Guinness Beef Stew

Guinness Beef Stew, of course, contains Guinness Beer.

The Guinness beef stew picks up the flavor of the Guinness from the roasted unfermented barley that it contains.

"Beer in a stew enhances beef flavor. Beef stew with Guinness has a unique flavor that regular beer doesn’t give."

Guinness Beef Stew Recipe

Guinness Stew Ingredients

3 slices bacon
3 pounds beef Chuck Roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2-1/2 cups Guinness Stout
10 pearl onions
2 carrots, sliced
1 large stalk celery
2 medium potatoes
Bouquet garni (See below.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Guinness Stew Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Trim the fat from the beef chuck roast and cut it into one-inch cubes. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onions, pearl onions and the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large wedges. Chop the small onion. Slice the carrots and thinly slice the stalk of celery.

Make the bouquet garni by tying one bunch of parsley, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and two bay leaves in cheesecloth. Tie the bundle with kitchen twine. This makes for easy removal when the Guinness stew is done.

Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it’s brown but not crispy. Remove the bacon pieces leaving the bacon fat in the Dutch oven. Drain the bacon on a paper towel.

Brown the beef chuck cubes on all sides in the bacon fat. Don’t crowd the pieces. You want them to sear and not steam. Brown the beef in batches if necessary. Remove the meat and the juices.

Add the tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Sauté the onions until they are soft and then sprinkle with the two tablespoons of flour. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Do not let the flour burn.

Stir in the brown sugar. Gradually add the Guinness. Top with the pearl onions, carrots, celery and potatoes. Bring the stew to a boil and then turn off the heat.

Stir the beef and Guinness stew gently to mix in the vegetables. Sprinkle with the cooked bacon. Add the bouquet garni and cover the pot. Place the pot in the oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

Remove the bouquet garni and skim any visible fat. Taste the Guinness stew and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

I’m sure there’s more than one Guinness Stew Recipe. This beef and Guinness stew is the only one I’ve tried and I can’t imagine it being bested by another recipe. It’s in my recipe file and it will be the only recipe I use for Guinness Beef Stew.

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