St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to bust out your dutch oven and make Guinness Beef Stew! This Irish stew features Guinness beer broth, beef stock, tender browned beef, plus carrots and potatoes. The ultimate comfort food recipe for cold winter nights or St. Patrick’s Day celebrations!
Guinness Beef Stew: Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is still a month away, but I couldn’t resist sharing this deliciously hearty Guinness beef stew recipe with you! I’d classify this recipe as textbook comfort food. And perfect for the bone chilling weather we’ve been experiencing lately.
And while it’s definitely not a trendy instant pot meal or 30 minute meal, it’s worth every single minute of prep! And it’s not hard… just one of those meals you should make on a day when you have plenty of time to hang around the kitchen. For me, this is a slow and cozy Sunday meal.
Why You’ll Love Guinness Beer Irish Stew?
- This recipe defines comfort food, and is perfect for the cold winter months!
- The beef broth base is rich, robust, and spiked with an entire bottle of Guinness stout! The Guinness beer adds tons of flavor but does not make this Irish stew taste like beer.
- Plenty of tender stew meat, onions, carrots, and potatoes make this a hearty “stick to your bones” kind of meal.
- Want to add even more veggies? In addition to the onions, potatoes, and carrots, add celery or parsnips. Stew is pretty flexible, so you can make it your own. Add a dash of hot sauce or Worcestershire sauce or more of whatever floats your boat!
What to Serve with Beef Stew?
- My family enjoys this beef stew ladled over buttery egg noodles or served with a few buttermilk biscuits.
- A Ceasar salad is a delicious side-dish to add to this Irish stew.
- This beef stew is honestly hearty enough to serve on its own. Or serve it with a simple piece of crusty bread!
Something about Irish stew and a crusty piece of bread that just hits the spot, ya know? Lots of healthy nutritious calories and carbohydrates, what’s not to love? And of course if you’re looking to add more nutrition, a small salad would be a lovely addition.
What’s in Guinness Beef Stew? Ingredients and Substitution Ideas!
- Flour: The secret to browned beef? Dredging the beef in all-purpose flour.
- Salt and Pepper: Adds flavor when needed. I suggest using the amounts called for, then adding more to taste if needed.
- Vegetable Oil: In a pinch, canola oil or even oil oil will work.
- Beef: Boneless beef chuck works best for this recipe. I prefer using grass-fed beef, but use the best you can afford/easily find.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic, garlic powder is not an acceptable replacement for this recipe.
- Tomato Paste: Adds a rich tomato flavor to the beef broth. Don’t replace with crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: In a pinch, red wine vinegar may be used instead.
- Guinness Beer: While I don’t suggest replacing this, red wine can be used instead.
- Beef Broth: Beef broth or beef stock both work. Personally, I love beef bone broth.
- Fresh Herbs: Bay leaves, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and parsley add flavor and brightness to this hearty beef stew.
- Brown Sugar: Adds just the right amount of flavor balance. I promise it won’t make your beef stew sweet.
- Veggies: Onions, potatoes, and carrots add texture and substance to this Irish beef stew. Prefer carrots, celery, and potatoes? Add 1/2 cup of sliced celery, just don’t omit any of the veggies called for. Especially the onions, which add so much flavor.
- Cornstarch: Thicken the beef stock into a rich and hearty beef broth. You should not omit, replace, or reduce this ingredient.
Let’s Make Guinness Beef Stew
- Browned Beef: Dredge the meat in flour mixture then sear the beef in a well oiled pan and brown well on all sides.
- Add Guinness Beer: Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and Guinness beer and vigorously stir with a wooden spoon. You want to scrape all those yummy brown bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Make it Beef Stew: Add the beef chunks, beef broth, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary, and remaining salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 2 hours.
- Add Veggies: Add in the brown sugar and veggies and cook for another hour, or until the vegetables have softened.
How to Freeze Guinness Beef Stew
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, this Guinness beef stew freezes great! Here’s how to do it so you always have comfort food on hand:
- Cool your Guinness beef stew completely! You never want to freeze hot or even warm food.
- Then transfer the Irish stew into a large freezer-safe container or ziplock bag. For best results, leave about 1/2-inch of space from the top of the container.
- Place the container in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to chow down, simply remove the container from the freezer and thaw in the refrigerator.
Although you can freeze beef stew, I personally find it tastes best eaten fresh. But the good news? It’ll keep, stored in the fridge, for up to 4 days! So you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it!
Can I make it in the Slow Cooker?
This Irish stew should definitely start being cooked in a dutch oven on the stove top. The reason? The beef needs to be browned and so do the root vegetables. Cooking these ingredients in a large skillet and letting them brown adds so much flavor to the beef stew. And you wouldn’t get the best flavors or textures if you just dumped everything into a slow cooker and let it boil.
All of that being said, you can definitely cook this recipe to step 4, then dump everything in the slow cooker and let it simmer away. The cooking time might vary a bit since the heat in a slow cooker is less predictable. Add the slurry about 10 minutes before you plan on serving, so the stew has plenty of time to thicken. This takes a little bit longer in the slow cooker.
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