A big bowl of this Irish Guinness Beef Stew makes a supremely satisfying meal for the entire family. This beef stew is unrivaled in tenderness and flavor. It’s also perfect for weekly meal prep, as leftovers taste amazing.
Irish Guinness Beef Stew
After a blustery winter filled with intense polar vortex vibes, we’re [hopefully] seeing some light at the end of the arctic tunnel.
I’ve tried hard not to bat a frozen eyelid at the extreme temps this winter, but I’ve admittedly whined on occasion. Twice a day on the worst days. Just keeping it real.
On the plus side, I did manage to conquer the freeze baby in me by continuing to run outdoors throughout the winter when possible. I even drilled new screws into my old run shoes so I could hit the snow-laden paths, which then resulted in massive blisters, but no need to camp there.
I’ve even done some classic bribing for all the boys to go snowshoeing and winter hiking with me. It’s amazing what teen boys will do for freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
But first, dinner. Dinner before dessert. Most of the time 😉
In honor of spring coming up and all things Irish, we’re feasting on this lucky-delicious Irish Guinness Beef Stew today. St. Patrick’s is this Sunday, which is kind of a big deal because it’s also our Sam Dog’s birthday. A few years ago, we adopted a St. Patrick’s day puppy, and he’s been sporting a shamrock outfit on his birthday ever since. Sometimes I even join him.
Needless to say, you totally don’t have to be even a little bit Irish to enjoy scrumptious Irish Beef Stew for dinner and this Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Cake with Whipped Frosting afterwards…
What Ingredients Do I need to make Irish Guinness Beef Stew?
- For starters, use an affordable 3-4lbs of boneless chuck or london broil. Chuck tends to be the most flavorful and tender in a long braise situation, as it’s marbled throughout.
- Fresh aromatics and herbs such as garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and rosemary. Fresh is forever best.
- Beef broth, tomato paste, and salt/pepper
- Worcestershire. It may not be traditional in beef stew, but don’t skip it; it lends such great umami flavor to the stew.
- A bottle (11-12oz) of Guinness beer: Irish dry stout is beautifully dark and thick. There is no beer-y taste nor alcohol once it’s been cooked into stew, but it provides a richness in flavor.
- We add baby potatoes towards the end of cooking; make sure they’re no more than 1 inch in size. Add in at the end to prevent them from becoming overly soft. These bite size spuds are perfect, as they hold together well in stews.
- I add a bit of cornstarch slurry at the finish, for a thicker stew consistency.
Can I use a slow cooker or instant pot?
Short answer: Yes.
If you go the slow cooker route, you’ll need to brown the beef pieces in a skillet prior to loading everything (including dissolved cornstarch) into your slow cooker. I typically go with 8-10 hours on low; add in the potatoes during the final 2 hours.
For the Instant Pot/pressure cooker, you can brown the beef and veggies using same directions as the stovetop method on sauté mode in the Instant Pot itself. Then add the remaining ingredients, including dissolved cornstarch. Set to pressure cook on high for 35 minutes and let it do a natural release.
Once the stew is done, add kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper to taste at the end.
Why you’ll love this Irish Guinness Beef Stew:
- Hello, Deliciousness. This is one fabulously flavorful, tasty, scrumptious stew.
- It’s customizable for stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
- This stew awesome for meal prep; leftovers taste incredible.
- I’m not Irish, but I’d serve this to my Irish friends because it’s that good.
- My finicky tweens gobble this stew up like nobody’s business.
- Bonus: this recipe is on my healthy-ish list. Once I’ve skimmed the fat off the top of the finished stew, it’s on my fitness menu.
Irish Guinness Beef Stew Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 min
- Cook Time: 2 hours 45 min
- Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
A big bowl of this Irish Guinness Beef Stew makes a supremely satisfying meal for the entire family. This beef stew is unrivaled in tenderness and flavor. It’s also perfect for weekly meal prep, as leftovers taste amazing.
Ingredients
- Olive oil for browning
- 3–4 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed
- 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bottle (11-12 oz) Guinness Beer
- 4 TB tomato paste
- 4 cups regular strength beef broth
- 4 cups sliced carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inches
- 2 cups sliced celery, sliced into 1/2-inches
- 1 TB freshly chopped rosemary
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 pound whole bite-size baby potatoes, 1-inch diameter each
Instructions
- Use paper towels to thoroughly pat dry the beef roast, removing any excess moisture. Cut into 1-1.5 inch thick cubes. Season with 2 tsp kosher salt (not table salt) and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat all sides with seasoning.
- In a large, heavy pot (I use my Dutch oven) heat 3 TB olive oil over high heat, until very hot. Brown the beef cubes in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the pieces. Brown all sides of beef cubes, turning them over as they brown; Continue to heat up more oil for browning as needed. Transfer all browned beef pieces to a separate bowl.
- Using same pot with browned bits still on the bottom, heat up more oil and stir in the onions and garlic. Stir 2-3 minutes until translucent and aromatic. Gently pour in the beer and Worcestershire sauce, stirring to combine. Add tomato paste, beef broth, carrots, celery, and return the browned beef to the pot. Stir gently to ensure all veggies and beef are submerged in broth. Sprinkle in the fresh rosemary and bay leaves.
- Bring mixture to a low boil, cover and allow to simmer 2 hours. After 2 hours, uncover and stir in the baby potatoes. Bring back to a low boil and allow to simmer another 45 minutes until the beef and potatoes are to your desired tenderness. Once done, taste and season with additional kosher salt and black pepper if desired. Remove bay leaves and let stew sit for 10 minutes to allow grease to rise to the top; skim off excess grease and serve warm.
Notes
Entire stew can be made up to 1-2 days in advance. Leftover Irish Guinness Beef Stew is delicious, and is perfect for meal prep. Cover airtight and chill until ready to reheat.
Slow Cooker: brown the beef pieces in a skillet prior to loading everything (including dissolved cornstarch) into your slow cooker. Cook 8-10 hours on low; add in the potatoes during the final 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper.
Instant Pot/pressure cooker: brown the beef and veggies using same directions as the stovetop method on sauté mode in the Instant Pot itself. Then add the remaining ingredients, including dissolved cornstarch. Set to pressure cook on high for 35 minutes and let it do a natural release. Salt and pepper to taste.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating ♡
- Category: Main, Dinner
- Method: Stovetop, Slow Cooker, or Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Irish American
Keywords: Irish Guinness Beef Stew, Irish Beef Stew, Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Instant Pot Beef Stew, Beef Stew, Stovetop Beef Stew
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I have to make this. I make beef stew all the time, but I’ve never made it with beer before.
l love beef and Guinness stew. When I travel to Britain, it is usually the first thing I look for. Over the years I have honed my own version of this. Two other ingredients I add are chopped bacon into the cooking liquid. And about 1/4 cup of cognac just before serving.
This looks so amazing!! I may try this with chicken instead.
I’ve never had beef stew with the addition of beer, but I gotta tell you, this recipe looks delectable. Just wondering how prominent the beer taste is after it’s cooked down a bit. Does it intensify or just hide there in the background. Either way, I’d love to give this dish a try.
You can’t taste the beer at all, but it gives great depth to the stew!
I love how this stew is customizable. I would probably go the slow cooker route. I love throwing everything in in the morning and coming home to cooked lunch.
This is an awesome beef stew recipe. And, all the more reason to enjoy a Guinness while you wait to eat
Agreed!
YUM! GET IN MY BELLY!
This looks delicious!! Bookmarking for sure! I am always looking for new and yummy recipes!! Thanks for sharing!
Not much more to say than that this made me drool all over my keyboard. So making this!
What a hearty and flavorful meal! This makes me feel like I can stand the winter a bit longer if I could eat this stew! Definitely going to try this out!
My mouth is seriously watering over here! This looks like such an awesome and fulfilling stew; I can’t wait to make this! Simply delicious!
There is something so nice about a beef stew! Reminds me of my childhood i guess! This looks delicious!
oh this stew looks amazing. especially with all the cold weather.
This looks like a perfect Sunday stew on any Sunday not just St. Patrick’s. It looks so flavorful and delicious.
This looks really good. My husband would give me a big hug if I’d surprise them with this on a sunday dinner.
I love finding new recipe to try and this one seems so easy to prepare. Will try making this.
What a fitting dish for St Patrick’s Day! It looks totally delicious and easy to make.
I love beef stew and have had it often but I must say adding the Guinness beef is a twist that I have never tried. Will have to try it.
This is really mouthwatering, believe me! Would love to try!
I LOVE meat cooked with beer, so yummy. Your recipe looks excellent, I am bookmarking this one!
This looks hearty and satisfying…I would LOVE bowl of this. Beautiful stew for St. Patrick’s Day…a nice twist from the traditional spread.
I love stews especially since its still feels like winter even enough its spring now. This recipe looks amazingly delicious! I would love to give this a try
Wow, this stew looks so comforting and filling! I need to make this before the weather heats back up!
That looks so rich! Not sure I could eat a full bowl myself.
Delicious! I made this in my instant pot and it was perfect! I’ll definitely make again!! Thank you!
Yay, Tina!! That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Happy continued cooking 🙂
I’m making this right now – when do you add the Worcestershire sauce?
Hi, Lauren! I updated to include the Worcestershire sauce while adding broth. Also updated prep time. Thank you, and hope you like the flavors.