Seriously Not Your Granny’s Irish Beef Stew

Unless your granny puts beef and wine in her Irish beef stew. My Irish Granny would never have put alcohol in any food. OK maybe a drop of sherry in the trifle, but that’s about it. My Mom did not cook with alcohol, either. In fact, I honestly only know of Irish folks my age and younger who cook with beer or wine. Not my Mother or Granny’s generations.

What makes this stew special is two things. One is the use of Guinness stout and lots of it was well as wine. The second is marinating the beef overnight in stout, wine, garlic, and soy sauce. The beef is tender and very flavorful though folks eating it may need coffee and dessert before they leave or they may get a DUI.

Remember, Irish beef stew is not just for Saint Patrick’s Day, but a perfect Sunday slow cooker dinner a cold winter’s evening. As my Mom would say in her Irish accent, “It would warm the cockles of your heart.”

Irish Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 bottles Guinness
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Better than Beef Bouillon
• 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 5-6 new potatoes quartered
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper & red pepper, to taste
• 1 bag of frozen peas

Preparation

• Put soy sauce and garlic in a large freezer bag.
• Add beef then pour one of the stouts and wine over it.
• Seal bag tightly and squish the contents.
• Put in fridge to marinate overnight.
• Strain the juices of the bag into your crockpot keeping the meat separate.
• Sprinkle the meat and garlic with flour and toss to coat.
• Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
• Add the floured meat bits and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned on all sides.
• As the beef browns, stir together the tomato paste, remaining Guinness, garlic, and bouillon in the slow cooker until combined.
• Add the meat, carrots, potato, onion, bay leaves along with a good amount of freshly ground pepper and a pinch of red pepper.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Shortly before serving, stir in the peas and heat just until the peas are hot.