Guinness Irish Stew
It's a St. Patrick's Day Feast
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I have three different recipes coming at you today, all with one common theme - Guinness! This creamy, smooth beer with a malty sweetness, hoppy bitterness, and roasted taste adds incredible flavor to both sweet and savory dishes.
If you are looking for a recipe to make tonight, this is it. The ingredients may be humble, but the result is a deeply flavored, stick to your ribs stew. My husband liked it so much that we will be adding this to our annual rotation. Plus, it reheats great the next day and freezes well.
There is one interesting technique that I tried with this stew that I had never done before. Instead of tossing in a bay leaf just before the stew begins its long simmer, I added three bay leaves to the pot from the get go. Once the oil started shimmering, the bay leaves are added and begin to infuse their signature flavor right away. The leaves take on some color and add their essence to the meat as it browns. I absolutely loved this technique and will start trying it with other soups and stews in the future!
Guinness Irish Stew
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 ½ to 2-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt, divided use
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided use
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
3 bay leaves
1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness Irish Stout
3 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Position the rack to the lower third of the oven to accommodate the size of your Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
Season the stew meat with 1 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the bay leaves. Add half of the beef in a single layer and cook until browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (The beef will not be cooked through.) Transfer to a large plate. Add another 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and brown the remaining beef. Transfer the rest of the browned beef to the plate, but keep the bay leaves in the Dutch oven.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the all-purpose flour, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to coat the onions and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the bottle Guinness to deglaze, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and dried rosemary. Stir to combine. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the stew is boiling, cover the Dutch oven with the lid and transfer to the oven.
Cook at 275 F for 1-1/2 hours. After this time has passed, remove the pot from the oven and add the carrots and potatoes to the stew and stir to combine. Cover and return to the oven. Cook for 60 minutes more or until the potatoes and carrots are knife tender. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Serve with Rustic Beer Bread with Whipped Guinness Honey Butter.
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