Beef and Guinness Stew with Guinness Beer Bread

Beef and Guinness Stew with Guinness Beer Bread.  What else would you want to eat on a cold winter night?

The smell of the beef braising in the Guinness with garlic, onions, mushrooms, and carrots until its so fork tender you only need a spoon to eat it will make your mouth water.  Maybe I should call it spoon tender? The deep, malty flavor of the Guinness makes such a great canvas for the tender beef, vegetables, and rich brown gravy.  Served over a bed of seasoned, mashed rustic red potatoes with a warm slice of Guinness Beer Bread and a pat of melting butter, my mouth is watering again!  This hearty, flavor packed Beef and Guinness Stew will warm your heart and make you home smell like heaven.

For a stew to be truly epic, it must have certain elements in my opinion.  I like large chunks of beef, and by that I mean I cut my chuck roast into 2-3″ cubes.  The beef and the Guinness are the stars here.  Browning the meat first is also a must as it really deepens the flavor.  I also prefer an almost gravy-like consistency for my sauce.  At the end of the cooking time if my stew isn’t as thick as I would like, I add an additional amount of flour to give my stew a thicker consistency to really cover the mashed potatoes just like a thick gravy should.  Letting the stew simmer for the proper amount of time is also very important for all of the flavors to develop and for the beef to be spoon-tender.

Last weekend when I made this, my hubby was scheduled to work, so the kids and I decided to head up to the lake where we keep a camper in the woods.  Despite the freezing temps, being all cozy in our camper with movies and board games is just so nice.  You are away from the everyday chores of laundry and house cleaning and its like a weekend vacation.  Its one of our favorite places actually.  Throw in a big pot of this slow cooking, fragrant stew, a loaf of beer bread, and Cranberry Orange Scones for dessert, and you have yourself a little, cozy piece of heaven.

Part of my point here is that even though you could serve this to company to rave reviews, this is a fairly simple dish to prepare.  If it can be done in a tiny camper kitchen, it can be done anywhere.

Start by browning 3 pounds of chuck that has been cut into 2-3″ cubes and dusted with flour, salt, and pepper over a high heat in a little olive oil.  Brown the meat in 2 batches to avoid crowding the meat.  Place in a large bowl when done.

Next, brown 8 ounces of baby portabella or button mushrooms in a little butter and then place in the bowl with the beef.

Saute carrots, celery, and onion until lightly browned.  Add tomato paste, garlic, Italian parsley, and thyme and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add 1 can or bottle of Guinness Stout and bring to a simmer.  Cook and reduce for 1 minute.

Add beef stock and bring to a gentle boil.  Cover and cook 2 1/2 hours until beef is fork (or spoon tender!).

If your gravy isn’t as thick as desired, mix 2 tablespoons flour with 1/2 cup beef stock.  Straining for lumps, pour flour slurry into stew and boil 5-10 minutes until stew thickens.

Serve over mashed red potatoes made with butter, half and half, salt, pepper and Italian parsley.  Garnish Beef and Guinness Stew with additional chopped Italian Parsley.  Warm slices of Guinness Beer Bread and butter, and of course, a pint of Guinness are the perfect accompaniments.  I hope you love my Beef and Guinness Stew with Guinness Beer Bread as much as my family does.  Enjoy!

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Beef and Guinness Stew with Guinness Beer Bread

The smell of the beef braising in the Guinness with garlic, onions, mushrooms, and carrots until its so tender you only need a spoon to eat it will make your mouth water.

Course supper

Cuisine Irish

Keyword Beef and Guinness Stew with Guinness Beer Bread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 8

Author Jennifer Grissom

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds chuck roast cut into 2-3" cubes
• 1/4 cup flour divided
• kosher salt divided
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter divided
• 8 ounces baby portabella or button mushrooms cut in half
• 5 carrots peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 rib celery minced
• 2 medium onions diced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley divided
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 can or bottle Guinness
• 3.5 cups good beef stock divided

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven on high heat.
2. Dust cubed chuck roast with flour, and generous amounts of salt and pepper.
3. Brown beef cubes on all sides in batches being careful to not overcrowd for about 5 minutes per batch.
4. Remove beef to a large bowl after browning.
5. Melt 1 tablespoon butter on medium high heat.
6. Add mushrooms and a dash of salt.
7. Lightly brown mushrooms and remove to beef bowl.
8. Add additional tablespoon of butter if needed and saute carrots, celery, and onion until slightly browned about 3-5 minutes.
9. Incorporate tomato paste, thyme, parlsey, and garlic and cook and additional 1-2 minutes.
10. Add Guinness and bring to a boil scrapping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
11. Allow Guinness to reduce for 1-2 minutes.
12. Pour in beef stock and return to a gentle simmer.
13. Cover and simmer for 2.5 hours or until beef has reached desired tenderness.
14. Remove lid and bring stew to a rolling boil.
15. Taste check to see if additional salt and pepper is needed.
16. Skim fat if necessary.
17. If stew consistency is not as thick as desired, add a strained slurry of 2 tablespoons flour mixed with 1/2 cup stock.
18. Continue to vigorously simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes allowing stew to thicken.
19. Serve over mashed red potatoes made with half and half, salt, pepper, and parsley.
20. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.