Guinness Beef Stew

Hearty and flavorful, this is the perfect meal for a cozy weekend at home.

PREP: 20 min | COOK: 3 hours | Serves 10

Guinness Stew topped with puff pastry

INGREDIENTS: 

• 2 lbs chuck roast braising beef (cut into bite-sized chunks)

• 6 pieces of thick bacon (cut into lardons)

• 1 yellow onion (diced)

• 4 cloves garlic (minced)

• 5 celery stalks (chopped)

• 5 carrots (chopped)

• 1 leek (chopped)

• 500ml can of Guinness

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (plus additional as needed)

• 2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp pepper

• 1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce (or HP sauce)

• 2 tbs butter

• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 tbs tomato paste

• 4 cups (32 oz) Beef stock

INSTRUCTIONS: 

• Cut bacon into bite-sized lardons and render on medium-low heat in a large braising pot.

• While bacon is cooking, cut beef into bite-sized cubes and season with salt and pepper. Once bacon is cooked, remove from the pot (but be sure to leave the fat). Add meat and 1 tbs of flour, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper to coat the meat. On medium heat, brown the meat on all sides.

• Once meat is browned, remove from pot. Deglaze the pan with a pour of Guinness (about 2 tbs), and then add butter, onion, carrot, leek, and celery. Sautée until onions are translucent and then add garlic, salt, and pepper.

• Add tomato paste and combine. Add back in beef and bacon. Pour the rest of the Guinness; stir. Pour the beef broth; stir. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, sprigs of thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. Combine, cover, and set to low heat. Allow to cook for 3 hours, checking every 30 minutes to ensure the stew is not boiling heavily.

• Taste and add more salt, pepper, or flour (to thicken) as needed. The meat should be tender and fall apart with a spoon or fork.

• Serve with mashed potatoes, peas, or puff pastry.