Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

Chunks of beef slow-simmered with turkey bacon, carrots and celery in a deep, rich Guinness gravy until fall-apart tender. The ultimate Irish comfort food.

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Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: guinness beef stew, guinness stew, irish beef stew

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 708kcal

Equipment

Large heavy-based pot or Dutch oven with lid

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2.5 lb beef chuck 1.25 kg; or boneless short rib or other slow-cooking beef
3/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
2 onions chopped
6 oz turkey bacon 180 g; or speck or pancetta, diced
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
440 ml Guinness beer 14.9 oz (see Note 1)
4 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock 750 ml; or beef broth
3 carrots peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large celery stalks cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

Instructions

Cut the beef into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks, pat dry, and season with the salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot over high heat. Brown the beef well all over in batches, moving each batch to a plate.
Turn the heat down to medium, adding a little more oil if the pot looks dry. Cook the garlic and onion for 3 minutes until starting to soften, then add the turkey bacon and cook until browned.
Stir in the carrots and celery, then add the flour and stir for 1 minute to cook it out.
Add the Guinness, stock and tomato paste and stir well so the flour dissolves. Add the bay leaves and thyme.
Return the beef and any juices to the pot. The liquid should just cover it.
Cover, lower the heat to a gentle bubble and cook for 2 hours, until the beef is quite tender. Uncover and simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes, until the beef falls apart easily and the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Skim off any fat if you like, season with salt and pepper, and remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.

Notes

Guinness: It's the key flavour of the sauce, but you won't taste "beer" in the finished stew. For an alcohol-free version, use 2 cups water, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 crumbled beef bouillon cubes instead (it becomes a classic beef stew).
Oven: Cover and bake at 320°F (160°C) for 2 1/2 hours, then uncover and cook 30 to 45 minutes more to reduce the sauce.
Slow cooker: Use 1 cup less stock. After adding the Guinness and stock, bring to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pot well, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Reduce the sauce on the stove if needed.
Pressure cooker: Follow the slow cooker directions and cook on HIGH for 40 minutes.
Flour: Adding flour after the vegetables (rather than dusting the beef) gives a nicely thickened sauce without burnt flour.
Broth: Chicken stock lets the Guinness come through more; beef broth works well too.
Nutrition: Estimated per serving from the ingredients, without mashed potato and before skimming any fat.

Nutrition

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