Irish Beef Stew
March 17, 2009 by Andrea 
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Filed under Holidays, Soups & Stews
Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods, both for the wonderful flavor and the ease of preparation. I saw this recipe at Epicurious a couple years ago and then saw Elise’s notes on how they used some red wine and Guinness Stout in place of some of the beef stock, an idea that definitely appealed to me. For my own touches, I added a pound of beef soup bones for extra flavor, used Yukon Gold potatoes instead of russet, and of course used fresh thyme from our garden. Though it’s not strictly traditional, this recipe has become a St. Patrick’s Day tradition for our family, a stew we look forward to every year.
IRISH BEEF STEW
Makes about 4 quarts/liters.
Equipment
8-quart heavy pot with lid
6-quart heavy pot
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil
1-1/4 pounds (567 g) stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound (454 g) beef soup bones (Ask your local butcher.)
6 large garlic cloves, minced
6 cups (1.44 liters) beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine
1 cup (240 ml) Guinness Stout
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme, rinsed (I drop it in whole and remove the stems later.), or 1 tablespoon dry
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons butter
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I don’t peel, but you can if desired.)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I don’t peel, but you can if desired.)
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
1. In the 8-quart pot, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef soup bones and the meat. Cook until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
2. Add the beef stock, wine, Guinness, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves, then stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook covered at a simmer for about 1 hour.
3. While the soup simmers, melt the butter in the 6-quart pot. Add the prepared potatoes, onion, and carrots. Saute until the vegetables are golden, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside until the soup has simmered for 1 hour.
4. Remove the bones from the stew. Add the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Simmer uncovered until the vegetables and beef are tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems, then skim the fat off the surface. Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
5. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle fresh parsley on top, then serve.
Make Ahead Notes
You can make this up to 2 days ahead of time. Skim the cold fat off the top before pouring into the pot. Bring to a simmer and serve.
More Soup and Stew Recipes
More Irish Stew Recipes From Around the Blogs
Closet Cooking – Irish Lamb Stew
Family Cooking with Chef Mom – Irish Stew of Ballymaloe
FatFree Vegan Kitchen – Irish White Bean and Cabbage Stew
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Source: adapted from Simply Recipes who adapted from Bon Appetit
Awesome soup! We used all organic and my half Irish 7 year old who is recovering from autism ate three bowls! He only eats good stuff and is very selective! This soup is like medicine! We are going to try and use beans instead of the meat next time, however, still use the beef broth and bones of course! Any suggestions as to what beans would go good here?
Hi Daniel. If I were going to make this with beans, I would choose some dark red kidney beans or possibly even fava beans. Let me know how it turns out!