Irish Guinness Beef Stew for St Patrick’s Day!
Let’s toast the heritage of the Irish and St Patrick’s Day coming up on the 17th of March! We were recently out of town and had dinner with my in laws at a wonderful little Irish Pub where I ordered up a pint of Guinness. It was wonderful – pulled just right with a perfect creme head. This inspired me to suggest something other than corn beef and cabbage. So in celebration here is our version of an Irish Guinness Beef Stew! One point I should make is that you don’t have to be a fan of beer at all to enjoy this; the Guinness provides a great depth of flavor that is memorable. Since I like a stew to be thick, we’ve tweaked an Irish recipe just a wee tad to make that happen. Yes, you can add potatoes – but I like a side of thick smashed ones instead or a savory version of Irish Soda Bread!
Irish Guinness Beef Stew
A traditional Irish stew in celebration of St Patrick's Day! A little break from the corn beef and cabbage - and a good reason to drink a Guinness! It slow cooks, but is worth the wait as the Guinness creates a really delicious sauce ... and it is even better when made in advance.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Cultivated Tree Extra Virgin Olive Oil - or our Infused Garlic Olive Oil
- 3 lb Beef chuck, or any slow cooking beef - cut into 2 inch chunks - no bones
- 3/4 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- 2 onions medium size, chopped
- 4-6 ounces bacon or pancetta, diced - cubed pancetta is usually in 4 ounce packages
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 14.9 can Guinness Beer - stew doesn't taste like a 'beer'
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 2-3 cups broth or stock: chicken, beef
- 3 cups carrots - cut in 1 inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tspn thyme
Instructions
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Preheat a large dutch oven to medium high heat. Pat your beef chunks dry with a paper towel before salting and peppering. Brown the meat in batches - browning is easier when the meat is dry.
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Add your Olive Oil to the pan - garlic or single varietal EVOO - after the pan is hot and your meat is prepped. Turn your heat up just a little. When the pan is coated evenly with oil add your first batch of beef and let it brown ... if your pan is heated well the meat will release naturally when it is browned and you can flip it so all sides are browned. Remove and place on platter and repeat until all beef is browned.
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Remove your pan from the heat and let it cool a little; lower the heat to medium. Add additional oil if the pan is dry. Return pan to heat and add onion. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant and then add your bacon or pancetta and brown.
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Once browned - add flour and stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes - keep it moving. Then add your can of Guinness to the pot. Stir to allow the flour to dissolve and to scrape all the little bits from the bottom of the pan.
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Add all remaining ingredients including the beef and juices last. Stir well. Add additional broth or water to make sure the beef and veggies are almost covered.
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Cover, bring to a medium simmer and then lower the temp so it is just bubbling. Or you can pop it in the oven at 325°. Simmer for 2 hours. The beef should be pretty tender by then - remove the lid and simmer for the last 30-45 minutes uncovered.
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Once the beef falls apart easily it is done! Remove the bay leaves, skim any fat from the surface. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with mashed potatoes .... because this an Irish dish!
Recipe Notes
I love Guinness beer, but a lot of people don't. Fear not - even if you don't like beer at all, you will probably enjoy the rich sauce created from this dark brew and the alcohol cooks off.
Any type of potatoes complements this well, but I like a quick mash version with mine or savory Irish soda bread. This recipe was created from tweaking a friends family recipe with the addition of flour and ratio's. We hope you enjoy!
Since this is a hearty dish, any of Cultivated Tree single varietal extra virgin olive oils are a great choice as the recipe indicates, or the delicious Garlic Infused Olive Oil. We hope this warms you well.