After a bizarre week of unseasonably warm weather for New England in January, we woke up to a winter wonderland this morning. Ok, it really wasn’t that wonderful. The roads were an absolute mess and there was shoveling to do so Shane could get to work. It’s too bad that 1-hour delays only apply to schools, we definitely would have benefited from one today! I had a ton of errands I wanted to run today, but I will be staying put inside at least until the plows decide to come by…
Despite the trouble it causes, it sure is pretty…
If I were smart, I’d have saved this Guinness beef stew to serve for dinner tonight. Wouldn’t it be the perfect bowl of comfort food to enjoy on a day like this? I wasn’t paying attention to the weather forecast though and didn’t know about the impending storm so I served it earlier this week. Luckily my entire menu plan this week revolved around comfort food so it won’t be hard to come up with another soul-satisfying option for dinner. Gotta love winter!
This Guinness beef stew is hearty and although it’s not made in the slow cooker, it’s very low maintenance. One of my favorite things about the recipe is that it doesn’t call for browning the meat, which is nearly always the first step in a dish like this. It saves time, and means I don’t have to clean up the oil that’s inevitably splattered all over the stove as the meat sears. Instead, the stew is cooked uncovered in the oven, which helps the exposed meat to brown and really concentrates the flavor of the sauce. This makes a lot of stew, but the leftovers are delicious so I promise you won’t mind! I simply added a little more Guinness and some water and reheated it over low heat on the stove top the second day. We don’t eat a ton of red meat, but this stew will definitely be on the menu again at some point this winter π
Guinness Beef Stew
from Cook’s Country, February/March 2013
{Note: the recipe suggested avoiding Guinness Extra Stout – it’ll make the stew bitter.}
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 (3 1/2 to 4 lb) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 325 F, with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once it starts shimmering, add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have browned. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant and rust-colored. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute (just to get rid of the raw taste). Mix in the chicken broth, 3/4 cup of the Guinness, the brown sugar, and the thyme leaves. Scrape the bottom of the pot to pick up any browned bits.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until it has thickened slightly. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, and add to the pot. Return the mixture to a simmer, then transfer the pot to the oven (uncovered).
Cook for 90 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Remove the pot from the oven and add the potatoes and carrots, stirring to distribute. Return the pot to the oven and cook for another 60-90 minutes, stirring at 30-minute intervals. The stew is ready when the veggies and beef are fork tender. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of Guinness and the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
Yum! We just moved to Minnesota from Indiana, which you’d think wouldn’t feel THAT much different weather-wise, but it totally does. I think when the high temp for the day doesn’t even break into the double digits, Mother Nature is just begging me to make something like this π
Yum. I’ve always been a fan of ATK’s regular beef stew. And actually have subbed Guinness for the red wine. Now I can’t wait to try this version!
This stew was a great meal, and having extra bottles of Guinness around the house is always a plus. Thanks for making it!
That’s such a neat idea: I’ve only made Guinness Stew once but it absolutely demanded I brown the meat. And then the inevitable mess of oil you mentioned was all over my stovetop. >_<. I'll have to try this sometime this winter for sure!
I actually have some Guinness just waiting to be made into this stew! Also, I wish that’s the snow we got. Just ice here, boo.
No better time to cook slow than during the winter. I person can load up a stew pot after dinner, cook for a few hours, and put it out on the back porch before bedtime. Ready for dinner tomorrow.
Snow is so pretty but I just want to stay inside and eat this beef stew when it snows. The roads are always so troublesome. I love this stew, Tracey!
Oooh, I adore beef stew! I haven’t tried a new recipe in years (literally), and I love the sound of the Guinness version. Definitely trying this for dinner soon!
It sure does look pretty out! But when we get weather like that, I just want to stay inside until it melts!
Love the big chunks of veggies and meat in your stew, sounds so good!
I love the idea of making a Guinness beef stew for my boyfriend, but I fear I will find my self sans boyfriend if I dared to cook with his sacred drink rather than serve in Guinness glass. It however looks delicious! can I sub with other strong dark beer?
@Trisha – Haha, I know what you mean! I don’t see any reason you couldn’t sub another stout beer. I’m not super knowledgeable about beer, to be honest, or I’d offer a suggestion. Let me know how it turns out for you – enjoy!
Okay so it’s not snowing or anything in LA but I would gladly curl up on the couch with a bowl of this!
Oh my goodness! It’s not even that cold here but I could definitely go for a bowl of this!
so comforting! i need some of this today!
I never thought I would say this, but this beef stew looks beautiful! And not to mention very comforting! I wish I could make it for dinner this weekend, but because Im away at college I can’t buy alcohol π
By the way, i have trouble with leftovers in sauces and stews and whatnot. When I refrigerate them, the melted fat kind of congeals and makes the leftovers look really blah. How would I go about keeping this in the ridge and not letting it go all weird? Or is it something I have to live with?
@Becca – I try to skim the fat off the stew to the extent possible when it’s hot, but truthfully it’s pretty much impossible to get it all. So yeah, you’ll definitely find it congealed on top after you refrigerate it. At that point you could definitely skim it off and throw it away. I usually leave a little for flavor though. I just let it remelt as I heat the stew up again. It used to bother me too, but I got over it pretty quickly π
Oh this looks so delicious! I’m linking to this recipe in my “Freezing Cold Weather Foods” round up – hope that’s okay with you π
http://www.momsmenuplanning.com/2013/01/freezing-cold-weather-food.html
Think this would be good cooked in a crock pot all day???
why chicken stock instead of beef?
@Terrie – I’m not sure to be honest. The recipe called for chicken stock but I’m sure you could use beef it you wanted. Just a guess, but maybe the flavor of the beef stock is stronger and competes with the Guinness?
Made this for the wife tonight. Came out great. However, I think I would cut down on the meat and add more vegetable (quartered onions, celery, little more potato). But, that is my take. Definately a keeper!
I love your blog. I want to use all of the recipes! Thanks for your job:)
Made this today for supper tomorrow. The smell is so awesome & the taste is so so good..thanks this is a keeper for sure..
according to CC only 1/2 cup of beer at the beginning and 3/4 cup when done