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!
Hi Nagi,
Wondering when you would add potatoes if you wanted to add to the recipe? With the carrots and celery?
I made this stew for 190 people for a St. Patrick’s Day Dinner/Dance in our community. Everyone just loved it!! Thank you Nagi for this outstanding recipe!!
I made this stew and it was absolutely delicious! I follow your blog almost daily and love all your recipes I’ve tried. Also, keep the Dozer pics coming – love him!
Looks absolutely wonderful! Just wondering if I can use lamb instead of beef in this recipe? I have this bag of frozen lamb chunks in my freezer, and this looks like a delicious way of using it up. Thanks!
Yes definitely Athena!
I have to make this for a work potluck lunch. Can I cook this overnight and take it to work in the am and warm it up? How long would it take to reheat and would it still taste the same?
Hi Robert – It will taste the same and better! How long to reheat depends on method (microwave, stove, oven). But from fridge cold, plan for around 15 mins. Stir gently regularly to distribute heat as you reheat. — Nx
Guinness is hardly a secret weapon when it’s called Guinness stew. And yes it is a crime to use beef.
Give us a smile Dermot, come on mate.
Nagi’s recipes are brilliant, I am Irish and I prefer her beef stew to the lamb one I was raised on.
well you don’t seem to be known for your community spirit and upbeat vibe, do you Dermot…? 😉
Bazing!!!! Thx Bec. No need for recipe trolls here. Nagi’s recipes are always amazing
Would I be able to cook this in an instant pot? I just bought one and want to use it and this looks so good!
You sure can Amanda! Just follow the Pressure Cooker instructions in the recipe card 🙂
Wanting to try this recipe because of all the rave reviews. But a question about sautéed bacon with onion? If bacon grease accumulates does it get absorbed by the onion?
Hi AnnMarie! No, the onions won’t absorb grease. The grease will float to the surface once you add liquid. Just skim excess fat off at the end of cooking, per the recipe.
Your recipe is quite similar to mine (which I just made this week) except that mine also has potatoes and coffee extract.
You would not think all that snow was so romantic if you lived in it. When I lived in Chicago, we had to get up an hour earlier than usual in the winter to see if the driveway had to be shoveled so we could get out. If you had to shovel, it took almost an hour and then you were pooped before your day even began. Then you had to drive to work in it and freeze your butt off getting in to the office. Every parking lot had mountains of snow piled up around the edges and by spring they were super dirty and ugly. And everything was a huge mess! After 8 years up there I was super glad to get back to Texas!
I, too, seem to love every recipe that I have tried from your site, Nagi. I want to love this one as well, it looks beautiful! I worry about having to keep it GF for hubby. Sure I can omit the flour, but what about the star ingredient? I just found this on wheat-free.org: “With the exception of Breo White Beer, none of the products produced by Guinness Ireland Group contain wheat. However all our beers are brewed from malted barley. Barley contains a protein called hordein which is somewhat similar to gluten, the protein in wheat that causes difficulty for quite a few people.” This was new news to me. Still, I would love to ask you & your groupies 🙂 who may be GF or gave this to someone(s) who are, how did they fair? Thanks to all.
I’m 83 (84 next week) living alone now and a lousy cook but have been trying to learn.
Always looking for quick & easy recipes. Doesn’t everyone?
I cooked this for an elderly Irish lady on my charge and she absolutely loved it! The only changes made was to use one tablespoon of puree (for two of us we used much less beef) and also I stirred in a small teaspoon of wildflower honey in the last ten minutes of cooking. Will definitely be doing this one again
Sounds divine Georgina!
I have made this recipe multiple times – it is a staple when I want to feed comforting food to people I love! I add mushrooms too – but that’s the only tweak and it comes out fabulously every time. I lived in Ireland for four months a few years back and this is the closest I’ve found to the Guinness Stew I had while there. It’s wowed many diners at my table – and I’m preparing to make it again in a few moments – as I live in Ireland again for a few months while abroad with students. Excited to use proper Irish Beef and the best Guinness!! 💗
I have made this recipe multiple times – it is a staple when I want to feed comforting food to people I love! I add mushrooms too – but that’s the only tweak and it comes out fabulously every time. I lived in Ireland for four months a few years back and this is the closest I’ve found to the Guinness Stew I had while there. It’s wowed many diners at my table – and I’m preparing to make it again in a few moments – as I live in Ireland again for a few months while abroad with students. Excited to use proper Irish Beef and the best Guinness!! 💗
Mushrooms would be fabulous Gina, I’m so happy you love this recipe – N x
Just made your Guinness stew, it was wonderful!
Awesome Trish, Thanks so much for the feedback!
I want to make this today, it sounds delicious! How soft are the veggies after all that time? Can I put them in halfway or does that mess with the flavour? Thanks!
Hi Elle, because they are cut in fairly decent chunks, they are not overcooked by the time the stew is done ☺️
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it tomorrow. I’ve had a Guinness Beef Stew in Ireland and have never been able to replicate what I’ve had there but this looks the same. I was thinking of putting some cube potatoes (red or Yukon) in with the rest of the vegetables instead serving over mashed, do you think that would turn out right or do you think they would just become mush from cooking for so long?
You could do this but I would add them towards the end and cook no longer than an hour depending on size. – N x
Hi I have this simmering on stove in Dutch oven right now. I didn’t need to add water as the 3 cups of chicken stock were more than enough to cover veggies and meat. Is this ok? Seems like a lot of liquid. I can’t wait to see how it thickens up and taste. Will come back and do a rating.
Hi! Sorry for the delay in responding – how did this turn out for you??
You really don’t need flour at all… after a stint in the oven, cook on the stove uncovered, and you will thicken the stew admirably. …just sayin’ if you don’t want o mess with the flour.
You could always leave it out if you prefer ❤️
I was told about your recipes from my son. Every recipe I have tried is excellent. We have a butcher store and I make something weekly to share with our customers.I am going to make the Irish stew this weekend.
I made this for my family last night. It was wonderful! The sauce is very rich and even the three-year old loved it! I did just what Nagi suggested and cut large pieces of meat from a beef chuck. Perfect winter food.
Thanks for letting me know you loved it Jo!