Recipe: Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

St. Patrick’s Day is this Friday and what better way to celebrate than with some classic Irish fare made with the iconic and quintessential Guinness stout!

This dish not only embodies a perfect nod to the holiday and Irish heritage, but it’s simple to make, using just one big pot. Even more importantly, however, it is exceptionally delicious with the rich maltiness of the Guinness perfectly complementing the beef’s flavour.

While simple, it also does take time to properly bring out all the savoury tastes in this stew, requiring a few hours of simmering at a low heat. Rest assured the payoff is well worth it though, as it will make the beef beautifully tender and give it a deeply rich flavour.

You’ll undoubtedly be looking for many more excuses to whip up a batch of this stew in the future, whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day or not.

Note: If the alcohol in the Guinness is at all a concern, fear not as it will all be reduced off through the cooking process.

Ingredients

2.5 lbs stewing beef, cut into bit sized chunks

8 oz bacon, sliced into 1” pieces, approx. 6-7 strips

1 large carrot, cut into ½” thick pieces

1 large parsnip, cut into ½” thick pieces (you may opt to simply use 2 carrots instead)

2 medium white or yellow potatoes, cut into 1” cubes

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 yellow cooking onions, chopped

1 full can of Guinness stout

3 cups beef broth

5 tbsp tomato paste

4 sprigs of fresh thyme (can sub with 1.5 tsp of dried thyme if need be)

4 tbsp all-purpose flour

4 tbsp high-heat cooking oil (canola, peanut, grapeseed, avocado, etc.)

Salt and black pepper for seasoning beef cubes

 

Method

1. Dab beef cubes with paper towel to dry, then season well with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large cooking pot on high heat. Once the oil is hot, add beef cubes in batches being sure not to overcrowd the pot. Once they are browned, transfer them to a plate or appropriately sized bowl. Repeat with remaining beef and set it aside once done.
3. Lower the pot heat to medium and add in your garlic and onions, cooking for about 4 minutes or until well softened.
4. Add bacon and cook until browned, then add in all remaining veggies (carrot, parsnip, mushrooms, potatoes) and cook until they begin to soften a bit, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Add flour in over ingredients in the pot then stir in until it has coated all the ingredients, let flour cook off for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the can of Guinness, beef broth, and tomato paste, stirring well to combine and also ensuring flour is dissolved.
7. Now add the beef back to the pot, including any drippings that have accumulated, and add sprigs of thyme so they are resting on top of other ingredients but slightly submerged by the liquid.
8. Lower the heat so the stew is at a bubbling simmer and cover the pot. Cook covered for 2 hours, slightly stirring occasionally about once every 30-40 minutes.
9. Uncover pot and cook for another 30-45 minutes, this will ensure the excess liquid cooks off and the stew reduces and thickens appropriately.
10. Once done, add more salt and pepper to taste if desired and remove thyme sprigs. Most of the leaves should have come off and be well mixed in by now. Congrats! You have just made an amazing stew.

Notes for serving:

This stew is great served over some mashed potatoes and accompanied by a frosty pint of Guinness draught stout. Though of course it can be enjoyed simply by itself.

Bon Appétit!