Guinness Beef Stew!

Ok, so I'm not Irish, nor can I actually metabolize any alcohol. Nonetheless, I decided to make an Irish Guinness Beef Stew for my friend's birthday! I love stews that are slow-cooked until the meat falls apart and the broth is rich and smooth. This stew definitely is hearty and comforting. I generally followed this recipe from Simply Recipes.

It starts with some stew meat... I don't know exactly what cut it is, I just asked the butcher at Whole Foods for stew meat. I'm sure it's fatty, and it's relatively inexpensive. I cut the beef into 1" cubes, dredged them in flour (seasoned with S&P), and seared them into a stock pot. I had to do this in batches -- you don't want to overcrowd the pot and not get a good sear.



By doing this, you're also creating a sort-of roux that helps thicken the stew a bit. Then, I added lots of garlic, beef stock (plus some chicken stock), Guinness, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. I also added the beef. I brought this to a boil, then turned down the heat to let it simmer for 45 minutes or so.

In the meantime, I prepared some vegetables.... some yukon gold potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. After the stew simmered for 45 minutes, I dumped in these vegetables, and let it go for another 45 minutes or so.

(sorry about the poor quality pics... I probably shouldn't use a shiny metal bowl that reflects)

Then I added some frozen pearl onions, and some frozen peas. I let the stew simmer for another hour or so, to ensure the flavors married and the beef was thoroughly falling apart.


The stew turned out to be so rich and beefy, with the Guinness adding such an interesting flavor. A big bowl with a piece of fresh crusty bread -- YUMMMMmm. It was so hearty, and all the vegetables added flavor, color, and texture. By adding the vegetables at a later stage, they were able to retain their shape, texture, and flavor, without becoming mushy and unrecognizable. Even though winter may have passed, keep this recipe in your box in case you have a hankering for a warm comforting stew!


Guinness Beef Stew

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 lbs stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
flour
S&P
olive oil
6 cloves chopped garlic
6 cups beef broth (or like I did, 4 cups beef and 2 cups chicken... I ran out of beef broth!)
1 bottle of Guinness (or more, if you like)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp sugar
several sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1.5 lbs yukon gold potatoes, cut into quarters
3 carrots, chopped
1/2 container of white button mushrooms, halved
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup frozen peas

Instructions:
1. Place flour in a large dish, add S&P.
2. Dredge the beef cubes in the flour.
3. Heat a large stockpot (or dutch oven), add olive oil.
4. Shake off excess flour, and add beef to the pot to allow a nice sear on both sides. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot, or the meat will steam, not sear. Do this in batches, adding more oil as needed between batches.
5. Add the garlic, cook for a minute or so.
6. Add the beef broth, and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
7. Add the Guinness, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves.
8. Add the beef back into the pot.
9. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Let this simmer for about 45 minutes or so.
10. Add the potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms, and let simmer for another 45 minutes or so.
11. Add the pearl onions and peas.
12. Let this simmer for as long as you'd like... the more it simmers, the richer the flavor will be, but the vegetables will start falling apart if it simmers for too long.
13. If you want, fish out the thyme stems and bay leaves (if you can find them!).
14. Serve with some crusty bread. Enjoy!