Irish Beef Stew

5 from 14 votes

An easy twist on traditional stew with the addition of Guinness Beer the sauce with tender stew meat, develops a rich, deep flavor.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Irish

Servings:

Calories: 733kcal

Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

6 slices bacon chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs stew meat
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp butter
½ c. yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ c. all-purpose flour
11.2 oz Guinness beer (1 bottle)
4 Tbsp tomato paste
4 c. beef stock
3 carrots or parsnips chopped
½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 stalks celery chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp thyme
3 c. potatoes peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a Dutch oven cook bacon over a medium high heat until desired crispness, remove and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
Season beef with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil to Dutch oven over medium heat. Then add stew meat to Dutch oven and brown the beef. When the beef is done remove and set aside.
In the same Dutch oven add the butter and onions, cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Then add in flour and whisk to make a roux, cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the Guinness beer and whisk until there are no more lumps in the sauce.
Add tomato paste, beef stock, carrots or parsnips, Worcestershire sauce, celery, bay leaves and thyme to the sauce in the Dutch oven. Stir to combine.
Add cooked stew meat, potatoes, and bacon to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover and simmer for up to 2 hours, or until sauce has thickened to a loose gravy and vegetables are fork tender.
Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Remove the Bay Leaves from the stew and serve immediately.

Notes

You may use chicken broth in place of beef. The chicken broth will mask the taste of the Guinness more so it depends if you want to taste the flavor of the beer more or not.

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS

You can make this Guinness beef stew a day in advance so the flavors can develop even more. Just cool the stew before storing it in a container. It will thicken even more in the fridge so add some more beef broth when you warm it up.

Any leftovers will keep for three to four days. You can also freeze it for up to three months.

Nutrition