Guinness Beef Stew

This Guinness beef stew is loaded with beef chuck, vegetables and you guess it, Guinness beer, which gives it a great depth of flavor and makes it perfect for a cold night.

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner. Man this year is really flying by. One of the things I wanted to do with the blog is actually have recipes posted ahead of time for different holidays so you can make it on the actual holiday.

So when trying to think of what to have for this Irish holiday, I figured why don't we combine one of their most popular dishes with by far their most popular beer - beef and Guinness stew

If you've followed this blog, you might remember a certain creamy garlic mashed cauliflower recipe. Well it was made specifically for this Guinness stew. And I must say the stew is the real star here.

Guinness is a beer that is well-known in the baking world for marking chocolate even richer, but it also gives great flavor to savory dishes as well. This stew has such deep flavor and would be great on a cold night.

Even if you aren't a huge fan of beef stew (Lauren isn't), you'll enjoy this! It really is the perfect comfort food in March. Hope you give this Irish beef stew with Guinness a try this year and enjoy.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• What is the Difference Between Guinness Draught and Extra Stout?
• Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Options
• How to Thicken
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Other Soup Recipes
• Guinness Beef Stew

Recipe Ingredients

• Olive oil - helps cook the beef.
• Beef chuck - perfect for a slow cooked stew.
• Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme - where most of the flavor comes from.
• Bacon - adds flavor to the Guinness stew.
• All-purpose flour - helps thicken the stew.
• Guinness beer - the star of the show.
• Chicken and beef stock - the combination gives a good mouth feel.
• Tomato paste - adds some richness.
• Bay leaves - adds aroma and flavor.
• Cornstarch - if you want to thicken the stew even more, this is perfect.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper and add in batches, until browned on each side. Should be 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside onto plate and repeat with remaining beef.
2. Lower pot to medium heat and add the bacon and cook until bacon fat is starting to brown and fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir flour into mixture.
3. Add Guinness beer slowly until flour is dissolved, scraping bottom to get the brown bits. Add chicken stock, beef stock, tomato paste, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Return the beef to the pot as well as any juice from them. (I use both chicken stock and beef stock so Guinness beer is more pronounced but you can use beef stock only)
4. Bring to boil and then cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove lid and simmer for another 30-45 minutes or until beef is starting to fall apart. Remove the bay leaves and thyme.
5. At this point I wanted it slightly thicker so I mixed some cornstarch with more beef stock and then added to stew and let cook for another 10 minutes. (You can skip this step if it's thick enough for you) Adjust for seasoning.
6. Serve over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.

What is the Difference Between Guinness Draught and Extra Stout?

Draught and Extra Stout are pretty similar but Draught has a little more coffee notes and creamy where as the Extra Stout has a slightly drier finish. You can use either in this recipe.

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Options

With the slow cooker, you cook everything as instructed below in a pot. After you add the Guinness into the pot, bring to simmer and ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot well to get all of the brown bits and flavor. Then transfer to slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.

For an Instant Pot, follow slow cooker instructions, but cook on HIGH for 40 minutes then do natural release.

How to Thicken

The easiest way to thicken any type of soup/stew is by using cornstarch. You whisk 2 tbsp cornstarch in ¼ cup stock or water and then add to the stew as it is cooking. It is super important to whisk the cornstarch with the stock in a separate bowl beforehand to make a slurry. If you just add the cornstarch to the stew, it will be clumpy and take quite a while to cook out.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Add cold oil to a cold pot or skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the beef. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
• Do not skip searing the beef chuck as it helps create flavor and seal in the juice.
• Use a combination of chicken and beef stock which allows you to highlight the Guinness flavor.
• If you like a thicker stew, mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with ¼ cup beef stock before adding to the Guinness beef stew as it is simmering.
• Do not overcook the stew. It shouldn't cook longer than 3 hours, otherwise you'll have dry beef.

Other Soup Recipes

• Chili
• Chicken Barley Soup
• Roasted Cauliflower Soup
• Beer Cheese Soup
• Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

If you’ve tried these Guinness beef stew or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.