Guinness Beef Stew
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A deep, rich beef stew so flavorful with veggies + the most tender fall-apart beef. Serve over mashed potatoes. So good!
why i love Guinness beef stew
- Meat is fall-apart tender. With just over 2 hours of cook time (great for making this ahead of time with its long simmer), you’ll have an incredibly rich, hearty beef stew with melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart tender beef.
- So fancy yet so easy. This beef stew is perfect for weekend company or for the whole family to enjoy. It is so fancy to impress yet so stinking easy with its minimal hands-on time. Best served over the fluffiest mashed potatoes and a side of crusty bread for sopping.
- Leftovers taste even better. Similar to lasagna, Guinness beef stew tastes better the next day, allowing the flavors to meld and develop further along with the collagen in the meat breaking down, resulting in even more tender beef.
- Guinness beef stew freezes beautifully. Beef stew is one of those dishes that freezes incredibly well, keeping up to 3 months, perfect to have ready-made meals for months to come.
what is guinness
Originating in Dublin, Ireland, Guinness is a stout beer made from water, roasted barley, hops, brewer’s yeast and roast malt extract. Guinness is known for its creamy, velvety texture and rich flavors.
why add guinness to beef stew
Guinness pairs beautifully with beef stew where the beer’s malty sweetness adds so many rich, deep, roasted flavors. The beer will also help break down the meat fibers, yielding more melt-in-your-mouth, tender beef throughout.
tips and tricks for success
- Patience. Making Guinness beef stew is a labor of love. Do not try to rush the process and increase the heat for faster results. Low and slow is the name of the game here, helping tame down the bitterness of the Guinness beer.
- Prep ahead of time. Save time by prepping and dicing the meat and vegetables ahead of time.
- Sear the meat. Browning the beef first is key here. That dark crust on the beef chuck will create such richer, deeper flavors in your stew (plus, the browned bits at the bottom of the pot are all lovely bits here, adding so much flavor).
- Guinness beer will do wonders. Guinness is a key ingredient here, adding such deep, rich, complex flavors to the beef stew with its roasted malty sweetness and dark color while also tenderizing the meat.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste adds body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the stew. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your stew. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
pro tip
Skip the stew meat and use beef chuck.
Beef chuck is affordable and readily available in most grocery stores.
By skipping the pre-cut stew meat and cutting the beef chuck yourself, this allows for full flexibility to cut into larger (2-inch) uniform chunks of beef. This is ideal for stewing meat due to its connective tissue which releases gelatin, keeping the meat moist, tender and flavorful during its long cooking process.
Smaller bites of stew meat will cook too quickly, potentially falling apart in the stew.
what to serve with guinness beef stew
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Guinness Beef Stew: Frequently Asked Questions
Bottom round roast, round roast, rump roast or pot roast are all suitable replacements for slow cooking yielding tender beef.
Guinness is a prominent ingredient in this beef stew, adding so many robust flavors. To skip the Guinness, we recommend using this beef stew recipe instead.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Beef stew is very much freezer-friendly. You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14.9-ounce) can Guinness Draught beer
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Season beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Working in batches, add beef to the stockpot and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes; set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour and tomato paste until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in Guinness, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the stockpot.
- Stir in beef stock, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves and beef. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until beef is very tender, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.*
- Serve immediately with mashed potatoes, if desired.
Video
Notes
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I tried making this for St. Patrick’s Day this year. What I didn’t take into account is elevation of where the recipe was developed. Chicago is 597 feet above sea level. I live at 7,000 feet above sea level. So, the two hours of simmering the recipe calls for is just not enough. The stew meat was not “falling apart”. Simmering any longer – and too much of the liquid would have evaporated. If I try this again, I’ll probably give it a go in the Instant Pot. Just something to keep in mind, if you live at a higher elevation.
Help! I need tech support on this beef stew! I did everything according to the directions. beef is still chewy after two hours. The first time I made it, I had to go for 5 hours on low low. It was delicious. This time its taking even longer!
Can you make this in a crockpot?
Our family made this Guiness Beef Stew earlier today for dinner. Wow. It was excellent. Our family have not been quiet at the table for a long while. We were focused on enjoying this beef stew. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I tripled this recipe for a family of 14 and let me tell you, I should have made even more because they all wanted seconds and thirds. I would probably add more carrots, but that’s just me being a rabbit. GREAT RECIPE WOULD GIVE 1000 Stars
Made this tonight. It was amazing! The meat was tender and everything was very flavorful and perfectly balanced.
Question: How do I get a past posting of recipes? I would like your post that started with scallops, but also had a salmon recipe I think. I appreciate your recipes so much!
I have short ribs in the freezer…could I use those instead? If so how much longer would you thing I’ll need to cook them? Thank you