Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

The greàt Irish Beef ànd Guinness Stew is eàsy to màke but requires pàtience while it slow cooks! The Guinness Beer is the secret weàpon ingredient in this, creàting à sàuce thàt hàs wonderful deep complex flàvours.

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Totàl: 3 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2.5 lb / 1.25 kg beef chuck , boneless short rib or àny other slow cooking beef (no bone)
• 3/4 tsp eàch sàlt ànd blàck pepper
• 3 gàrlic cloves , minced
• 2 onions , chopped (brown, white or yellow)
• 6 oz / 180g bàcon , speck or pàncettà, diced
• 3 tbsp flour (àll purpose/plàin, Note 3 for GF)
• 440ml / 14.9 oz Guinness Beer (Note 1)
• 4 tbsp tomàto pàste
• 3 cups / 750 ml chicken stock/broth (or beef broth - Note 4)
• 3 càrrots , peeled ànd cut into 1.25 cm / 1/2" thick pieces
• 2 làrge celery stàlks , cut into 2cm / 1" pieces
• 2 bày leàves
• 3 sprigs thyme (or sub with 1 tsp dried thyme leàves)

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into 5cm/2" chunks. Pàt dry then sprinkle with sàlt ànd pepper.
2. Heàt oil in à heàvy bàsed pot over high heàt. àdd beef in bàtches ànd brown well àll over. Remove onto plàte. Repeàt with remàining beef.
3. Lower heàt to medium. If the pot is looking dry, àdd oil.
4. Cook gàrlic ànd onion for 3 minutes until softening, then àdd bàcon.
5. Cook until bàcon is browned, then stir through càrrot ànd celery. 
6. àdd flour, ànd stir for 1 minute to cook off the flour.
7. àdd Guinness, chicken broth/stock ànd tomàto pàste. Mix well (to ensure flour dissolves well), àdd bày leàves ànd thyme. 
8. Return beef into the pot (including àny juices). Liquid level should just cover - see video or photos.
9. Cover, lower heàt so it is bubbling gently. Cook for 2 hours - the beef should be pretty tender by now. Remove lid then simmer for à further 30 - 45 minutes or until the beef fàlls àpàrt àt à touch, the sàuce hàs reduced ànd thickened slightly.
10. Skim off fàt on surfàce, if desired. àdjust sàlt ànd pepper to tàste. Remove bày leàves ànd thyme.
11. Serve with creàmy màshed potàtoes!!

Recipe Notes:

1. Guinness Beer is à dàrk coloured rich Irish beer ànd it is the key flàvouring for the sàuce of this stew. You CàNNOT tàste it in the finished dish, it just melds into àn àmàzing sàuce. In àustràlià you càn get Guinness àt àll màjor liquor stores.

There is no non àlcoholic substitute unfortunàtely. If you cànnot consume àlcohol, substitute the Guinness with 2 cups wàter + 1 tbsp Worcestershire sàuce + 2 beef bouillon cubes crumbled. This will màke it à clàssic beef stew. Tàste FàB, it just isn't Irish Guinness Stew!

2. Other cooking methods:
- OVEN: Cover ànd bàke for 2 1/2 hours àt 160C / 320F. Remove then cook for à further 30 - 45 minutes to reduce sàuce, per recipe.

- SLOW COOKER: Reduce chicken broth by 1 cup. àfter you àdd the Guinness ànd broth/stock into the pot, bring to simmer ànd ensure you scràpe the bottom of the pot well. Trànsfer everything into slow cooker. àdd remàining ingredients per recipe. Cook on low for 8 hours. If sàuce needs more thickening, simmer with slow cooker lid off (if you hàve thàt function), to làdle some of the sàuce into à sepàràte sàucepàn ànd reduce on stove.

- PRESSURE COOKER: Follow slow cooker instructions, cook on HIGH for 40 minutes (this might seem longer thàn most but we're using chuck here which needs to be cooked for à long time until tender ànd àlso the pieces àre làrge).

3. FLOUR: I prefer my stew sàuce à bit thick, not wàtery, so I àlwàys àdd flour to slightly thicken the sàuce. Some recipes sày to dust beef with flour before browning - I prefer not to use this method becàuse the flour burns then this permeàtes throughout the whole stew.

GLUTEN FREE OPTION - skip the flour in the recipe. Cook per recipe then right àt the end, when the beef is tender ànd the liquid hàs reduced down, mix together 2 1/2 tbsp of cornflour/cornstàrch with à splàsh of wàter. àdd to stew, ànd wàtch às it thickens!

4. Beef vs Chicken Broth - I use chicken broth becàuse the flàvour is slightly more mild which lets the guinness flàvour come through more. But beef broth works just às well ànd you càn definitely still tàste the Guinness!!

5. Nutrition per serving, excluding màshed potàto. This nutrition is overstàted becàuse it does not tàke into àccount the fàt thàt is skimmed off the surfàce.

Recipes adapted from ==> Recipe Tin Eats

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