Guinness beef stew is an Irish dish that features cuts of marbled beef with root vegetables and Guinness beer. The bitterness of the stout brings a rich, dark flavor to the beef stew meat and is absolutely delicious slow cooking in the crockpot all day. This recipe is a favorite of ours for the colder months, and is best enjoyed with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, or a slice of soda bread.

Like many great beef stew recipes, this requires a bit of legwork beforehand by flouring and browning the beef stew meat before slow cooking. I don’t recommend skipping this step as searing the meat brings out the beef flavor that complements the stout so well. You can use a marbled cut of chuck or rump roast for the beef stew meat, or purchase the stew meat pre-trimmed at your local grocery store. Oftentimes it’s cheaper to buy the roast whole and cut it at home, but make sure to leave a little bit of the marbled fat on the stew pieces for slow cooking.

Once the beef has been cut into two-inch cubes and trimmed, season the stew meat with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with about a fourth cup of flour, then set aside while heating a cooking skillet with oil.

Cook the stew meat over medium heat, turning every few minutes until all sides have been browned. Add more oil if needed, and make sure to continuously turn the pieces to keep the flour coating from burning. Lightly spray the bottom of the slow cooker liner with cooking spray to prevent sticking, and add in the browned beef stew meat.

Chop one onion into diced pieces, and cut the other into quarters. In the same skillet used to cook the beef, melt the butter over medium heat, then add in the onion and minced garlic. Cook these until translucent, stirring and scraping the beef bits off the sides of the pan. Move these to the crockpot with the beef, then slowly add the beef broth into the emptied skillet over low heat to continue deglazing the pan.

Scrape the sides while heating the beef broth to incorporate all of the remaining beef, onion, and garlic bits before pouring into the slow cooker. I like to use beef bouillon for recipes that use beef stock or beef broth as it adds a lot of flavor for a great value, but you can use pre-made beef broth if you prefer. If you use bouillon, use 1 1/4 tsp. powdered or 1 cube bouillon for every 1 cup of water.

Wash the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Peel the carrots, and cut into 1/4 inch round pieces. Thinly slice the celery, and cut the potatoes into 1 inch pieces. You can enjoy these with the skins on or off, but be sure to peel the spuds if you prefer skinless. I also cook with the skins on as potato skins are full of nutrients and antioxidants, but that’s just my preference.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, Guinness beer, black pepper, onion powder, bay leaves, rosemary, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the crockpot. Stir gently to incorporate the seasonings and herbs, and cover to cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.

If you like your stew sauce to be a little thicker, mix the cornstarch and a few tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl during the last hour of cooking, then stir this into the slow cooker stew and cover to finish cooking. Serve hot with fresh parsley, and enjoy within three days if refrigerated, or up to three months if stored in the freezer.

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Course: DinnerCuisine: IrishDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking Time

8

hours

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2 inch cubes

• 1/4 cup flour

• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• 2 cups beef broth

• 2 onions, 1 quartered and 1 diced

• 4 Tbsp. minced garlic

• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

• 3 cups Guinness Beer

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1/2 tsp onion powder

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 bunch fresh rosemary

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch round pieces

• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

• 1 lb. red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (optional)

• 2 Tbsp. cold water (optional)

• fresh parsley

Directions

• Trim the beef into 2 inch cubes, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss with flour.
• Heat skillet with cooking oil and brown beef cubes, turning every few minutes until brown on all sides. Spray the bottom of the slow cooker liner with cooking spray, and add in the beef stew meat,.
• Cut one onion into quarters, and the dice the other. Mince the garlic, then melt butter in the skillet. Saute onion and minced garlic, scraping the bits of pieces of remaining beef in the pan. Add the onions and garlic into the slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, slowly add in the beef broth over low heat, scraping the sides of the pan to deglaze it. Pour the broth into the slow cooker.
• Wash and cut the carrots, celery, and potatoes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Guinness beer, black pepper, onion powder, bay leaves, rosemary, carrots, celery, and potatoes. Stir to incorporate the herbs and seasonings.
• Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. For a thicker stew, combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and mix well to make a slurry, then stir into the crockpot for the last hour of cooking.
• Serve with fresh parsley and a side of soda bread and enjoy within three days, or freeze up to three months.

Notes

• Browning the beef stew meat is an important step to provide the best flavor.
• You can use a chuck roast even a rump roast and trim into 2 inch cubed pieces for this recipe. Buying a marbled chuck roast is usually cheaper than purchasing pre-trimmed stew meat.
• This recipe can be frozen for up to three months. Make sure to thaw the night before in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Slow Cooker Recipes:

• Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
• Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
• Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
• Quick Barbeque Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Latest Posts:

• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
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• Favorite Candied Yams
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Chicken is one of those staple ingredients for dinner that can be used for many different things, and it makes weeknight dinners so much easier when it’s already prepared and ready to be added to a recipe. I used to always buy pre-shredded chicken at the store beforehand, but this can be much more expensive for a smaller quantity of meat. While we love red meat, we tend to eat more lean chicken and turkey in our household as a healthier protein option.

My brother gets credit for this recipe, as he would always prepare a crockpot full of shredded chicken for chicken tacos or other meals when having the family over to visit. It was always quick and delicious and made me rethink how I was definitely overpaying at the store for the pre-cooked, pre-shredded stuff for the same end result. He’s moved from the United States to the UK, but whenever I make this I think of him and his savvyness for meal prep. This slow cooker chicken recipe is unbelievably easy and takes five minutes to throw in the crockpot. I usually purchase family-size chicken breasts from the store at about 4-5 pounds each, which makes approximately three meals worth of shredded chicken for my family.

Trim any excess fat off a family size pack of chicken breasts, and gather the salt, pepper, and chicken seasoning. This recipe is really versatile, so if you want to experiment with different seasonings you can absolutely do so! It’s also great if you want to add in garlic powder, or substitute salt for seasoned salt.

Spray the slow cooker liner with cooking spray, and place in the chicken breasts. Sprinkle the seasonings to coat, then add in one cup of water. I like to add ina chicken bouillon cube for broth, but this is optional. Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Once finished, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with a fork in a large bowl. You can use this to prepare shredded chicken for virtually any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken, and it keeps in the freezer for up to three months. If you don’t anticipate using it all at once, I recommend separating it into several freezer bags containing 1 1/2-2 pounds each, then cooling in the fridge before freezing.

Simple Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Course: MainDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

8

hours

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. family size chicken breasts, 4-5 lbs

• 2 tsp. black pepper

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. chicken seasoning

• 1 cup water

• 1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)

Directions

• Grease the slow cooker sleeve with cooking spray. Trim any excess fat from chicken breasts and place in crock pot.
• Sprinkle seasonings over chicken breasts, and pour in one cup of water. Can add a chicken bouillon cube if desired.
• Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Remove from crock pot and shred chicken when finished.
• Use chicken in any recipe that calls for rotisserie chicken or store in the freezer for up to three months.

Shredded Chicken Recipes:

• Hawaiian Chicken Salad Sandwiches
• Spicy Chicken and Egg Bok Choy Ramen

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• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
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