This Guinness Beef Stew dish features tender meat, vegetables, and a hearty beef and stout broth. It’s high-quality comfort food that’s ideal for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day!
This traditional Irish stew comes together quickly in one pot. All you need to do is serve it with Mashed Sweet Potatoes or buttered noodles for a spectacular supper!
Table of Contents
Irish Guinness Beef Stew
If you know me, you know that one of my favorite comfort dishes is beef braise. In fact, it’s one of my top five favorite foods. This Guinness Beef Stew is no exception!
The meat is fall-apart delicious and filled with vegetables in a rich beef and Irish stout stew. What’s not to like about that?
Guinness Beef Stew is one of my favorite dinner party dishes since it requires very little prep and the oven handles all of the work. It’s ideal for feeding a crowd, and the robust tastes of meat and stout never disappoint.
Guinness Beef Stew, often known as Irish stew, is a traditional Irish dish prepared with root vegetables and lamb or sheep, but it is also usually made with beef. While I don’t claim that this is an actual recipe, the tastes incorporated in the meal encapsulate the Irish spirit!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
This is not a difficult recipe! A little chopping, combining, and simmering, and the oven handles the rest. It requires some initial labor but is generally hands-off, leaving you free to focus on other projects.
Budget-friendly – Beef chuck is a cheap piece of meat that serves a lot of people! This supper looks amazing while being simple and inexpensive.
One Pot – I adore a quick supper that just requires one pot! All of the searing, sautéing, and braising takes place in a single dutch pot or braiser that travels from cooktop to oven. Guinness beef stew is the ideal no-fuss meal!
How to Make Guinness Beef Stew
I HIGHLY recommend investing in a dutch oven for this, as well as all of my soups and braises. My is a workhorse in my kitchen that I use virtually every day.
TOOLS NEEDED
GUINNESS BEEF STEW INGREDIENTS
- Beef. Beef chuck is ideal for this dish, but brisket also works!
- Bacon. Bacon gives the guinness beef stew a great smokey and rich taste.
- Veggies. The basic combination of onion, celery, and carrot is used here. For added heartiness, I add chopped cabbage and potatoes.
- Garlic. Garlic improves everything!
- Flour. Flour aids in the thickening of the beef bourguignon sauce. Continue reading to learn how to make this dish gluten-free.
- Tomato sauce. Tomato paste offers a deep, rich taste.
- Beer with a stout body. Guinness is the obvious choice here, but go for the traditional rather than the ‘extra’ as it is considerably bitterer.
- Broth with beef. Homemade is always superior, but real beef stock from the freezer area comes a close second.
- Coffee that has been made to perfection. A slight deviation from tradition, but it provides a rich and delicious flavor.
- Herbs. The nicest herbs to use here are fresh thyme and bay leaves. If required, you might use dried bay leaves.
- Peas. The texture and burst of green are optional, but I adore them!
THE PROCESS
- Make the bacon. Place the diced bacon in the dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the bacon, turning periodically, until browned and some of the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the skillet using a slotted spoon and place it in a small bowl.
- The meat should be seared. Season the meat cubes with salt and pepper all over. Increase the heat to medium-high in the dutch oven and sear the steak on both sides until browned. This may need to be done in batches. Take the meat out of the pan.
- Cook the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the butter. Sauté the chopped onions, celery, cabbage, and carrots in the saucepan for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Cook for another minute after adding the chopped garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato paste has darkened in color. When the tomato paste is done, sprinkle the flour on top and mix well to combine.
- Pour in the liquid and herbs. Pour in the beer and scrape away any browned pieces from the bottom of the saucepan with a silicone spoon. Bring the beef broth and coffee to a boil in a saucepan. Return the meat and bacon to the saucepan with the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves.
- It’s time to braise! Cover the pot and place it in a 350°F oven. Cook for three to three and a half hours, or until the meat is extremely soft. Remove from the oven and set aside for 30 minutes before serving, covered.
Best Beef Cuts for Guinness Beef Stew
It’s critical to choose the right cut of beef for Guinness Beef Stew! You want a cut with enough fat and marbling to be tasty while also keeping it from drying out. Here are some of my favorites:
Beef Chuck – This simple and delicious cut is ideal for braising. A chuck roast is the huge triangular chop from the chuck of the cow that your folks used for pot roast. It’s fat-marbled, which keeps it from drying out during low-and-slow cooking. It’s inexpensive and full of meaty taste.
Brisket – Brisket is another of my favorite braising meats! It’s also reasonably priced, economical, and flavorful. The brisket is a lengthy cut from the cow’s breast/chest that is divided into two sections: flat and point.
- The flat has a coating of fat over the top, yet it is simply a flat square piece of meat. It’s excellent for braising. The point has a more pointed form and a higher fat content. Both work nicely, but if you use the point, plan on removing some of the surplus fat.
Best Beer to Use for Beef Stew
It’s not an Irish beef stew unless there’s some stout in the soup! Guinness is the logical choice for Guinness meat stew! Duh. That being said, if you’re going to utilize guinness, make sure it’s the traditional and NOT THE GUINNESS ‘EXTRA’. The ‘extra’ is bitterer, resulting in a bitter stew.
If you prefer a different stout or craft beer, make sure the IBU (International Bitterness Unit) is low, preferably less than 50. If you use a beer with a strong hoppy flavor, you will end up with a bitter stew.
Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Instructions
I enjoy taking my time braising in the oven, but because to scheduling restrictions, this is not always possible. Here are some additional ways to prepare Guinness Beef Stew.
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker – Use the saute option on your instant pot to cook the dish exactly as described. Allow the pan to heat up before rendering the bacon and frying the meat on the ‘high’ saute setting. Remove the steak and bacon from the pan and sauté the vegetables. Return the meat and bacon to the saucepan with the potatoes and herbs after adding the liquid components. Set the Instant Pot to ‘pressure cook’ for 60 minutes, then release naturally.
Slow cooker – Before putting the meat to the slow cooker, render the bacon and sear it in another skillet or pot. Don’t skimp on this step since it adds SO much flavor! Once the steak has been seared, transfer it to the slow cooker and pour the braising liquid over it. Mix in the vegetables, potatoes, and herbs. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and 1 cup of beef broth until smooth. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours, covered. When the guinness beef stew is cooked, serve it over mashed potatoes.
Storage
If you have any leftovers, Guinness Beef Stew is simple to preserve and freeze!
To store: Allow the guinness beef stew to cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight jar in the fridge for 4-6 days.
Beef Stew Can Be Freezed: You can simply freeze guinness beef stew! Allow the meat and liquid to cool to room temperature before placing in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. While sealing, try to squeeze most of the air out of the bag; this helps avoid freezer burn. Label and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Refrigerate overnight to defrost.
Reheating: Reheat beef stew in a pan or dutch oven. In a dutch oven or pan, combine the meat and liquid, adding a little additional stock or water as needed. Simmer over low heat until the meat is cooked and warmed through.
More Recipes You Might Like
- Slow Cooker Short Ribs
- Pork Pot Roast
- Easy Oven Roasted Pork Butt With Garlic And Herbs
- Cider Braised Pot Roast
Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon diced
- 3.5 lbs beef chuck cut into 2″ cubes
- 1 yellow onion large diced
- 3 carrots chopped
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- 1/4 head cabbage chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups Guinness stout*
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup strong brewed coffee
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 lb baby gold potatoes halved
- 2 cups frozen peas optional
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make the bacon. Place the diced bacon in the dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the bacon, turning periodically, until browned and some of the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon from the skillet using a slotted spoon and place it in a small bowl.
- The meat should be seared. Season the meat cubes with salt and pepper all over. Increase the heat to medium-high in the dutch oven and sear the steak on both sides until browned. This may need to be done in batches. Take the meat out of the pan.
- Cook the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onions, celery, cabbage, and carrots to the saucepan, stirring often for 3-4 minutes. Cook for another minute after adding the chopped garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until the tomato paste has darkened in color. When the tomato paste is done, sprinkle the flour on top and mix well to combine.
- Pour in the liquid and herbs. Pour in the beer and scrape away any browned pieces from the bottom of the saucepan with a silicone spoon. Stir in the beef broth and coffee, then bring to a boil. Return the meat and bacon to the saucepan with the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves.
- It’s time to braise! Cover the pot and place it in a 350°F oven. Cook for three to three and a half hours, or until the meat is extremely soft. Remove from the oven, mix in the peas, and set aside for 15 minutes before serving, covered.
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