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Stew season is here! My Irish Beef Stew recipe might use the simplest ingredients in your pantry but produces the most complex flavour and tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef. Would you like to know my secret ingredient?
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I love a stew. Not only does a good stew taste amazing while filling the house with stunning aromas, they are also forgiving to make and come together without a lot of stress.
A good stew fills us up and and warms us up from the inside out. Which means that, as the temperature drops, it is the perfect recipe for any household.
This Irish Beef Stew is rich and delicious, and packed full of the meat, potatoes and vegetables we all crave. What could be better?
Beef and Guinness Stew
Like all good stews, this recipe uses time in the best possible way. By cooking slowly, the meat tenderises and flavours come together to make a rich, wholesome stew.
But there is another secret to getting this amazing flavour. To put it simply this beef stew gets a lot of its flavour from Guinness.
Through almost no effort of your own and by simply adding a can of stout into the pot, you can end up with deep and robust beef stew that will warm you up from the inside.
As you can see from the ingredient photo above, there is absolutely nothing fancy that goes into my beef stew. So how do we avoid getting a bland, flavourless stew?
There are a few tricks that will prevent that from happening. I usually talk a lot of about quality ingredients but this time it’s all about slow cooking and using a couple of cooking techniques properly.
The Ingredients
Beef, onions, carrots, celery and potatoes are the most common players when it comes to making an Irish stew. All affordable and staple ingredients in most homes.
Apart from beef, of course. Beef is always on the pricey side.
What is so great about stews is that you can successfully use cheaper beef cuts and have stellar results as opposed to Beef Stroganoff where steak is necessary.
I recommend using stewing beef available in supermarkets or beef shoulder. I personally often find it is cheaper buying a beef shoulder roast and cutting it up in bite-sized chunks at home.
If you want to go a more authentic route, use lamb for a traditional Irish stew.
What makes cheaper and tougher beef turn into tender and luscious little bites is longer cooking time. Beef Stews are at their best when cooked low and slow. This recipe is no exception.
You can cook your beef stew in a This is an affiliate link.Dutch oven as I’ve done here or you can use your slow cooker or a pressure cooker such as This is an affiliate link.Instant Pot.
Slow Cooker Method
Follow the recipe up to step 4, then add carrots and potatoes and cook in a This is an affiliate link.slow cooker on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Pressure Cooker Method
Follow the recipe up to step 4, then add carrots and potatoes and cook in a pressure cooker in Manual Mode for 45 minutes.
Whatever method you choose, you will have the same rich and flavourful beef stew if you take the time to follow the initial steps of browning the beef and cooking the onions until soft and translucent.
As I mentioned earlier beef stews are extremely easy and forgiving recipes. They are based around slow cooking but there are a few other things that contribute to that success. Look below for some top tips on getting the best results from this recipe.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I recommend using stewing beef or beef shoulder roast cut into chunks for this Irish Beef Stew
- Use waxy potatoes such as red-skinned potatoes, which hold shape and won’t fall apart in stews and soups.
- Brown the beef until you see beautiful golden crust on it as shown in photo 1 in the collage above. This step is single handedly responsible for the depth and richness of the stew.
- Take the time to cook the onions. I see this step often being overlooked. It literally hurts me to see so many cooking videos on Facebook where onions are briefly stirred, then liquids added.
- Onions have to be cooked for at least 10 minutes to get the full benefit of that beautiful ingredient in dishes. They need time to release their natural sugars and change the texture from crispy to soft and luscious. They also need to be cooked over low heat to prevent them from burning and turning bitter.
- Deglazing the pan/pot aka scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon when adding the liquid. This simple but necessary step helps imparting more flavour into the dish.
- It’s easy to make this stew gluten-free. Simply substitute flour with cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the stew.
Serving suggestions
A stew is a hearty meal all on its own. No need to add a lot to make this a meal that will keep you satisfied for a long, long time.
But you’ll want something to soak up all that delicious flavour from the bottom of your bowl, and that job calls for a chunk of warm and delicious bread. I also like to add some fresh parsley for more flavour and a splash of colour.
And if you want to turn this into an Irish feast, who am I to stop you? Traditional Colcannon and Potato Farls would be my pick.
Storage and leftovers
Having a few meals in the freezer, ready for when you need them, is a great way to keep things stress free on those days when there isn’t time for meal prep. A stew like this one is pretty much the perfect choice.
A stew freezes well and can be reheated just as easy. Freeze it for up to 3 months or keep it in a refrigerator for 3-4 days, using a good This is an affiliate link.airtight container.
Reheat in microwave or, ideally, a This is an affiliate link.saucepan. Add a splash of water if it is looking too thick.
More cold weather comfort food recipes
- Beef in Truffled Cream Sauce
- Russian Sweet and Sour Beef Stew Solyanka
- Beef Goulash
- Pork Loin Steaks in Creamy Shallot and Mushroom Sauce
Irish Beef Stew
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Cast iron Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
- 700g / 1½ lbs stewing beef
- 1 onion, medium
- 3-4 sprigs thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp flour
- 500ml / 2 cups water, or beef stock, divided
- 440ml / 1 can Guinness, or other stout
- 1 This is an affiliate link.bay leaf
- 4 carrots, medium
- 4 waxy potatoes such as red potatoes, medium
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160℃/300℉
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven/cast iron casserole pot and brown the beef chunks seasoned with salt and pepper over medium heat until golden. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Move the browned beef to one side of the pot and lower the heat, then add chopped onions and thyme, cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes until tender. Then add minced garlic and cook briefly for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and stir the beef, so it’s coated, then add the water or beef stock if using and scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to release the brown bits at the bottom. Add the Guinness, one or two bay leaves, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Then cover with a lid and put in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- After one hour take out of the oven and add carrots and potatoes cut into large chunks to the pot, stir and add 250ml/1 cup of water, cover with a lid and continue cooking the stew in the oven for 1.5 hours. Take the lid off for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Serve with bread and sprinkled with some fresh parsley for more flavour.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is hands down the most delicious stew I have EVER cooked! My goodness, and my house smelled amazing while it was cooking away in the oven. Honestly, I don’t normally find stew super exciting but this one will stay on my special list of top recipes now!
Thank you so much!
I am so happy to hear that, Alanna!!
Do I still put the stew in the oven for the first hour if I’m making it in the crockpot?
Hi Sharon, you don’t need to put it in the oven if using a slow cooker.
DO you need to add beer because I’m giving some to my kids too
Guinness gives this stew a very unique and delicious flavour. You can definitely substitute with beef stock but it won’t taste the same I am afraid
Won’t the alcohol in the beer burn off during cooking? Don’t have to worry about kids eating it. Am I right?
Correct! The stew is in the oven for 1.5 hours and most of of the alcohol is burnt off by the time it’s done. There will be traces left but so are in vanilla extract and a million other things we consider safe. I fed this stew to my kids but some people are extra cautious.
I realized this is an older post and you may not still be monitoring for comments.
What would you recommend to do for someone who has a texture issue with onions for this recipe? They love the flavor but cannot eat them without getting sick. Would onion powder be acceptable? If so, how much and when would you add it?
Thank you,
Shea
You can certainly try onion powder, Shea. I would use about 1 tsp in the same step when regular onions are added in the recipe.
Delicious! I made it with 2 cups of beef broth and no Guinness and it was still yummy. Perfect instruction – it cooked perfectly. Thank you!
Good stuff! I am happy to hear the stew flavour holds up even without the Guinness! Thank you for sharing, Brooke.
I like barley in my stew…can it be added to a crockpot way of cooking or will it just lump up
Yes, it can, Diane! In fact I have done it with one of my recipe for Italian Beef Ragu.
Older cooks swear that stew needs either TURNIP OR RUTTABAGA to ensure good flavor. I’ve used boyh and can testify that it does indeed improve flavor.
Hi Jeri, this recipe is easily customisable, so you can add any vegetables you love. I personally don’t care for turnip or rutabaga. There were indeed much more popular with older cooks than they are now as they are very hardy, so were easy to grow in any climate. 🙂
Can you tell me how many onions you recommend in this recipe? TY!
One medium onion, Deb! I hope you like it.
Can you taste the beer? I’m not a fan of even the smell of beer, but would make it as long as I couldn’t taste (or smell) it..haha!
Hi Colleen, I just asked my son this question and he was genuinely surprised there was beer in that stew, so my guess is it doesn’t taste or smell of beer but it does enrich the flavour in such an incredible way. I would highly recommend trying it!
Thanks for all your delicious recipes! Any suggestions to replace the beer since I’m gluten free.
Hi Jaqueline, you can use red wine instead of beer, it will bring the depth of flavour that comes from Guinness although slightly different taste notes. My second choice is beef stock but I am not as fond of that one. 🙂
Thanks. I will look for a gluten free beer then. I made your French Chicken recipe and loved it. I’m excited to make more of your recipes . Thank you!
That is so great! Yes, gluten free beer might be a good option but red wine will also work quite well in this stew if you can’t find dark gluten free beer.