Beef and Guinness Stew
Description
This Guinness beef stew from Chef John is a comforting Irish dish with a deep, complex, rich flavor. Dark beer does amazing things for the gravy.
Ingredients
•
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
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2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
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1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided, or more to taste
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freshly ground black pepper to taste
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2 onions, coarsely chopped
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4 cloves garlic, minced
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1 (14 9/10 ounce) can dark beer (such as Guinness®)
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1/4 cup tomato paste
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3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
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2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
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4 sprigs fresh thyme
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1 teaspoon white sugar
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
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2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
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4 cups mashed potatoes
Directions
1
Gather all ingredients.
2
Cook and stir bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer bacon into a large stew pot, reserving bacon fat in the skillet.
3
Season beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under the skillet and sear beef pieces in the hot fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Place beef in the stew pot with bacon, leaving fat in the skillet.
4
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.
5
Cook garlic with onions until soft, about 1 minute. Pour beer into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food into the liquid.
6
Pour cooking liquid from the skillet into the stew pot. Stir in tomato paste, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and enough chicken broth to cover.
7
Bring stew to a gentle simmer, stirring to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot.
8
Simmer stew until beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours.
9
Stir stew occasionally and skim fat or foam if desired.
10
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.
11
Arrange mashed potatoes in a ring in a serving bowl; ladle stew into the center of the potatoes.