cooking
Guinness Beef Stew
Cooking with a dark strong Irish beer can be tricky, even it appears to be the perfect match for hearty beef stew. So I did what I usually do when I have a recipe conundrum; I turned to Cooks Illustrated for a solution to the bitterness that can come when cooking with an Irish ale. I knew they would know how to get that deep, roast flavor a dark beer can provide without the less-desirable qualities.
The recipe below is not an exact copy of the original, as I've added the mushrooms, pearl onions and peas, and a bit of celery along with the onion in the base. The basic technique is the same however.
NOTE: It is important that you purchase a beef chuck-eye roast or another roast from the chuck front shoulder) area. You never know what you are getting when you purchase packages of pre-cut meat marked 'stew beef'. Often these are odds and ends from many different cuts of meat, which will not cook evenly.
Ingredients
1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions
1 stalk celery, optional
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught
1 1/2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 pound carrots
8 ounces pound baby mushrooms (optional)
8 ounces frozen pearl onions (optional)
8 ounces frozen baby peas (optional)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Trim the beef of the fat cap if it wasn't removed by your butcher. Pull apart at seams, then trim excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop the onions and optional celery and set aside. Mince the garlic cloves.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325F degrees. (Do not use convection setting.) Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the celery and continue to cook until well browned, 4-6 minutes longer.
Add tomato paste and garlic and cook until rust-colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, 3/4 cup Guinness, sugar, and thyme, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in beef and return to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
Wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut into 1-inch pieces and stir in. Continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Stir in the optional peas and pearl onions and cook 30-45 minutes longer until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Turn off the oven and let the pot sit inside for one hour.
Remove from oven and stir in remaining 1/2 cup Guinness and parsley. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.
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| Julian's Guinness Beef Stew |
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| In the pot and ready to serve. This version without peas and pearl onions. |
Ingredients
1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions
1 stalk celery, optional
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught
1 1/2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced thyme
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 pound carrots
8 ounces pound baby mushrooms (optional)
8 ounces frozen pearl onions (optional)
8 ounces frozen baby peas (optional)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Trim the beef of the fat cap if it wasn't removed by your butcher. Pull apart at seams, then trim excess fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop the onions and optional celery and set aside. Mince the garlic cloves.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325F degrees. (Do not use convection setting.) Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions and pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add the celery and continue to cook until well browned, 4-6 minutes longer.
Add tomato paste and garlic and cook until rust-colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth, 3/4 cup Guinness, sugar, and thyme, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in beef and return to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.
Wash and peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut into 1-inch pieces and stir in. Continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Stir in the optional peas and pearl onions and cook 30-45 minutes longer until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Turn off the oven and let the pot sit inside for one hour.
Remove from oven and stir in remaining 1/2 cup Guinness and parsley. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary and serve.
