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Beef & Guinness Stew

This traditional Irish stew is perfect for those colder evenings when you just want a bowl of something tasty in front of the fireplace
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Irish
Keyword Beef & Guinnes Stew
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 380kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 kg stewing beef cut into 1inch cubes. I used wagyu chuck in this one.
  • 4 carrots roughly chopped
  • 2 celery sticks roughly chopped
  • 2 white onions roughly chopped
  • 2 star anise
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic crushed
  • 4 sprigs thyme
  • 4 slices smoked bacon diced
  • 500 ml beef stock
  • 880 ml Guinness 2 x 440ml cans
  • 4 tbls plain flour
  • 2 tbls chopped parsley
  • 1 dried chili
  • 2 tbsp oil

Instructions

  • Season meat and fry in batches on medium to high heat in 1 tbls oil until golden brown - approx 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Remove meat from pot and leave on clean plate.
  • Fry bacon until brown and fat has rendered.
  • Add carrots, celery, onion, star anise, bay leaf, dried chili & garlic to pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to lift the bits stuck to the pan.
  • Add beef back into pan along with its juices.
  • Add 800ml Guinness, stir and cook for 5 mins until simmering.
  • Add beef stock & thyme. Cover and cook on low heat so stew is simmering for about 1 - 1.5 hours until beef is tender.
  • Mix flour with remaining Guinness to make a paste and stir into stew. Cook for another 20 minutes until sauce has thickened.
  • Serve with some mashed potatoes and sprinkle with parsley to finish.

Notes

 

Essential Tools

  • large pot / dutch oven
  • small mixing bowl
  • chopping board
  • knives
  • measuring jug/spoon
  • tongs
  • wooden mixing spoon

Tips/Tricks

  • adding spices like anise & chili are optional. I like the spice kick but obviously they aren't "traditional" Irish ingredients
  • when frying the meat do so in batches, this allows temperature of pot/pan to remain high, therefore caramelizing the meat and adding a nice crust rather than grey looking meat
  • this stew will freeze very well
  • keeps for 3 - 4 days in the fridge
  • some recipes suggest rubbing the meat in flour first I find that this can burn in the pan and burnt stew = no good, so this is why I make a paste and add later

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 750mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5465IU | Vitamin C: 9.9mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 3.8mg