Irish Beef Stew

A rich and flavorful stove top Irish beef stew cooked with Guinness beer

Course Dinner

Cuisine Irish American

Keyword dutch oven beef stew, Guinness beef stew, Irish beef stew

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 488kcal

Heat oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven. Add the stew beef to the pot along with the salt. Cook beef, stirring occasionally until seared on all sides. You may want to sear the beef in smaller batches.
Remove meat from the pot and add butter to the pot. Once the butter is melted add the diced onion. Season onion with smoked paprika and black pepper. Sauté until the onions are soft and fragrant, 3-5 minutes.
Add the beef back into the pot along with the beef broth, 12oz beer, and tomato tomato paste. Stir to mix. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
While the stew simmers, peel and slice carrots into rounds and quarter potatoes. When the stew has simmered for 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes into the pot. If your stew seems too thick you can add in 1-2 cups of water - depending on your preferences.
Simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Take the pot off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Serve the stew with fresh chopped parsley.

Sear beef in batches to brown evenly - browning the stew meat really adds depth of flavor to the final bowl of stew. I like to place the cubes stew meat in the dutch oven in batches to ensure even browning.
Scrape browned bits off the bottom while sauteeing onions - While you saute diced onions in butter, be sure to use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. This will add lots of flavor to the final soup.
Add vinegar or worcestershire sauce at the end to enhance flavor - When the soup is finished simmering and the vegetables are tender, add a tablespoon or two of either apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar or worcestershire sauce to the stew to deepen the flavor.