Rich and hearty, this Irish beef stew is my husband's favorite. The beef is incredibly tender. Served with crusty bread, it's an ideal cool-weather meal and perfect for any Irish holiday. —Carrie Karleen, St. Nicolas, Quebec
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Irish Beef Stew
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Irish stew is one of the best cozy, stick-to-the-ribs dishes that fills bellies and keeps everyone warm. When you think of classic, savory Irish recipes, it’s right up there along with things like shepherd’s pie, a big Irish breakfast and slow-cooked corned beef.
Simmered for several hours in a stockpot, this Irish beef stew has big chunks of meat and vegetables, with a savory gravy that gets lots of flavor from stout beer and herbs. The payoff of a long cook time is an abundance of rich stew to feed a crowd. This hearty dish is ideal for St. Patrick’s Day or for any big gathering of family and friends. Seriously, it’s one of our favorite stew recipes.
What’s the difference between beef stew and Irish stew?
Classic beef stew is made with tough cuts of beef that are simmered with potatoes, carrots, peas, onions and other vegetables until tender. The cooking liquid is thickened into gravy with a flour-based roux.
By contrast, a true Irish stew of the old days was simple, and instead of beef, it was made with mutton. In the 19th and early-20th centuries, beef was too expensive for poor families in Ireland, but most farmers kept sheep, making mutton an affordable protein. This tough meat was simmered for hours until very tender, then combined with chunks of potatoes and onions. The potatoes were also used to thicken the gravy.
Irish stew has evolved since those early days, and today it’s common to see Irish stews made with either beef or lamb. The potatoes and onions are still there, along with other flavorful ingredients like carrots, leeks and stout beer.
Irish Beef Stew Ingredients
- Beef: The cut of beef you choose for this stew is important because it has to be able to hold up to a long cook time. Look for packages of cubed beef stew meat at the store. The best cut of beef for stew is chuck. It’s meaty and tough but becomes beautifully tender after a long simmer. Buy stew meat already cut, or choose a whole chuck or round roast and cut it up yourself.
- Stout beer: The obvious choice for this Irish stew is Guinness stout, but other brands of dark, stout beers can be used as well. The malty, bitter brew contributes to the rich color of the stew and adds a lot of flavor, too. If you’re not a fan of drinking any leftover beer, use it up in one of our Guinness recipes.
- Potatoes: Without spuds, this stew just wouldn’t be complete. Cubed Yukon Gold potatoes are added to the stew during the last hour on the stove to cook through and soak up flavor from the liquid. Yukon Golds are the best type of potato for stew because they hold together better than starchier potatoes like russets.
- Beef broth: Beef broth is the flavorful base of this Irish stew. We use a reduced-sodium broth, but you can also use regular broth and adjust the salt added at the beginning of the recipe. Either store-bought or homemade works here (here’s how to make beef stock yourself).
- Vegetables: Although old-fashioned Irish stew featured only onions, our version boasts a medley of veggies and aromatics. They provide a depth of flavor and make the stew even more filling. We use fresh mushrooms, carrots, celery, leeks, peas and garlic.
- Bacon: Strips of bacon do double duty in this stew. Bacon adds smoky and salty flavor to the dish, of course. Once the strips are cooked, the bacon fat left behind is used to sear the stew beef. This caramelizes the surface and leaves browned bits in the pot that make the stew more delicious. Our Test Kitchen pros found the best-tasting bacon brands.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the bacon
Cook the bacon in a stockpot over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Keep the bacon drippings in the pot for the next step.
Step 2: Brown the beef
Stir together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Add the beef to the mixture, and toss to coat. Brown the beef in the reserved bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
Editor’s Tip: To avoid overcrowding the pot with beef, brown the meat in batches as needed. Transfer the browned beef to a plate, and continue browning the rest of the pieces in batches.
Step 3: Cook the veggies and aromatics
Add to the same pot the mushrooms, leeks, carrots, celery and oil. Cook over medium heat until the veggies become tender. Add in the minced garlic, and cook for one minute more.
Step 4: Cook the stew
Stir in the tomato paste, then add the broth, beer and dried herbs. Add the browned beef and cooked bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, then cover and cook until the beef is tender, about two hours.
Step 5: Add the potatoes
Add the cubed potatoes to the stew, and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for about one hour, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Step 6: Thicken and finish the stew
Whisk together the cornstarch and cold water in a small dish, then stir the mixture into the stew. Bring the stew back to a boil; cook and stir everything for two minutes, until the stew is thickened. Finally, stir in the frozen peas. Once the peas are heated through, remove and discard the bay leaves. Serve.
Irish Beef Stew Recipe Variations
- Adjust the vegetables: If there’s a veggie in this stew that you don’t care for, you can omit it altogether, or just use more of another vegetable in its place.
- Use lamb: Go even more traditional, and use cubes of lamb meat instead of beef.
- Skip the beer: An equal amount of beef stock can be substituted for the stout beer if you’d prefer.
- Add an herb garnish: Ladle the stew into bowls, and top them with sprigs of fresh parsley, rosemary or thyme or with chopped chives. Herbs add a pop of color and fresh flavor to the stew.
Can you freeze Irish beef stew?
This stew freezes very well and will last in the freezer for up to three months. However, you’ll need to make a few modifications to the recipe. The potatoes may become grainy from freezing and thawing, so cook them separately, and only add them to the stew after freezing and thawing. Also, the cornstarch slurry might separate when it’s frozen, so don’t add it to the stew before freezing and thawing. Otherwise, cook the stew as directed, and let it cool completely, then spoon it into freezer-proof dishes or resealable bags. Let the stew thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat. Once warmed, add the precooked potatoes and the cornstarch slurry.
Can Irish beef stew be made ahead of time?
Yes, this stew can be made ahead of time. Let the stew cool completely, then store it, covered, in the fridge for up to three or four days. Reheat the stew over medium-low heat on the stove, or in a slow cooker, until heated through.
Irish Beef Stew Tips
Can you make Irish beef stew in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can easily make this a slow-cooker Irish beef stew. Follow the steps to cook the bacon, then brown the beef and cook the veggies. Add everything to a large slow cooker. Cook the stew for eight hours on low heat. Add the potatoes for the last hour of cooking. Follow the recipe to add the cornstarch slurry and peas at the very end.
What’s the best cut of beef for stew?
Chuck roast, a tough cut with a lot of connective tissue, is the preferred cut of beef to cook in a long-simmering stew. The low, slow cooking process breaks down the connective tissue and makes the beef incredibly tender and juicy. It can be found as a whole roast or sliced and packaged as stew beef. Chuck also tends to be less expensive than other cuts; when you find it on sale, stash it in the freezer to make this stew down the road.
Do you need to sear beef before stewing?
We like to sear the cubed beef before simmering to create more flavor in the stew. The browned surface and the browned bits left in the pan (known as “fond“) create a depth of flavor that make the whole stew taste richer and more sumptuous. That being said, if you’re short on time the browning step can be skipped; just add the cubed beef directly to the pot.
What should you serve with Irish beef stew?
Irish beef stew has your meat, vegetables and potatoes all in one dish, so serve some bread to round out the meal and sop up the gravy. Some good options include potato rolls, simple two-ingredient quick biscuits and slices of hearty Irish brown bread.
Watch How to Make Irish Beef Stew
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 8 bacon strips, diced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 pound whole fresh mushrooms, quartered
- 3 medium leeks (white portion only), chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup dark stout beer or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 cup frozen peas
Directions
- In a stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. In a large shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat. Brown beef in the bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, saute the mushrooms, leeks, carrots and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste until blended. Add the broth, beer, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and rosemary. Return beef and bacon to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours.
- Add potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour longer. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add peas; heat through. Discard bay leaves.
Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 301 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated fat), 66mg cholesterol, 441mg sodium, 21g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 23g protein.