🇮🇪 Ireland · Beef

Beef & Stout Stew

Slow-braised beef, root vegetables and herbs in a deeply savoury stout gravy.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 800 g beef chuck, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into thick pieces
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 330 ml Irish stout
• 500 ml beef stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 g baby potatoes, halved if large
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley, to finish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional. Pat the beef dry, then toss it with the flour, salt and pepper.
2. Heat half the oil in a heavy casserole. Brown the beef in small batches until deeply coloured on several sides, transferring each batch to a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil, onion, carrots and celery. Cook for 8 minutes, scraping the browned base of the pan as the vegetables soften.
4. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute. Pour in the stout and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up every caramelised piece from the pot.
5. Return the beef and its juices. Add the stock, thyme and bay, bring just to a simmer, then cover and cook in the oven for 75 minutes.
6. Stir in the potatoes, cover again and cook for 35–45 minutes until the beef and potatoes are tender. Remove the lid for the final 10 minutes if the sauce needs to reduce.
7. Discard the herbs, taste for seasoning and rest the stew for 10 minutes. Finish with parsley before serving.