Description

Beef and Guinness Stew is a quintessential Irish dish, a celebration of simple ingredients cooked low and slow to create a symphony of flavors. It’s the kind of meal that warms you from the inside out, a culinary embodiment of comfort food.

Ingredients

Scale

4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.9 ounce) can dark beer (such as Guinness)
¼ cup tomato paste
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces, with half reserved
1/4 cup dill pickle brine
1/4 cup water
2 ribs celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon white sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 ½ cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
4 cups mashed potatoes (Optional, for serving)
Finely chopped pickled red onion (for garnish)
Dill pickle spears (for serving)

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Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the Pickle-Brined Carrots (Optional, but Recommended). In a small bowl or jar, combine the ¼ cup of dill pickle brine and the ¼ cup of water. Add half of the chopped carrots (about 1 ½ carrots’ worth) to the brine, making sure they are submerged. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate for up to a few hours.

Step 2: Cook the Bacon. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook and stir the bacon until it’s browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a large stew pot or Dutch oven. Reserve the bacon fat in the skillet.

Step 3: Sear the Beef. Season the beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste. Increase the heat under the skillet to high. Sear the beef in the hot bacon fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Transfer the seared beef to the stew pot with the bacon.

Step 4: Sauté the Onions. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the coarsely chopped onions to the skillet (there should be some bacon fat left). Cook and stir until the onions are lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with a large pinch of salt.

Step 5: Add Garlic and Deglaze. Add the minced garlic to the onions and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour the Guinness into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits of food from the bottom of the pan.

Step 6: Combine Ingredients in Stew Pot. Pour the cooking liquid from the skillet into the stew pot with the beef and bacon. Stir in the tomato paste, the remaining (non-brined) carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, sugar, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and enough chicken stock to cover the ingredients.

Step 7: Simmer. Bring the stew to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Step 8: Add Brined Carrots. After 2 hours, add the drained, pickle-brined carrots to the stew.

Step 9: Continue Simmering (Uncovered). Remove the cover and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the stew to a low boil and cook until it has slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Step 10: Remove Thyme and Adjust Seasoning. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Step 11: Serve. Ladle the stew into bowls. If desired, arrange mashed potatoes in a ring around the edge of the bowl and ladle the stew into the center. Garnish with finely chopped pickled red onion. Serve hot, with dill pickle spears on the side.