Guinness Beef Stew (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Guinness Beef Stew is deeply satisfying

We’re pretty big fans of hearty stews and soups around here. They hit the spot during our colder winter months and they are one-pot meals to boot, which is always a plus. Guinness Beef Stew is among our favorites.

Not just this one, but also meals like Five Spice Pork Stew or Kale & Spicy Sausage Soup. Rich and filling and made from scratch – a perfect winter meal if you ask me.

Okay, so we aren’t Irish. I did go to a Catholic grade school called St Patrick’s when I was a kid, but since probably half of the students were Italian, I don’t think I gained any Irish points there. We had to wear scratchy green uniforms, but that was about it.

I have blogged some delicious Irish-inspired food in the past. Like Brussels Sprout Colcannon and Irish Soda Bread. So even if we aren’t particularly drawn to celebrating a sort of made-up holiday in which we have no ethnic heritage, we can still enjoy some food that is vaguely related. And I am quite fond of Guinness Stout. So, it’s a match made in heaven, right? Which is where St. Patrick probably is right now, so it all works out.

Why make a stew with Guinness?

Guinness is not beer – it is stout. You might think because of the dark color and slightly heavier substance that stout has more alcohol than other types of beer. It has only about 4% alcohol though which is less than most beers. It is also carbonated with CO2 and nitrogen, rather than only CO2. That makes smaller bubbles which makes it have a creamier mouth-feel.

But you asked what it does for stew – sorry, I digress. In stew, Guinness makes the flavor of the gravy deeper, darker, and richer. Just … MORE.

It also helps tenderize the beef, which is definitely something you want to stew – very tender beef.

What cut of beef makes the best stew?

For tender beef in a stew, you don’t want the expensive cuts. Chuck roast is my hands-down favorite. It has plenty of marbling of fat throughout, and some collagen that breaks down nicely during the long cooking time this stew takes. You’re much better off buying a roast and cutting it into chunks yourself. Don’t be tempted by the supposed ease stew beef appears to be. Stew beef is made up of pieces trimmed to even out all the other cuts. It can be anything and a lot of that “anything” is going to be tough and dry by the time this is done.

First, brown the beef

You’re going to want a really good sear on the beef, so don’t try to hurry, and absolutely don’t crowd the pan. I like to brown this amount of beef in 3 parts. It’s worth the extra bother I promise. Once the beef is all seared, add your beginning amounts of vegetables, and let them get a bit brown and soft too. All of that browning is flavor. Again – it is worth the extra time.

Let’s talk about roux

Roux is the other part of the rich flavor of this stew. You certainly can thicken it with either cornstarch or all-purpose flour slurry [I do give you directions for that in the recipe, below].

BUT! You’re going to be puttering around the kitchen anyway, so why not go the whole nine yards and make a roux? It is not hard – I’m going to explain it to you! Roux isn’t something you can walk away from though. It needs pretty close babysitting the whole way through. Put in your earbuds and listen to a podcast, or call your mom while you’re tending it – just don’t wander away!

Equal parts fat and flour

One of these days, I’m going to do a whole post on roux, but that is not this day. Today, we’ll talk about the roux for this stew. You can see, in the photo above, the various color changes you’ll be looking for. For this stew, you want between stages 4 and 5. Anywhere in there is going to be just right.

Use a stainless steel skillet or pan [this is no time for non-stick pans – there’s too much whisking for that]. Put the pan over medium heat and add the butter [real butter, please], letting it get at least half melted. Then add an equal amount of all-purpose flour. [for example, 4 ounces of butter to 4 ounces of flour] Begin whisking [see the recipe card for my favorite flat whisk] right away, to help the butter and flour completely incorporate into one another. Reduce the heat if there is too much bubbling.

Don’t try to rush it

This is not a fast process, and too much heat will not speed it up – it will ruin it. Be patient and keep whisking, getting into all of the edges, so that nothing scorches. It will take a while, but you can do this part at any point during the cooking time of the stew – you don’t need it until the end. When the roux is the color of peanut butter, turn off the heat. Keep stirring the roux, until it has cooled off a bit, and scrape it into a heat-proof bowl, like a ramekin. It will be fine on the counter until you need it later. Give it a stir every now and again, so that it doesn’t separate as it cools.

Cut everything into about equal-sized pieces

Any good stew involves getting a deep sear on the meat, some aromatics, and some good stuff to make a flavorful broth. The broth you construct will, in turn, become a flavorful gravy. The final important element is to have most all of the major ingredients cut into about the same size pieces. I like about 3/4 of an inch, but if you prefer, you can go heartier with bigger chunks, or maybe more kid-friendly with smaller pieces. It’s up to you, but having them all about the same size makes the stew easier to eat and it looks nice.

Let’s make Guinness Beef Stew

Guinness Beef Stew in all its glory!

Now, if you happen to have a few extra bottles of Guinness still around at dinner time, you might like to crack those open to enjoy with your stew – maybe some crusty bread as well, to sop up that delicious gravy.