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Happily Unprocessed / Recipes / The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

Written by Debi25 Comments

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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!

 

Traditional Irish Beef Stew 1 - The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

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.

Traditional Irish Beef Stew 2 - The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

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.

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Traditional Irish Beef Stew 2 150x150 - The ULTIMATE Irish Beef Stew with Guinness

The ULTIMATE Crockpot Beef Stew


  • Prep Time: 30 min
  • Cook Time: 6 hrs
  • Total Time: 6 hrs 30 min
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Description

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!


Scale

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 Carrots, washed, peeled and chopped
  • 2–3 Stalks Celery, washed and diced (approx. 2 cups)
  • 2 Onions, peeled and cut (approx. 2 cups)
  • 8 oz. Mushrooms, sliced
  • 3–4 Cloves 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 Parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Allspice
  • 1–2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

Optional:  5 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.

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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dawn

    1 December, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    Hi! Is there a way I can just cook this on low all day instead of the 3 hours on high?? Thanks in advance!!

    Reply
    • Debi

      4 December, 2018 at 10:57 am

      Hi Dawn … I’m not sure I would cook it ‘all day’. but yes I get the idea. You can set this before you go to work on low and cook it for 8 hours. I have made this so many times and I find it always comes out the best when the beef isn’t over cooked. So I’m not sure I would cook it any longer than that.

      Reply
  2. Jennifer

    11 December, 2017 at 7:19 pm

    Just wondering on how many servings and what size portion did you base your nutritional information on ? I understand it Is an estimate but it would help me.

    Thanx
    Jennifer

    Reply
  3. Kathy Truelove

    11 January, 2016 at 12:02 am

    So,I made this stew for dinner tonight and it was awesome. A very rich and flavorful stew. My husband really liked it. I will definitely make this again. Thanks.

    Reply
  4. Kathy Truelove

    9 January, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    Can I use a sweet red wine if that is all I have?

    Reply
    • Debi

      10 January, 2016 at 2:27 pm

      I think that would be fine

      Reply
    • Jim

      22 March, 2016 at 10:11 am

      Go buy a $10 bottle of dry red wine and drink it with the stew. Ask at your local liquor store for their recommendation…don’t spend more than $10

      Reply
  5. Jae

    15 December, 2015 at 3:09 am

    I tried to look carefully, but must have missed how many servings this recipe makes? I need to make enough for about 10 adults and 5 kids (likely in more than one crockpot). What do you suggest? Thanks for the help! πŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Debi

      16 December, 2015 at 9:53 pm

      Hi Jae ~ I would double the recipe!

      Reply
      • Jae

        16 December, 2015 at 11:40 pm

        Thank you. Can’t wait to try it!

        Reply
  6. MyKin

    13 December, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    Can you use stew meat already cut up?

    Reply
    • Debi

      13 December, 2015 at 7:44 pm

      of course! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. MaKay

    25 November, 2015 at 4:29 pm

    What specific wine do you use? I am horrible about knowing which ones do what. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Gail Neumann

    14 November, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    This is by far the best stew I have ever made, and I have made quite a few. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I also cut and sliced up items the night before so the next morning would go smoother.. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Debi

      15 November, 2015 at 7:01 pm

      thanks for your comment Gail! I’m glad you liked it ! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  9. Char

    6 October, 2015 at 11:56 am

    Is it possible to cook this entire recipe on high or will it compromise the flavor? Or on low for a prolonged period. My prep is done and unfortunately I didn’t read all the way through. I was about to brown the meat and am glad to pre-cook all the things in the cast iron skillet.

    If it will not come out without following your time guidelines in your opinions, just tell me that and I’ll follow the recipe.

    T

    Reply
  10. Carole white

    29 June, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    Is arrowroot healthier than cornstarch?

    Reply
    • Debi

      30 June, 2015 at 12:29 pm

      HI Carole ~ that’s a good question. People tend to use arrowroot who are allergic to corn or avoiding GMOs. You can buy Non-GMO cornstarch now too. Arrowroot results in a clearer, shinier texture than cornstarch. It survives the freezing process much better and works better in acidic liquids (certain sauces, soups, etc.)

      Where it doesn’t work so well is in many fruit pies and some other baked goods because it tends to break down under high heat, and in dairy dishes because you’ll end up with a gooey texture.

      I hope that helps. Thanks for your question!

      Use arrowroot in place of corn starch whenever your needs match the above.

      Reply
  11. Deane

    9 April, 2015 at 4:08 pm

    might want to reread recipe…..alot of things missing….list of ingredients missing carrots and garlic…..instructions are missing when to use tomato paste……what happened to the salt and pepper….should always use salt and pepper in each step to layer flavor…..to be honest this lacked a lot of flavor

    Reply
    • Debi

      9 April, 2015 at 8:09 pm

      Deane – thanks for finding all those typos!! I’m not sure how all that got past me. Working from home with kids can do that to a person. I fixed all of them (and found another). You’re my editor from now on! πŸ˜‰

      Sorry you found the stew bland, it’s one of my favorites. Hopefully you’ll give it another try and let us know if you added anything to make it more tasteful for you.

      Reply
  12. Julie Stanley

    9 December, 2014 at 3:48 am

    Hi
    I want to try this but are there any substitutions for the wine and beer?? Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Cindy Saraiva

      9 December, 2014 at 8:51 pm

      If you’re worried about the alcohol, Julie, it cooks out. Adds great flavor.

      Reply

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