Guinness Beef Stew

This stove top stew has a hearty rich flavor that makes it the perfect comfort food!

Guinness Beef Stew is a dish that includes Guinness stout beer, beef, stock, and root vegetables. This dish has Irish origins. The original Irish stew contained mutton or lamb, root vegetables, and stock. The stew would be simmered for two to three hours so the tough cuts of meat could be soft and palatable. Many Irish people immigrated to the United States in large numbers during the mid 1800s, escaping from the starvation caused by the potato famine. In America, sheep were not as plentiful thus Irish cooks used beef and other readily available meats for Irish stew instead. Modern recipes now include Guinness and sometimes parsley dumplings.

My father and I have always had a taste for Guinness. During university and some time after, I frequented an Irish pub. It was the only place in town, at the time, that poured Guinness properly. The pub was a warm friendly place where all the servers, cooks, and managers knew everyone’s name. They gladly welcomed new customers as well as the regulars. I loved going there, getting a pint of Guinness, a hot hearty meal, and listening to the live Irish music on the weekends. Years ago my parents took me to the town my father lived during his college days, and he showed me his favorite place to go. It was a lovely little Irish pub that reminded me so much of the one I frequented. I got quite wistful seeing how our paths had been alike in this small way.

I have been eating Guinness dishes since I was a little girl. A version of this recipe was made during my childhood by my father. A few years ago I was looking through one of his favorite cookbooks and found the recipe for Guinness pot roast that he loved to use. I have adapted the recipe to a stew dish for you to enjoy!

Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

Yields 4 servings

Specialty Tool: Flameproof dutch oven or heavy-bottomed lidded pot

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours and 20 minutes

Beer Pairing Suggestion: Stout or Porter

Wine Pairing Suggestion: Cabernet Sauvignon

Directions

Pat the beef dry with a paper towels and salt and pepper the meat.

Heat the oil in the dutch oven to medium heat. Brown the beef in batches for 5 to 8 minutes. Set beef aside on a plate.

Brown the onions in the beef juices for about 4 minutes.

Pour the Guinness into dutch oven to scrape up the brown bits.

Add the beef stock, celery, rosemary, bay leaves, and thyme.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook on the stove top for 1 hour.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for 1 hour more. Discard the bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve hot with slices of Irish soda bread or a crusty French baguette.

If you want more green in this dish, stir in 1/4 cup of frozen peas in the last five minutes of cooking.

Turnips and parsnips also taste great in this stew! Add them in the last hour when you add the potatoes and carrots.

DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?

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