Ingredients (~8 servings)
- ~4 lbs well-marbled boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 oz bacon, diced
- 3 medium onions, chopped (~3 cups)
- 3 large celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice (~1 cup)
- 4-5 large garlic cloves, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz Guinness Draught (not “Extra Stout”)
- 6-7 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large dried bay leaf
- 4-5 cups low sodium beef stock, as needed
- 6-7 large carrots (~1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch (if needed for slurry)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Prep the Beef and Get Your Oven Ready
Preheat your oven to 325F with the rack in the lower middle position.
Tie the thyme sprigs and bay leaf together into a bundle with kitchen twine and set aside.
Trim the chuck roast of excess fat on the sides and cut the meat into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes.
Pat the cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper just before searing.
The key is getting them really dry so they brown instead of steam.
Cook the Bacon and Sear the Beef
Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
Add the bacon and cook until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Leave the rendered bacon fat and oil in the pan – this is where all your flavor starts.
Sear the beef cubes in batches over medium-high heat until well browned on at least two sides.
Don’t overcrowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of browning properly.
Remove beef cubes to a clean plate and set aside.
Build Your Flavor Base
Add the onions and celery to the Dutch oven with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook for ~5-8 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown.
Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, and flour; continue cooking over medium heat for ~2 minutes, stirring constantly.
You want the tomato paste to develop a rich rust color – watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.
Deglaze and Assemble the Stew
Deglaze the pan with the Guinness, scraping up all the fond (brown bits) from the bottom and sides for ~1-2 minutes.
This is where a lot of the flavor comes from, so get it all.
Add the beef cubes back into the pot with any accumulated juices.
Stir in the reserved bacon, 4 cups of beef stock (enough to cover the beef cubes), Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and the herb bundle.
Cook Low and Slow in the Oven
Bring the stew to a boil on the stovetop, then cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the oven.
Cook for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through.
After 90 minutes, stir in the potatoes and carrots.
Check the liquid level – if it looks dry once you add the vegetables, add a bit more stock.
Cover and continue cooking for ~60-80 minutes, until the beef falls apart easily and the potatoes are fork tender.
Finish and Serve
Remove from the oven and skim any fat from the surface with a spoon.
There might be quite a bit depending on your beef – just skim what you can see.
Remove and discard the herb bundle.
If the gravy needs thickening, whisk 2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp room temperature beef stock to make a slurry.
Bring the stew back to a boil on the stovetop and stir in the slurry by the teaspoonful until you reach your desired consistency.
Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve hot in deep bowls – this goes great with crusty bread for dipping into that rich gravy.
Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients
Ingredients (~8 servings)
- ~4 lbs well-marbled boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 oz bacon diced
- 3 medium onions ~3 cups, chopped
- 3 large celery stalks ~1 cup, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 4-5 large garlic cloves 1 1/2 Tbsp, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 12 oz Guinness Draught not “Extra Stout”
- 6-7 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large dried bay leaf
- 4-5 cups low sodium beef stock as needed
- 6-7 large carrots ~1 1/2 lbs, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch if needed for slurry
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F with rack in lower middle position.
- Tie thyme sprigs and bay leaf together with kitchen twine.
- Trim and cut chuck roast into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes.
- Pat beef dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium heat and cook bacon until crisp, then remove and drain.
- Sear beef cubes in batches over medium-high heat until well browned on two sides, then remove to a plate.
- Add onions and celery to pot with salt and pepper and cook 5-8 minutes until softened and beginning to brown.
- Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Deglaze with Guinness, scraping up all brown bits from bottom and sides for 1-2 minutes.
- Add beef with juices, bacon, 4 cups beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and herb bundle.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Stir in potatoes and carrots, adding more stock if needed to cover.
- Cover and cook 60-80 minutes until beef falls apart and potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove from oven and skim fat from surface.
- Remove and discard herb bundle.
- If needed, make slurry with 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 2 Tbsp stock, bring stew to boil on stovetop, and stir in slurry by the teaspoonful until desired consistency.
- Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
