Description
This traditional Irish Beef and Guinness Stew is a hearty slow-cooked dish featuring tender beef chunks simmered in a rich Guinness beer-infused sauce. The stew is enhanced with bacon, vegetables, and aromatic herbs, producing deep, complex flavors perfect for a comforting dinner served with creamy mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2.5 lb beef chuck, boneless
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 onions, chopped
- 6 oz bacon, diced
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 440 ml Guinness Beer
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 large celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme
Instructions
- Prepare the beef: Cut beef into 2 inch chunks. Pat dry and sprinkle evenly with salt and black pepper.
- Brown the beef: Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pot over high heat. Add beef in batches, browning all sides well. Remove beef to a plate and repeat until all beef is browned.
- Sauté aromatics: Lower heat to medium. Add more oil if pot is dry. Cook minced garlic and chopped onions for 3 minutes until softened. Then add diced bacon and cook until browned.
- Add vegetables: Stir in carrot and celery pieces, cooking briefly to combine flavors.
- Make roux: Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute to remove raw flour taste.
- Add liquids and herbs: Pour in Guinness beer, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Stir well to dissolve flour. Add bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Return beef to pot: Add browned beef back into pot along with any collected juices. Ensure liquid just covers the ingredients.
- Simmer the stew: Cover pot and reduce heat to a gentle bubble. Cook for 2 hours until beef is tender.
- Reduce sauce: Remove lid and simmer for additional 30 to 45 minutes until beef falls apart easily and sauce thickens.
- Finish and season: Skim off any fat from surface. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Serve: Serve hot with creamy mashed potatoes for a classic meal.
Notes
- Guinness beer is key for authentic flavor; if avoiding alcohol, substitute with 2 cups water, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, and 2 crumbled beef bouillon cubes.
- Alternative cooking methods include oven baking at 320F for 2.5 hours, slow cooker on low for 8 hours, or pressure cooker on high for 40 minutes.
- Flour is added to thicken the sauce; avoid dusting beef with flour beforehand to prevent burnt flour taste.
- Chicken stock is preferred for a milder base that lets the Guinness flavor shine, but beef broth also works well.
- Nutrition values exclude mashed potatoes and may overstate fat content as they do not account for fat skimmed off the stew surface.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
