short on time, just ask for 2 lbs. already cut up and you’re ready to go.
• Measure out the spices and grab the pantry ingredients – put them on the counter so when it comes time to make the stew in the morning you’re not searching for anything.

Our beef stew does not have any potatoes in it because our kids liked it better served over mashed potatoes.  You can certainly add them.  If you do add potatoes I have it listed in the recipe card to add them at about hour 3 so they don’t completely fall apart.

The ULTIMATE Crockpot Beef Stew

Among Ireland’s most iconic pub foods, this rich and robust Irish Beef and Guinness Stew will make your taste buds sing and have you begging for seconds!

• Author: Debi
• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 6 hrs
• Total Time: 6 hrs 30 min

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs. Beef Chuck, cubed (purchasing 3 lbs of beef chuck will result in approx. 2 lbs. when all trimmed, cut up and cubed)
• flour for coating
• 3-4 Organic Carrots, washed, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 Stalks Organic Celery, washed and diced (approx. 2 cups)
• 2 Organic Onions, peeled and cut (approx. 2 cups)
• 8 oz. Organic Mushrooms, sliced
• 3-4 Cloves Organic Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Cup Semi dry red wine
• 2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth
• 1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout beer
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 oz. Tomato Paste
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
• 1/4 Cup Organic Parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Allspice
• 1-2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

Optional:  5 Organic Red Potatoes, washed and cut up into cubes (approx. 4 cups)

Instructions

1. Wash, prep and cut up all the veggies.  Place the carrots, mushrooms and celery in the crockpot.
2. Trim off the fat from the meat and cut into large bite size pieces.  Season the meat generously with salt and pepper on all sides.  Set aside.
3. Heat up a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until hot. Add approx. 1-2 Tablespoons of oil.  Let the skillet get VERY HOT.  We want to SEAR the meat and brown it quickly without cooking it through.
4. Sprinkle some flour on to the beef (or use a Ziploc bag to coat) and place enough of the beef into the pan that it is not crowded.  Flip after approx. 3-4 minutes or until the beef is nice and browned.  Continue on all sides, putting it in the crockpot.  Continue until all the beef has been browned.
5. Next, add the onions to the pan (add a little oil if necessary) and season again with salt and pepper. Cook approx. 4-5 minutes – or until the onions get a nice charred color on the edges.  Add the garlic. Cook another minute more.  Add this to the crockpot.
6. To deglaze the pan, add the wine and the Guinness scrape up any bits left of the bottom.  Add to the crockpot.
7. Lastly, combine the broth, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste in a measuring cup or bowl. Stir to combine and add to the crockpot.
8. Add the spices (bay leaf, thyme, parsley and allspice) to the crockpot – give it all a good stir.
9. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
10. After 3 hours, stir the stew and turn the crockpot to LOW and ADD THE POTATOES IF DESIRED.  Continue cooking another 3-4 hours.
11. About 1 hour prior to serving, scoop out about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid and whisk in the cornstarch (or arrowroot). Add it back to the stew and gently stir. The more cornstarch you add, the thicker the stew will become. Also taste for seasonings and adjust at this point.

Notes

The addition of red potatoes is listed as optional because I have found that my family prefers beef stew served over mashed potatoes.  If you prefer the potatoes IN the stew add them in Step 10.

All nutritional information is approximate.

Cal 355; Fat 9.8 gr; Chol 98.3 gr; Sodium 441 mg; Carbs 23.6; Fiber 4.0 gr; Sugar 3.3 gr; Protein 33.7 gr

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