Beef and Guinness Stew - The World's Food

By The World's Food

Yield: 8

Time: 4 hours, mostly unattended

Comforting beef stew with carrot, onion, celery and garlic in a rich Guinness Irish Stout gravy. A family favorite!

Ingredients

3     tablespoons beef tallow
4     pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1     large onion, coarsely chopped
6     cloves garlic, minced
1     bottle Guinness Irish Stout
5     carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
5     stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1     teaspoon dried thyme
4     cups beef stock
2     tablespoons corn starch, or as needed
4     tablespoons cold water
1     tablespoon salt, or to taste
1     teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Preparation

Step 1
Heat a heavy duty Dutch oven over high to medium-high heat

Step 2
Season beef chuck generously with salt and pepper

Step 3
Add beef tallow to Dutch oven and heat just until the first wisps of smoke appear

Step 4
In small batches, add beef chuck pieces to the Dutch oven and sear each piece on all sides until well-browned

Step 5
Remove browned beef chuck pieces to a separate container

Step 6
Reduce Dutch oven heat to medium 

Step 7
Add onions to the Dutch oven, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes

Step 8
Add garlic to skillet and cook until soft, about 1 minute

Step 9
Add Guinness to Dutch oven and scrape any browned bits off the bottom

Step 10
Add carrots, celery and thyme, and return the reserved browned beef chuck to the pot

Step 11
Add beef stock and bring stew to a gentle simmer

Step 12
Reduce heat to low, cover pot and cook for 2 hours

Step 13
Stir corn starch into water and add mixture to the stew

Step 14
Simmer stew uncovered an additional 30 minutes, or until beef is fork-tender and stew reaches desired consistency

Step 15
Salt and pepper to taste

Step 16
Serve over a bed of mashed potatoes. Recipe here.

See It Made!