Beef & Guinness Stew
The maltiness of dark beer really does amazing things for this gravy. It's a very simple dish, but at the same time it has a deep, complex, rich flavor. I served this in a nice ring of green onion-mashed potatoes. I hope you give this a try, whether for St. Patrick's Day or anytime of the year.
The maltiness of dark beer really does amazing things for this gravy. It's a very simple dish, but at the same time it has a deep, complex, rich flavor. I served this in a nice ring of green onion-mashed potatoes. I hope you give this a try, whether for St. Patrick's Day or anytime of the year.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 slices bacon cut into small pieces
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- 1 (14.9 ounce) can dark beer (such as guinnessâ®)
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or as needed to cover
- 4 cups mashed potatoes (optional)
- Carbohydrate 10.8859347272438 g
- Cholesterol 130.737901755072 mg
- Fat 36.4605128323066 g
- Fiber 0.607180541965697 g
- Protein 42.1041111505106 g
- Saturated Fat 14.3688908282372 g
- Serving Size 1 1 large serving (404g)
- Sodium 414.553806936215 mg
- Sugar 10.2787541852781 g
- Trans Fat 4.62249572646147 g
- Calories 550 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook and stir bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer bacon into a large stew pot, reserving bacon fat in the skillet.
- Season beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under skillet and sear beef pieces in the hot fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Place beef in stew pot with bacon, leaving fat in skillet. Turn heat down to medium; cook and stir onions in the retained fat in the skillet until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes; season with a large pinch of salt.
- Cook garlic with onions until soft, about 1 minute; pour beer into skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food into the liquid. Pour cooking liquid from skillet into the stew pot. Stir in tomato paste, thyme sprigs, carrots, celery, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and enough chicken broth to cover.
- Bring stew to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer stew until beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Stir stew occasionally and skim fat or foam if desired.
- Remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Bring stew to a low boil and cook until stew has slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange mashed potatoes in a ring in a serving bowl; ladle stew into the center of the potatoes.
The Browning Trap
Many cooks crowd the skillet when searing chuck, which traps moisture and causes the beef to gray instead of developing a deep, savory crust. Cut the meat into uniform two-inch cubes and work in batches if necessary, maintaining high heat to render surface proteins reactive with the pan. Leaving behind the browned fond is essential because those caramelized bits dissolve into the liquid and form the backbone of the sauce.
Deglazing Mechanics
Pouring cold stout into a screaming hot pan creates an aggressive steam reaction that immediately releases stubborn sediment from the metal surface. Scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon during this step incorporates concentrated proteins back into the cooking medium. Allow the dark beer to reduce slightly with the softened onions and garlic before adding stock, which concentrates the malty undertones without adding excessive bitterness.
Simmering and Reduction
Maintain a gentle, barely perceptible bubble during the two-hour braise so the collagen in the chuck breaks down into gelatin without tightening the muscle fibers. Removing the lid for the final fifteen to twenty minutes of cooking allows excess moisture to evaporate, yielding a glossy gravy that clings naturally to the back of a spoon. Discarding the woody thyme sprigs before serving ensures clean aromatics without herbal debris in the finished bowl.
