Irish Stew

Square overhead shot of hands holding a bowl of Irish stew.

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5 from 10 votes

A traditional Irish stew recipe for the stovetop or Crock Pot!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Irish

Keyword guinness irish stew, irish beef stew, irish stew, irish stew recipe, st. patrick's day food

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2 10

Total Time 2 40

Servings cups (approximate)

Calories 244kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 tablespoon salted butter
4 slices bacon, chopped
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 lbs. lamb stew meat or beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup Guinness stout or dry red wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
Leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1 dried bay leaf
½ teaspoon paprika
2 ½ cups beef broth, plus more as needed
2 large onions, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 ½ lbs. new potatoes, quartered (or use russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ¾-inch cubes)
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

Instructions

In a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, sauté bacon in butter over medium heat until crisp and browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pat the lamb (or beef) dry with a paper towel. Place the flour in a bowl or large Ziploc bag and season with about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. Add the meat and toss to coat well. Remove the coated meat from the bowl and discard any extra flour. Sear the meat in the butter/bacon fat until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to work in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pan. Remove the meat from the pot.
Add the Guinness (or wine) and the vinegar. Cook over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the bacon and meat back to the pot, along with the tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, remaining ½ teaspoon of pepper, thyme, bay leaf, paprika, and broth. Stir really well to completely combine. Bring to a boil; then reduce the heat so that the pot is at a low simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours.
Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and mushrooms and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 30 more minutes. Add extra broth at the end to thin the stew, if necessary. Discard bay leaf; stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Ladle into bowls and serve. Garnish with additional fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

Slow Cooker Method: After browning the meat in a skillet or pot as instructed, transfer all of the browned meat to a Crock Pot. Add the Guinness or red wine and the vinegar to the pot (as instructed) to scrape up any browned bits. Transfer the liquid and browned bits to the Crock Pot. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except the parsley), cover, and cook on LOW for about 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 hours.

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