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This GUINNESS BEEF STEW RECIPE is absolutely what you would want when walking into an Irish pub. This stew is rich and hearty, the beer gives that perfect bittersweet flavor.
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GUINNESS BEEF STEW
This Guinness Beef Stew Recipe has so much flavor! The mushrooms add extra umami, the onions and carrots bring a little sweetness along with the brown sugar. The stew is not sweet by any means but has enough sweetness to balance the bitterness of the beer, letting you just enjoy the comforting and complex flavors of Guinness! The fresh herbs give that little floral note that just makes it feel special.
Instead of cooking chunks of potatoes in the stew, we are serving fluffy mashed potatoes alongside or on top. Use this CREAMY MASHED POTATOES recipe.
INGREDIENT OPTIONS:
You can make this as a traditional stew and instead of serving over mashed potatoes, you can add cubed potatoes into the stew about 30-45 minutes before serving.
Extra Stout Guinness can be used. Add an extra teaspoon of brown sugar to counter the bitterness of the extra stout. You can absolutely add as much or little brown sugar as you would like!
I used ¼ cup of flour which made a nice soup-stew thickness… if you prefer more of a gravy-stew thickness add more flour, try ⅓ cup.
You can sub dried herbs for the fresh if you wish, I would recommend starting with 1 teaspoon of each.
CAN THIS STEW BE MADE IN THE SLOW COOKER?
Yes!After step 8 just add everything to your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH STEW:
HOMEMADE OAT ROLLS – COLCANNON POTATOES –
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef stew meat or cubed beef chuck roast
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 cups chopped carrot
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 pint sliced baby bella mushrooms
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 16oz Guinness beer
- 1 large sprig rosemary
- 1 large sprig thyme
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2-3 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 4 Tablespoons Olive oil (divided)
- Salt/Pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Pat the pieces of beef dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.
- Add the carrots, onion, celery, and mushrooms to a dutch oven or heavy bottomed soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute over medium high heat until softened and just beginning to brown. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot, sear the pieces of beef in the pot in batches until all of the beef has been seared. Place all of the beef back into the pot.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup of flour to the beef, stir to coat the beef. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Deglaze the pot with 16 oz of Guinness beer, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, bay leaves, tomato paste, chicken bouillon, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Add the beef broth and water and mix to combine.
- Add the cooked vegetables.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer, cover with lid and let simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- About halfway through, give the stew a taste, add any additional salt, pepper or brown sugar as needed.
- Once the beef is tender you can serve the stew at any time. Serve over a large scoop of mashed potatoes.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6Serving Size 1
Amount Per ServingCalories 561Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 172mgSodium 800mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 4gSugar 7gProtein 58g
Nutritional information on WonkyWonderful is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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FAQs
For most types of stew, it takes time to develop great flavor. Stew uses collagen-rich, tough cuts of meat, which need at least two hours to break down. If you try to rush it and boil the stew, the muscle fibers will shrink and become tough. So give yourself a few hours to let it do its thing.
Why is my beef and Guinness stew bitter? ›
Stouts, like Guinness, are known for their bitterness. If the stew is cooked too quickly or if it doesn't include ingredients to balance the bitterness, this flavor can be very pronounced. This recipe includes a couple of simple steps to tame that bitter flavor and ensure it doesn't overwhelm the stew.
What is the secret to tender beef stew? ›
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
How do you thicken Guinness stew? ›
If you want to thicken your Irish Stew there are several methods. You can make a mixture of flour and water and add it to the simmering liquid or you can do the same with a mix of water and cornstarch. Add either…. around a tablespoon at a time and stir till thickened.
What not to put in a stew? ›
But the liquid itself should not be thick in the same way that gravy is thick. So skip the roux, and don't bother dusting the meat with flour or cornstarch before browning, either, as some recipes will suggest. That will just interfere with getting a good sear on the meat, and gum up the stew with unneeded starch.
What gives beef stew the best flavor? ›
Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.
How do you cut the bitterness out of Guinness in stew? ›
brown sugar.
Guinness is quite bitter, and even though the bitterness does mellow a little after the stew is cooked, I add a small amount of sugar just to balance the flavours. You can use soft light or dark brown sugar. Worcestershire sauce – that magic ingredient that adds amazing flavour to just about everything.
How do you counteract bitterness in stew? ›
Add sugar and/or ketchup to the stew to reduce the bitterness. Butter and salt also help to reduce the bitter taste. Perhaps the beef fat has been cooked too hot and too long. All animal fats, when cooked very hot and very long, start to taste non optimal.
How do I make beef stew meat more tasting? ›
Browning adds flavour and it makes for a better looking final dish. Preheat the pan so it's ripping hot, then cook the beef in batches. An overcrowded pan can lead to boiling instead of browning. Let the meat sit untouched for 2-3 minutes on the first side, then a minute or so on the others.
What is the tastiest meat for stew? ›
Go for the chuck
The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.
It is a tough muscular meat. Longer cooking time at a lower temperature, especially in liquid can make it tender. Longer cooking time + low heat = tender meat. Pat the meat dry and brown it in the kettle you'll be using before adding the other ingredients to start the slow cooking.
What can I add to Guinness to make it taste better? ›
What can I mix with Guinness? There are both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that you can mix with Guinness. Mix champagne for a bubbly finish, rum for a deep richness, or ginger beer for some spice.
What happens if you put too much cornstarch in stew? ›
You cannot fix this. If you leave it as it is it's an unpleasant tasting mess as cornstarch is not totally flavorless, and if you heat it you will get rid of the taste somewhat but the starch will thicken the sauce so much that it's practically solid.
How do they make Guinness so creamy? ›
This creamy head is a result of nitrogenation. While many beers are carbonated using just carbon dioxide, Guinness uses a mix of CO2 and nitrogen. Nitrogen produces smaller, finer bubbles than CO2, resulting in a velvety, creamy texture.
Why put vinegar in stews? ›
Vinegar can add depth of flavour to soups, sauces, and stews. Especially great for tomato-based recipes, you can add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar towards the end of the cooking process to amplify the flavours of your other ingredients.
Why do you add vinegar to stews? ›
If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.
Why do you add vinegar to beef stew? ›
Tough stew meat will take a couple of hours to get tender, and the vinegar helps this happen as well as add special flavor. Then add the onions, carrots, celery, Brussels sprouts etc and cook until the vegetables are the way you like them.
Should you simmer stew with lid on or off? ›
After you bring your stew to a gentle simmer it's important to cook with the lid on as it helps to trap the liquid inside, cook the ingredients evenly, enhance the combination of flavours and prevent the ingredients from drying out.
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