Irish Beef Stew

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Americans have a curious way of celebrating our Irish heritage. We pinch each other if we forget to wear something green on St. Patrick's Day, we make green foods regardless if they have anything to do with Ireland, and we adapt traditional Irish recipes to our own taste.

The last is the case with this Irish beef stew. As any Irish person will tell you, lamb is the preferred meat for a good Irish stew. But here in the states we eat a lot more beef than lamb, so when we want to make a stew to celebrate all things Irish, it's usually done with beef.

Irish Beef Stew

PREP TIME25 mins
COOK TIME110 mins
TOTAL TIME2 hrs 15 mins
SERVINGS4 to 6 servings

Use beef chuck stew meat that is well marbled with fat. Lean stew meat will end up too dry.

Save prep time by prepping the onions, carrots, and potatoes while the stock with beef is simmering in step 2.

This is a thinner stew with only the starch from the potatoes to thicken it. If you'd like a thicker stew, omit 1/4 volume of each of the liquids and use these measurements instead: 3 cups beef stock, 1 1/2 cups water, 3/4 cups stout beer, and 3/4 cups red wine. Or, make the stew a day ahead of time and it will thicken overnight in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

  • 3 teaspoons salt, or more to taste

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced

  • 4 cups  beef stock 

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 cup Guinness extra stout

  • 1 cup hearty red wine

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)

  • 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)

  • 3 to 4 carrots or parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2 cups)

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Method

  1. Brown the beef:

    Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

    Pat dry the beef with paper towels and working in batches, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until well browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.

    Sear all the beef cubes for the irish beef stew
    Flip the cubes of beef and sear them on the second side for the irish beef stew recipe
  2. Add garlic and add the other stock ingredients, then simmer:

    Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the beef stock, water, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.

    Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

    Simmer the beef for the irish beef stew recipe
  3. Sauté the onions and carrots in separate pan:

    While the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step 2 has simmered for one hour.

    Cook the onions and carrots separately for the beef stew recipe
  4. Add the vegetables to the beef stew and simmer:

    Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew. Add black pepper and two teaspoons of salt. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat.

    Transfer stew to serving bowls. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

    Simmer the beef stew with the carrots, onions, and potatoes until the vegetables and beef are both tender
    Irish Beef Stew in a bowl with a spoon