During a trip to Ireland last year, my husband and I were on the search for some true authentic Irish food to try. Since Ireland is a smaller island, you are never to far from the sea which makes it easier to find fresh fish & seafood just about anywhere you visit. We ate many great fish dishes while traveling in Ireland. One meal in particular really stood out but it wasn’t fish or seafood. While visiting the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, we ate their Beef Stew. It wasn’t just any Beef Stew, it was a Guinness Beef Stew.
Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Ireland
It possessed a deep rich flavor and the meat was so tender it fell apart with a fork. They served it over a bed of mashed potatoes with a deep well to hold several hardy chunks of the tender beef & gravy. They cooked their beef in the Guinness Beer they brew right there at the factory. I don’t know if you like Guinness beer, but if you happen to go to Ireland it is definitely worth giving it a try. I am not much a dark beer drinker nor have I drank much of it until we traveled there. It tastes smoother and lighter there, I couldn’t get enough of it (not like you had a choice)!! I must say, it seems much better tasting over there than it is in the states. Possibly, that is because you can soak in all that Irish charm and hospitality while enjoying a cold one (yes, it was cold contrary to popular belief)! It is even better when using it in their cooking.
Irish Grown Barley, Making of Guinness
Since coming back home we have wanted to recreate the deep & rich flavor of the Guinness Beef Stew. When recreating a recipe of something we have eaten out or while traveling, I like to make it my own. When it came to making this beef stew, I wanted to keep it closer to the original and authentic version. I marinated and cooked the beef in a Guinness Draught Beer. It imparted a deep rich flavor into the beef and gravy and the meat was fork tender. Similar to the original, I also served it over a bed of mashed potatoes. However, true to my self, I enhanced the flavors in my dish by adding some caramelized onions, shallot and leeks. I also added red wine to my stew.
If you would like an even darker and richer profile to your beef stew, I would recommend trying a Guinness Stout Beer.
Guinness Stew
Makes approx. 5-6 Servings
Ingredients
Stew:
2 lbs., Beef Stew Meat, cubed
1 (14.5 oz.) Can, Guinness Beer
1 Tablespoon, Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon, Butter, unsalted
1 Package, Mushrooms, sliced *used Baby Bella (a.k.a. Cremini) in this recipe
1 bag, Pearl Onions, ends cut off and peeled
1/2 White Onion, chopped
3-4 Large, Carrots, ends trimmed & carrot chopped
3 Stalks, Celery, chopped
1, Shallot, finely chopped
1 Cup, All-Purpose Flour
3 teaspoons, Cornstarch
S&P
2 Tablespoons, Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons, Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons, Fresh Parsley, chopped
Several good dashes, Worcestershire Sauce
32 oz Package, Beef Broth
3/4 Cup, Red Wine
Drizzle, Balsamic Glaze
6 oz. can, Tomato Paste
3 Tablespoons, Cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water
Potato:
4 Large, Baking Potatoes
1, White Onion, finely chopped
1, Shallot, finely chopped
1, Leek, white parts only, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon, Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon, Butter
S&P
Instructions
Guinness Beef Stew over Mashed Potato
Place Beef Stew meat into a large bowl. Pour the Guinness Beer over the meat and marinate for approx. 1 hour. Make sure the meat is completely covered with the beer. If you have any beer leftover reserve it for the crockpot.
Turn Crockpot to high.
Marinating Beef Stew in Guinness Beer
In a small bowl, combine the flour with 3 teaspoons of cornstarch and season with about 1 teaspoon each of S&P. Set aside.
Place a large saute pan on the stove, over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and saute the pearl onions, white onions, celery, mushrooms, shallot and carrots. Cook until onions start to become translucent. Once the mushrooms start to turn a golden brown, season with S&P and about 1/2 each of the rosemary, thyme and parsley. Spray the crockpot with cooking spray and transfer the veggies to the crockpot.
Remove beef stew meat from the beer (do not discard beer). Dredge each piece of meat into the flour mixture. Return saute pan to stove (same pan you cooked the veggies in) and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the beef stew meat to the pan and cook just until it starts to brown. Transfer meat to crockpot; repeat process until all the meat it sauteed/browned.
Add the Guinness beer to the crockpot (beer that you used to marinate beef in; it will cook for hours so it was OK to use the same beer); add the beef broth, red wine, few good dashes of Worcestershire sauce, drizzle of balsamic glaze and tomato paste and stir well. Add the remaining herbs and stir to combine all ingredients.
Pearl Onions
Mix 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water and whisk together until cornstarch dissolves in the water. Add to the crockpot and stir well.
Cooking Time in Crockpot:
- Cook on High for approx. 5-6 hours
- Cook on Low for approx. 6-8 hours
- Be sure to taste the stew after about 4-5 hours and adjust seasoning if necessary. My stew needed more S&P
To Make Potatoes: Make within last hour of cooking time for beef stew. Place a saute pan on the stove, over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, shallot and leek. Season with S&P and saute until nicely caramelized. You may need to turn the heat down to medium low about 1/2 way through cooking. Caramelizing onions takes approx. 30-40 minutes, depending on how many are in the pan. Toss the onion mixture around once in a while to make sure they do not stick to pan.
Using a double boiler, add water to the bottom pot, place on stove and turn on high. Peel potatoes and cut into cubes. Place potato into top pot on double boiler, sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and cover with a lid. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Empty water out of the bottom pot and transfer potatoes to the bottom pot. Return to the stove over low heat and mash the potato (using a potato masher). Add 2 tablespoons of butter and season with S&P. Add the caramelized onion mixture to the potatoes and stir well.
To Plate:
Add some of the mashed potato to your bowl.
Top with some of the beef stew mixture.
Serve with your favorite bread to soak up all the gravy/sauce!
Whole Grain Bread
Mangia! Enjoy!