Beef and Guinness Stew

This Guinness beef stew from Chef John is a comforting Irish dish with a deep, complex, rich flavor. Dark beer does amazing things for the gravy.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 2 hr 30 mins
• Total Time: 3 hr
• Calories: 528 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 4 cups mashed potatoes
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 (14.9 ounce) can dark beer (such as Guinness®)
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 0.25 cup tomato paste
• 2.5 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1.5 teaspoons salt, divided, or more to taste
• 2.5 cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Bring stew to a low boil and cook until stew has slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2

Arrange mashed potatoes in a ring in a serving bowl; ladle stew into the center of the potatoes.

Step 3

Gather all ingredients.

Step 4

Cook and stir bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer bacon into a large stew pot, reserving bacon fat in the skillet.

Step 5

Season beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under the skillet and sear beef pieces in the hot fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Place beef in the stew pot with bacon, leaving fat in the skillet.

Step 6

Turn heat down to medium; cook and stir onions in the retained fat in the skillet until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes; season with a large pinch of salt.

Step 7

Cook garlic with onions until soft, about 1 minute. Pour beer into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food into the liquid.

Step 8

Pour cooking liquid from the skillet into the stew pot. Stir in tomato paste, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and enough chicken broth to cover.

Step 9

Bring stew to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot.

Step 10

Simmer stew until beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Step 11

Stir stew occasionally and skim fat or foam if desired.