The Best Beef and Guinness Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2.5 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1.5 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®)
• 0.25 cup tomato paste
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
• 2.5 cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
• 4 cups mashed potatoes

Instructions

1. Gather all of your ingredients for the stew.
2. Cook bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until crispy and browned, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the bacon and place it in a large stew pot, keeping the bacon fat in the skillet.
3. Season the beef chuck cubes with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Increase the skillet heat to high and sear the beef on all sides in the hot fat until nicely browned, around 5 minutes. Transfer the seared beef to the stew pot with the bacon, leaving the remaining fat in the skillet.
4. Reduce the heat to medium; sauté onions in the skillet with the retained fat until they turn lightly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with a generous pinch of salt.
5. Add garlic to the onions and cook until softened, approximately 1 minute. Pour the beer into the skillet and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
6. Pour the beer mixture from the skillet into the stew pot. Add tomato paste, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and enough chicken broth to fully cover the ingredients.
7. Bring the stew to a gentle simmer, stirring well. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and maintain a simmer.
8. Allow the stew to simmer gently until the beef becomes very tender, approximately 2 hours.
9. Stir the stew periodically, skimming off any fat or foam as needed.
10. Remove the lid and increase heat to medium-high. Bring the stew to a gentle boil and cook until it thickens slightly, around 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, then adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
11. Serve the stew by arranging mashed potatoes in a ring on a plate and ladling the stew into the center.

Nutrition

• Calories: 528 kcal
• Fat Content: 25 g
• Fiber Content: 5 g
• Sugar Content: 9 g
• Sodium Content: 1605 mg
• Protein Content: 29 g
• Cholesterol Content: 96 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 42 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g