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. Stove, oven, 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!
Best beef stew I’ve had in a long time. The whole family loved it. I did use beef stock instead of chicken and I also used hickory smoked thick cut bacon
as i am cooking for 3 – i will half the recipe. Would the cooking time still be the same as if i were cooking for 6? or do i half that as well? (slow cooker)
Why is mine so watery? I made it exactly per recipe but I thought the gravy would be much thicker but its thin and runny as.
This one was a miss for me. I thought the stew was okay, but I wouldn’t make it again. I followed the directions for the stovetop method. The bacon flavour didn’t seem to come through enough to warrant the nutritional change and it seemed to need more dimension when it came to the seasoning. Maybe using beef stock instead of the chicken stock recommended would have yielded a more flavourful stew.
I’ve made this recipe 3-4 times. Very good. The last time I made it I used an oatmeal stout and simmered it for several hours. It was the best I’ve made. Not sure if it was the beer or the longer simmer. Either way it’s the only beef stew I’ll make. Fantastic.
As a Canadian, stew has been a staple for long cold winters. This is the “king” of stews. The flavour was so plentiful and the consistency was hearty. The gravy was thin when it was fresh and got thicker when refrigerated and reheated.
I made this tune as per recipe. Probably the best chuck roast/stew I’ve have ever prepared! I will definitely make this again!
Hi can this be cooked in advance…put in fridge then reheated?? if yes instructions please
Yes. It helps the flavorscombine and meld.
Yes it can. The flavours develop more. The guidance is 3 days after which it can be frozen rather than wasting it. Be sure to reheat it thoroughly (stir it) to a simmer.
I’m sure that like all stews, it gets better when reheated. I would suggest ladling it out into smaller containers once it’s done, so it can cool down quickly. That’s better for food safety. Once it’s not piping hot anymore put lids on. If you have low temperatures and space outside, you can put it outside to cool. Otherwise wait another hour for it to get to room temp and put it in the fridge. Reheat on the stove on medium low heat in small portions as needed. Or in the microwave. You do you.
Lovely texture and appearance but it had a very metallic taste. I slow cooked it 8 hrs on low and that helped. Plus I added Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tb each brown sugar and ketchup.
Sorry! I meant to give this wonderful recipe a 5 star rating. 🙂 !
Happy Thanksgiving!
Seriously tasty; thank you!
My hubs and I had Covid last week – opted out of being with friends / family for safety sake….and couldn’t look at one more piece of poultry sooooo….Irish Guinness Stew to the rescue.
Incredibly tasty. I know he’ll love the leftovers; me, too! Thanks again. Winner.
I’ve been using this recipe for years and it never disappoints! I make it in the crock pot and add potatoes and extra carrots and celery!! So so sooo good!
My go to Irish stew recipe. It’s the best! I brown my meat off and then put it on low in the slow cooker all day, it turns out perfect every time! Not a celery fan so I substitute for mushrooms. Thank you for another great recipe!
This is now a staple in our house. I discovered it a few months ago as weather is getting chilly here in UK and we’re in need of something hearty. I like to sauté some garlic mushrooms then add to the finished stew, add a good lug of Worcester during step 7, and serve with parsley. Gorgeous recipe, thanks Nagi!
I made this without the bacon (I forgot to buy it) and it was 5 stars as is. I can imagine how much better it will be with the bacon. Excellent recipe
I’ve made this a few times, the first I didn’t pre-cook the beef and it made a world of difference to the tenderness and flavour when I did it right the next time! Also, I got a tip from a chef in an Irish pub to make it with double the beer & stock and instead of reducing, just remove the excess fluid and make Guinness gravy with it – OMG it’s SOOOO good with pies and mash- or anything for that matter!! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m Irish and have been making this for a long time. There’s nothing better than and Irish Stew and the flavour of the Guinness just makes it divine for a cold autumn or winter’s day.
It’s cooking at the moment but it already smells mouthwatering!
Thanks for a really good recipe.
Now there is non alcoholic Guinness!
Perfect hearty recipe as the chilly fall weather rolls in. I halved the recipe based on the amount of stew meat I had bought, and followed the pressure cooker instructions for my Instant Pot — the beef was perfectly tender. Used a stronger microbrewery imperial stout, which is what I had on hand instead of Guinness, but the flavor was still great and not too bitter. (Only half a can for the halved recipe, so I enjoyed drinking the rest!) Really looking forward to the leftovers this week as I expect the flavors will meld even better.