Beef and Guinness, Classic Irish Beef Stew with Guiness

An absolutely classic Irish dish is beef braised slowly in Guinness - a luscious Irish Stout. This is my version - which means I kept it as simple and clean as possible - I didn't want interference with the amazing flavors that developed when the two main ingredients met and married over long slow heat.

This is not in the least 'beery', as I thought it would be when I first heard of it years ago. Beef-and-alcohol dishes are classic all over the world. In France it's Coq au Vin. In Asian it's Mongolian beef with Sake. In Ireland - it's this lovely pot of luscious. The beef cooks slowly with some simple seasonings, and the result is pure succulence. The alcohol burns off, and the acids work their magic on the traditionally tough cuts of beef used, tenderizing them and creating an out of this world sauce for the stew.

It's all about method here - so I keep the ingredients simple. What's wonderful in this dish is the results of the beef cooking in the Guinness for a long time over slow heat. Match the other seasonings to the resulting strong flavors and you'll be Bombshell.

So you'll need:

• 1 lb beef stew meat, trimmed of extra fat
• 1 cup flour - all purpose is fine
• 3 tsp kosher salt, divided
  
• 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided
• 2 tsp onion powder, divided
• 2 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 4 medium carrots
• 2 large yellow onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 bottle Guinness
• 1-2 cups chicken or beef stock (maybe)
• several tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  

1. Traditionally this was made with beef shank, which is a pretty tough cut. Stew beef of course is much more common, so that's what I use. I do however pick it over and trim it of extra fat, and usually cut each piece in half to be a better 'bite' size. About 1 inch pieces are what I look for.
2. Mix the flour with 1 tsp each of the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders. Season the flour liberally - taste it. It's just flour - it won't hurt you. The point is, the flour should be savory - if it isn't, season more heavily. This is one of the main flavor bases, so make sure it's done well.
3. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Working in small batches, dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess flour. Brown the beef in the olive oil a little at a time. Don't crowd the pieces in the pan - they'll steam instead of brown. Ick. If you're going to cheat on something, pick something else. Poker maybe. Just be patient - it doesn't take that long and makes a big difference. You will probably need to add a little more oil in between batches. As each batch browns, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
   
4. Once all the beef is browned off, set it aside. Make sure there is a little oil in the bottom of the pan, adding more if necessary. Add the onions, carrots and garlic to the pot. Cook them for about ten minutes, or until the onions are translucent and the onions and garlic are very fragrant. Stir well to scrape the fond - the brown bits - off the bottom of the pot.
   
5. Return the beef to the pot. Add the Guinness, rosemary, thyme, bay and the remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir well. The Guinness should just barely cover the contents of the pot. If it doesn't, add enough chicken or beef stock to cover.
6. Reduce heat to a bare simmer - you want almost no movement in the liquid. Cover, keeping barely at a simmer, for about two hours. The meat should be very tender and the carrots as well. Alternately, you can cook in a very low oven - 250F - for about two hours. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

You can serve this with anything you like. I like to liberally sprinkle it with fresh parsley, and serve it either next to or over the top of Poundies - fabulous mashed potatoes.