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!
The stew I made has a bitter taste. Is that from the stout or is something else wrong with it?
Hi Sally, that’s definitely not right, what kind of stout did you use? – N x
I used Guinness Stout. Same as the one on your video. To fix it, google search suggest I add bi carb sofa and sugar to balance the bitterness. The stew does not taste great. I think your recipe works (cos I tried many and they are awesome) but I am just not sure where I went wrong with this recipe.
Hi Nagi, I cooked this tonight using the Guinness stout and the sauce taste really bitter. I didn’t think the alcohol would still remain after cooking. Any idea what is wrong? I hate waste and am reluctant to throw up the entire pot. Thanks for the rescue.
Hi, What stout did you use here, it definitely should be bitter!
Excellent Irish style beef stew. I made it just like the recipe but used a little less broth and more beer. It came out perfect. Great dish and very comforting.
Sounds like you nailed it Edward!
Fantastic recipe, really tasty. One little thing though simply omitting the flour does not make this dish gluten free. The Guinness itself contains gluten, as does most other beer.
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve come back to look at it each time I cook it which has been about 4 times now! I tripe and sometimes quadruple ingredients so I can freeze leftovers 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Such a crowd pleaser in my home xoxox thanks for sharing!
Wahoo, yes perfect to freeze!
If I could give this recipe ten stars I would! It’s rare that I find a meal that my husband and 3 kids all love, but this one hit the mark. This stew is amazing and doesn’t need to be changed in any way. I served it with mashed potato and some broccoli…soooo good. I’m sure this will now be a staple in my winter repertoire.
Sounds like you nailed it Kylie!
Hi, I was wondering if it matters if you use regular Guinness or Guinness Stout? I am going to make it tomorrow and accidentally bought the stout. Just wondering if it will make a big difference or if I should just go purchase regular? Thanks!
Hi Shannon, the Guinness stout is perfect. Enjoy!
Hi Nagi,
I have it simmering on the stove. Smells so good! I plan to put it in ramekins and cover with puff pastry to make into individual pot pies. x
Great idea!
Today I am making this recipe for the second time in 3 weeks. That in itself says how much e liked this stew. I read most of the comments before the first attempt and fried the bacon on its own, removed to d dish and then continued with the onions and garlic, etc. I made it in a crock pot, reduced the broth to 2 cups, as suggested. From the time I started cutting the ingredients to the time everything went into the crock pot was a little over an hour. I cooked it on high for the firsts 2 hours and then on low for 4 hours. The first time I used a 4 quart pot and it was filled almost to the rim. Today I am using my 6 quart pot (I had a little bigger piece of meat). This is a very good recipe. I had shared with our neighbour and then she asked for the recipe.
I’m so glad you love it Rosanna!!
How about a pie crust on the top??? Using frozen pastry – could I leave the filling with pastry on the top ready to be cooked the following day. Thank you.
hi Nagi this is a fantastic dish and yes it does taste better with beef but it also need about ten carrots the more the better it tastes even better with lots and lot of carrots with love from a Irish mammy x
Thanks so much for the feedback Michelle ❤️
I have made this ready t9 ewheat for tomorrows dinnerlooks good but tastes a little bitter how do i reheat and take away the bitterness please 😘
A question…the salt and pepper quoted in the recipe- is that in addition to the salt and pepper used on the meat??? I’ve taken it that way so now whilst it’s cooking am nervous I may have over done the S&P….
Hi Maryanna, it’s just the 3/4 tsp of each for sprinkling on the beef – I hope it isn’t too salty for you – N x
Loved it! Made it 4 times.
Wahoo! Thanks for the great feedback Fran!
This stew is fantastic! The Guinness is essential. As you noted, Nagi, it adds such a wonderful depth and complexity. I’ve only made it twice this winter, but I’ll have to make it again before it gets too warm. Paired with some buttered parslied potatoes and a chunky Cabernet, it’s a perfect dish for a snowy evening!
Thanks Jeffery, so glad you liked it! – Nx
I made this today and OMG it was so delicious. And easy to make. Seriously!! I served mine with cauly mash wish great too.
Sounds divine Dee!
Awesome stew! Made some cauliflower rice; put the stew on top – delicious! Will definitely put in the favorite recipe box 😊
Oh great Michele!!!
This was absolutely amazing. I used the beef broth option. Everyone needs to make this and feel this happiness!
None of our family like celery. Is there something else I can use as a substitute which will still give a great flavour?
Hi Jayne, you can just leave it out if you prefer- N x
We ate this last night and it was absolutely delicious.
It looks like the pot you used in the recipe was a Le Creuset. Can you tell me what size it was?
Note 1 says you cannot taste the Guinness in the finished dish, yet Note 4 stars you can definitely still taste the Guinness. Just looking for clarification.
That said, can I use Guinness extra stout instead of Guinness draught?
Hi Alexis! What I mean is that it doesn’t taste of raw beer by the end of the cook time. But the sauce flavour is from the Guinness so we don’t want it overpowered with other flavours. 🙂 And YES to stout – I make this with all types of “strong” flavoured beer – ale etc. N x