Classic Irish Beef Stew fills your bowl with a hearty dinner that’s made of tender beef, crisp bacon, vegetables, and Guinness! Prep this St. Patrick’s Day recipe with just 30 minutes of hands-on time!
Enjoy Irish flavor all day long by starting your St. Patricks Day with Irish Cream French Toast! Then polish off this dinner recipe with a slice of Chocolate Guinness Cake!
This Irish Beef Stew is an easy way to serve up a St. Patrick’s Day dish without putting in a lot of work! With tender meat and vegetables, it’s also one that will leave everyone’s bellies full while simultaneously pleasing their taste buds!
Normally I make a traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage feast for dinner. But this year I wanted to try something a little different so I turned to this Guinness Beef Stew!
And it does not disappoint! The addition of Guinness makes for a rich stew with a great depth of flavor. Between that simple ingredient and just 30 minutes of prep, this is a recipe you’ll find yourself making even after St. Patrick’s Day has passed!
Ingredient Notes
One spoonful of this Guinness Stew Recipe will lead you to a second serving in no time! The meaty base of the recipe is boneless beef chuck that’s cut into chunks and crispy crumbles of bacon.
From there the stew is built up with vegetables such as chopped white onions, minced garlic, sliced carrots, celery, and cubes of Yukon gold potatoes. Next up are a handful of pantry staples like all-purpose flour, salt, ground black pepper, granulated sugar, dried thyme, and bay leaf.
The list of ingredients that round out the stew includes Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, tomato paste, and Guinness beer. When it comes to the beer you really can use any dark ale, a stout, or even a porter.
If you’re not a fan of putting beer in the stew you can totally leave that out! Doing so will just cause you to increase the amount of beef broth and Worcestershire sauce.
How To Make Irish Beef Stew
- Cut the beef into chunks and then toss it with salt and pepper. Afterward, set it aside.
- Fry the bacon in a dutch oven until it becomes crisp. Then remove it to crumble it up, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
- Brown the beef in the dutch oven. Once it’s finished cooking transfer the browned beef to a plate, again leaving the leftover fat in the pan.
- Saute the onion and then add in the garlic to cook.
- Stir in the flour and cook until golden brown.
- Pour in the beer and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven. Next, whisk in the broth and tomato paste.
- Add the browned beef and crisp bacon back into the pan. Then stir in the carrots, celery, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Boil the mixture, reduce the heat, and cook. Afterward, remove the lid and simmer until the stew thickens up.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve everyone a bowl of Beef and Guinness Stew!
Frequently Asked Questions
If I Don’t Want To Use Beer In This Recipe How Much Beef Broth and Worcestershire Sauce Do I Need?
You would need to increase the beef broth to 3 1/2 cups and the Worcestershire sauce to 1 Tablespoon.
Can I Make This Stew In The Oven Instead Of On The Stovetop?
Definitely! To do so, just assemble the stew the same way. Then once everything has been added to the pot simply transfer the pan to the oven. Cook it for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.
When it’s time for the stew to simmer to thicken up just remove the cover. Then continue cooking for 30 minutes.
What Other Kinds Of Potatoes Could I Use In This Beer Beef Stew?
A good substitute for the Yukon gold potatoes would be russet potatoes. You want waxy potatoes, or ones with thin skin so that they hold their shape after being boiled.
What If I Don’t Have Any Beef Broth?
Not to worry! You can swap it out for beef stock or even chicken broth. It can also be replaced with 1 1/2 cups of hot water mixed with 1-2 beef bouillon cubes.
How Do I Store Leftover Irish Stew?
Just transfer the cooled stew into an airtight container and then keep them in the refrigerator. Enjoy them for up to 3 days!
You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
When March is on the horizon I begin looking forward to delicious Irish flavor that’s found in recipes just like this Beef and Ale Stew! Here are more mouth-watering recipes that have just as much tasty flavor!
- Pot of Gold St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes – Made with a doctored chocolate box cake mix, homemade buttercream frosting, and candy!
- Corned Beef Hash – A simple breakfast hash that puts your leftovers from St. Patrick’s Day to delicious use!
- Traditional Irish Coffee – Mix up this spiked coffee recipe in just 5 minutes using Irish Whiskey!
- Easy Irish Fried Cabbage and Bacon – The perfect side dish to your St. Patrick’s Day dinner!
- Irish Cream Milkshake – Combines just two ingredients to deliver a sweet dessert and a cocktail in one cup!
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Classic Irish Beef Stew with Guinness
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Garlic press
- Paring knife
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck boneless
- Salt for seasoning
- ground black pepper for seasoning
- 8 slices bacon
- 3 white onions chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 18 oz Guinness or other dark beer
- 1½ cups beef broth
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 large carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 large celery ribs sliced
- 1½ cups Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Cut the beef into 1½-inch chunks. Toss with salt and pepper and set it aside.2 lbs beef chuck, Salt, ground black pepper
- In a dutch oven, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove it from the pan, crumble and set aside but leave the bacon fat in the pan.8 slices bacon
- Sear the pieces of beef by putting a few pieces in the dutch oven at a time. As the pieces brown, transfer them to a plate. Again, leave the fat in the pan.
- Sauté the onion for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.3 white onions, 3 cloves garlic
- Stir in the flour, and cook until this turns golden.⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Add the beer, and use a wooden spoon to gently scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.18 oz Guinness
- Whisk in the broth and tomato paste, until incorporated.1½ cups beef broth, ¼ cup tomato paste
- Add the beef and bacon back to the pan.
- Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.2 large carrots, 2 large celery ribs, 1½ cups Yukon gold potatoes, 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook covered for 2 hours. Then remove the lid and allow it to simmer for another 30 minutes until it has thicken up.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
Notes
- If I Don’t Want To Use Beer In This Recipe How Much Beef Broth and Worcestershire Sauce Do I Need? You would need to increase the beef broth to 3 1/2 cups and the Worcestershire sauce to 1 Tablespoon.
- Can I Make This Stew In The Oven Instead Of On The Stovetop? Definitely! To do so, just assemble the stew the same way. Then once everything has been added to the pot simply transfer the pan to the oven. Cook it for 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F. When it’s time for the stew to simmer to thicken up just remove the cover. Then continue cooking for 30 minutes.
- What Other Kinds Of Potatoes Could I Use In This Beer Beef Stew? A good substitute for the Yukon gold potatoes would be russet potatoes. You want waxy potatoes, or ones with thin skin so that they hold their shape after being boiled.
- What If I Don’t Have Any Beef Broth? Not to worry! You can swap it out for beef stock or even chicken broth. It can also be replaced with 1 1/2 cups of hot water mixed with 1-2 beef bouillon cubes.
- How Do I Store Leftover Irish Stew? Just transfer the cooled stew into an airtight container and then keep them in the refrigerator. Enjoy them for up to 3 days! You can also freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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