There’s no greater comfort food than a hearty stew. And Irish Beef and Guinness Stew might be the king of them all! Guinness gives the sauce an incredible rich, deep flavour, and the beef is fall-apart tender. While it takes time to slow cook, this is very straight forward to make. Stove, oven, in your slow cooker or pressure cooker – directions provided for all.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
Irish Stew may well be the mother of all stews. I mean, you know that anything simmered for hours is going to be a good thing. But this…. this is the stew of your dreams. Arguably the most deeply flavourful sauce of all stews, with a rich dark brown flavour, this is the best of the best.
THIS is the stew I make for company when I want to impress!
With it’s deeply flavoured rich sauce, Guinness Beef Stew is THE stew you make when you want to impress!
What kind of beer goes in Guinness Stew?
The not-so-secret ingredient that goes into Guinness Stew that gives the sauce the deep flavour and colour is Guinness Beer.
Guinness Beer is so dark it is almost black and it’s why the gravy of the stew is such a beautiful deep brown colour. Guinness is also much richer than most beers, which you can see just by looking at the thick creamy head (the foam) that Guinness is famed for.
It’s pretty widely available these days – here in Australia, you’ll find it at most liquor stores.
Meat in Guinness Stew – beef OR lamb
Traditionally, Guinness Stew is made with lamb. But in many parts of the world including here in Australia and North America, Guinness Stew is more commonly made with beef.
I hope the Irish aren’t offended! 🙂 I’ve made it with lamb and to be honest, I do prefer it with beef.
Tip: Use big chunky hunks of beef. Don’t even think about using tiny cubes of beef. It needs to be chunky pieces so it can be cooked for a looooong time to get all that flavour into the sauce! If the pieces of beef are too small, they will cook too quickly and fall apart in the stew before it’s had enough time to develop the deep flavours.
Ingredients in Guinness Beef Stew
In addition to chuck beef and Guinness Beer, here are the other ingredients in Irish Stew.
Garlic and onion – essentials
Bacon – adds extra flavour! Can be skipped, or sub with pancetta or speck
Carrot and celery – potatoes could also be added
Flour and tomato paste – to thicken sauce and the tomato paste also adds some flavour;
Guinness Beer and broth/liquid stock – the braising liquids. I prefer using chicken rather than beef broth because it allows the flavour from the Guinness beer to come through better. Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like beer at all, it transforms into a deep savoury sauce! Also, all the alcohol is cooked out.
Thyme and bay leaves – to add a hint of flavour the sauce.
How to make Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
Though this Irish Beef and Guinness Stew takes time to cook, it is very straightforward. The steps are no different to usual stews like classic Beef Stew:
Brown the beef – brown them well, this is key to flavour. It’s not just the browned beef itself, also the brown bits left on the bottom of the pot (fond) adds extra flavour to the sauce;
Sauté flavour base – onion, garlic, bacon (speck or pancetta), carrot and celery;
Cook off flour and tomato paste;
Add liquids – beer, broth and herbs;
Simmer covered for 2 hours until the beef is pretty tender, then simmer for a further 30 minutes uncovered to let the sauce reduce a bit and for the beef to become “fall apart tender”.
Yes it takes hours but your patience is rewarded with beef so tender you can eat it with a spoon!
The one thing I do differently to most Guinness Beef Stew recipes, including very traditional Irish recipes, is to thicken the sauce slightly with flour. If you don’t do this step, the sauce is quite thin and watery, and while the flavour is still lovely, I really prefer the sauce to be more like a thin gravy.
What to serve with Irish Stew
Serve Beef and Guinness Stew over mashed potato or cauliflower mash for a low carb option. And what about some warm crusty Irish Soda Bread to mop your bowl clean??
I am so glad I have a tub of this in the freezer. I cooked most of the day but gave it all away. The minute I hit Publish on this post, I’m going to get cracking reheating some of this Irish Stew for dinner tonight! – Nagi x
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Beef and Guinness Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2.5 lb / 1.25 kg beef chuck , boneless short rib or any other slow cooking beef (no bone)
- 3/4 tsp each salt and black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 onions , chopped (brown, white or yellow)
- 6 oz / 180g bacon , speck or pancetta, diced
- 3 tbsp flour (all purpose/plain, Note 3 for GF)
- 440ml / 14.9 oz Guinness Beer (Note 1)
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock/broth (or beef broth – Note 4)
- 3 carrots , peeled and cut into 1.25 cm / 1/2″ thick pieces
- 2 large celery stalks , cut into 2cm / 1″ pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme (or sub with 1 tsp dried thyme leaves)
Instructions
- Cut the beef into 5cm/2″ chunks. Pat dry then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a heavy based pot over high heat. Add beef in batches and brown well all over. Remove onto plate. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Lower heat to medium. If the pot is looking dry, add oil.
- Cook garlic and onion for 3 minutes until softening, then add bacon.
- Cook until bacon is browned, then stir through carrot and celery.
- Add flour, and stir for 1 minute to cook off the flour.
- Add Guinness, chicken broth/stock and tomato paste. Mix well (to ensure flour dissolves well), add bay leaves and thyme.
- Return beef into the pot (including any juices). Liquid level should just cover – see video or photos.
- Cover, lower heat so it is bubbling gently. Cook for 2 hours – the beef should be pretty tender by now. Remove lid then simmer for a further 30 – 45 minutes or until the beef falls apart at a touch, the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
- Skim off fat on surface, if desired. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and thyme.
- Serve with creamy mashed potatoes!!
Recipe Notes:
– SLOW COOKER: Reduce chicken broth by 1 cup. After you add the Guinness and broth/stock into the pot, bring to simmer and ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot well. Transfer everything into slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients per recipe. Cook on low for 8 hours. If sauce needs more thickening, simmer with slow cooker lid off (if you have that function), to ladle some of the sauce into a separate saucepan and reduce on stove.
– PRESSURE COOKER: Follow slow cooker instructions, cook on HIGH for 40 minutes (this might seem longer than most but we’re using chuck here which needs to be cooked for a long time until tender and also the pieces are large). 3. FLOUR: I prefer my stew sauce a bit thick, not watery, so I always add flour to slightly thicken the sauce. Some recipes say to dust beef with flour before browning – I prefer not to use this method because the flour burns then this permeates throughout the whole stew. 4. Beef vs Chicken Broth – I use chicken broth because the flavour is slightly more mild which lets the guinness flavour come through more. But beef broth works just as well and you can definitely still taste the Guinness!! 5. Nutrition per serving, excluding mashed potato. This nutrition is overstated because it does not take into account the fat that is skimmed off the surface.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published July 2016, updated with new video and step photos. No change to recipe.
More slow cooked fall-apart beef recipes
Slow Cooked Chicken Stew and Faster Chicken Stew – when you need a rich stew on the table in under an hour!
Browse Winter Warmer recipes and see more Stews!
Life of Dozer
Sulking because he didn’t score any Irish Stew.
Let’s not feel badly for him though. He lives a very cushy life!
Hi Nagi, I’ve made this dish frequently over the years. This time I used 0% Guineas, which is readily available now in the UK. It was perfect- you wouldn’t know the difference. So now you do have a non-alcoholic option without compromising the taste!
Thank you Nagi. I’m Irish and this is my go to recipe for stew. Have made this multiple times. Didn’t change a thing. It’s delicious. Love all your recipes. And love Dozer. Sláinte
Hi Nagi
Long time follower here.
I’ve made this a number of times and it works out well.
One modified suggestion is to add about 1/2 cup of rice 20 mins before the finish, so not to lose the gravy and slightly thicken. Works well for transport – think boats or snow for us!
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s a hit! I got a tip from a chef in an Irish pub years ago that they make theirs with extra beer and stock, slow cook, then ladle the extra fluid off to make Guinness gravy which is sublime with chips or pies…yum!
I’ve made this a couple of times now in the slow cooker. It always turns out fantastic and it freezes well. Great comfort meal on cold wintery days 🙂
My Irish mother who would be 90 years old this year always used flour to thicken the sauce of her beef stew as did her mother before her. So very traditional in our Irish family.
Oh wow Nagi, this seriously good. I’m in Oz and quite cold here today so wanted some “comfort food”. I stumbled across your recipe and it is the bomb. I couldn’t get Guinness btw, so substituted for a can of Sopporo Black beer, tasted amazing. Thanks so much for making my belly feel very satisfied.
Sensational! The Irish stew is delicious.
Very delicious and hearty meal. I slightly changed the recipe by adding one more each of: garlic clove, celery stalk and carrot. At the 45 minute mark when the lid comes off, three potatoes and one medium sweet potato diced into large chunks. 10 minutes left of cooking time, add 2 cups of peas and 1.5 tablespoons of cornflour (cold water slurry). This made the sauce thicker which is what we like for stew. Thank you for this fantastic recipe, I won’t be using anything else for beef stew going forward!
Really tasty. Huge hit with all the family.
Absolutely delicious, hearty and so very simple to make.
My go to beef cut for stews and roasts is rump roast. It always come out fantastic. This last time I made this I thought I had grabbed the rump roast and it was the best I had ever had. The meat just fell apart and the flavor was outstanding!! Well I had grabbed PORK shoulder, lol. So I’m just here to say that you’ve got to try this recipe with pork shoulder as well, it’s amazing!!
Love this. However, I can’t seem to get the meat to be tender… what am I doing wrong?
Should I only brown it a very short time?
Yes, I believe you should only be sealing the meat initially, also it could potentially be the cut of beef you’re getting 🙂
Zee best! Yum!
Superb!
Thank you Nagi for this incredible recipe! Made this stew for a dinner party & it tasted amazing. One person said it was the best dinner he’s eaten this year! Definitely worth making a day in advance. The flavours & colour were richer the next day.
Sorry, didn’t like this at all, lacked flavour, tasted floury, did it in slow cooker
Made it according to the recipe and was probably the best stew I’ve ever made! The next time I make it though, I’ll add just a touch of heat and some green beans. Hats off to you Nagi!!!
Loved this recipe!
Made this a few times as well now. It’s easy to convert into a camping friendly meal too, on an open fire and a cast iron pot. Bubbles away all afternoon and tastes amazing in the evening
I strongly recommend going an extra step and putting a puff pastry lid on top. Turn this stunning stew into a pie.
Ladle off some of the excess liquid, give it a blend, and then you have incredible gravy.