Guinness Beef Stew

This St. Patty’s Day favorite is great in the oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck
• salt and black pepper, to season beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 7 slices bacon, chopped
• 3 1/2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• 14.9 oz can Guinness Draught beer
• 5 Tbsp tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-1″ slices
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces (optional)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme (or use 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme)
• 1/4 cup brewed coffee
• 3 dried prunes, chopped – optional – (this is to mitigate any possible bitterness from the Guinness or coffee)
• 8 baby Yukon gold potatoes, cut in half or quarters

Instructions:

1. Use a sharp knife to slice beef chuck into 1 1/2-2″ pieces. Pat beef with a paper towel to dry, then season liberally with salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over HIGH heat.
2. Add beef, in a single layer, to the pot and brown on all sides. Be careful, as the oil may spatter. Remove browned beef to a plate, then repeat with remaining beef.
3. Lower heat to MED, then add chopped onions and garlic. Season with salt, and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add bacon pieces and cook until browned. Add flour and stir to combine well. Let floured mixture cook 1 minute to remove any raw flour taste. While flour mixture is cooking, combine coffee extract and water and set aside.
5. Pour in Guinness beer and stir well to combine and loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add tomato paste, chicken stock, carrots, celery, parsnip, bay leaves, thyme and coffee extract mixture.
6. Return beef to the pot and stir. If needed, add enough water so that the beef and veggies are nearly fully covered.
7. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to LOW or so that it’s simmering, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
8. Remove lid, add potatoes and chopped prunes, stir, then simmer UNcovered another 30-40 minutes, until sauce has thickened to a loose gravy consistency, beef is incredibly tender and potatoes are fork tender.
9. If needed, skim residual fat off the surface. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

Slow Cooker Instructions:

1. Complete steps 1-4, add Guinness and loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
2. Transfer mixture to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

Oven Instructions:

1. Complete steps 1-6.
2. Cover and bake at 325F for 2 hours 20 minutes.
3. Remove from oven, add potatoes and prunes, and simmer uncovered on the stovetop as directed in the recipe for 30-40 minutes to reduce sauce.

Instant Pot Instructions:

1. Season meat according to step 1, then heat oil in Instant Pot on the “sauté” function.
2. When hot, add beef. To get a good sear, do 2 batches and brown each batch for about 5 minutes total.
3. Remove meat to a plate. Add the onions and sauté them for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add bacon pieces and cook until browned.
5. Add flour and stir to combine well.  Let floured mixture cook 1 minute to remove any raw flour taste.
6. Add the Guinness and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits into the sauce.  Add tomato paste, chicken stock, carrots, celery, parsnip, bay leaves, thyme, coffee, potatoes and prunes to the Instant Pot.
7. Add the meat back to the pot. Close the lid and make sure the valve is on “sealing”. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
8. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes or so, then do a controlled quick release to get rid of any remaining pressure.