The Best Irish Beef Stew

This has to be one of the best Irish stews, this may not be the most traditional recipe but it is certainly one of the tastiest!

This is by far the best stew I have ever made! The combination of Guinness beer and red wine just raised the bar on a flavourful stew. The house smelled wonderful cooking this traditional Irish dish; well almost traditional, I used beef instead of lamb or mutton.
I cooked my Irish Stew in the oven but this recipe also works great in the slow cooker. If using garden fresh potatoes you don’t have to peel them. I serve this stew with fresh baked buns which are great for soaking up that extra broth left on the plate.

The Best Irish Beef Stew Recipe
A sensational stew recipe enhanced with Guinness Beer and Red Wine.


INGREDIENTS
  • 2 lbs stewing beef cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 large russet potato (about 2 cups) cut into 1/2 pieces
  • 3 large red potatoes (about 3 cups) cut into 1/2 pieces
  • 3 stalks celery, sliced
  • 3 large carrots, (about 2 cups) cut into 1/2 pieces
  • 1 large onion, diced (about 11/2 cups)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced (about 1/4 cup)
  • 3/4 cup red wine
  • 3/4 cup Guinness beer
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp cold water
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Heat the olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven, medium-high heat.
  2. Salt and pepper beef, dust with flour and fry until browned on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. (work in batches to avoid overcrowding pan)
  3. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. Add more oil to skillet if necessary, then add potatoes, celery, carrots and onion to skillet and cook until potatoes slightly browned (about 10 mins)
  5. Remove from skillet, set aside.
  6. Add butter to skillet.
  7. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute, until fragrant.
  8. Deglaze pan with red wine, add Guinness beer, beef stock, tomato paste, sugar, worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves.
  9. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a simmer, then add beef and vegetables back into skillet or dutch oven.
  10. Cover and transfer to oven to bake at 350 degrees for 1-2 hour until vegetables and beef are tender.
  11. If using slow cooker, cook 3-4 hours on low setting.
  12. If stew needs to be thickened add slurry (1 tablespoon flour whisked together with 1 tablespoon cold water). Return pot to stovetop and over medium heat slowly stir slurry into the stew stirring constantly. Cook 5-10 minutes until thickened
  13. Season with salt and pepper to taste