Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew is thick and hearty: tender chunks of beef, baby red potatoes, carrots and celery in a dark, rich gravy made with a bottle of Guinness. Make it for St. Patrick’s Day or for any day you want dinner waiting when you walk in the door. It serves 8.
How to make it: Shake the beef in seasoned flour, brown it in a skillet, and stir in tomato paste and broth to make a thick sauce. Spoon it over the vegetables in the slow cooker, pour in the Guinness and cook on LOW for 8 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
Why You’ll Love It
- Mostly hands-off: about 30 minutes of prep, then the slow cooker takes over for the day.
- A real gravy, not a thin broth: every spoonful of beef and potato comes up coated.
- Feeds a crowd: 2 pounds of beef and a full pot of vegetables make 8 servings.
- Few dishes: a zip-top bag, one skillet and the slow cooker are all you need.
Ingredient Notes
Beef: Buy precut stew meat, or cut a beef chuck roast into cubes yourself. Look for large chunks, trim off the excess fat, and aim for 1 1/2-inch pieces.
Guinness: One 11.2-ounce bottle, original or extra stout.
Seasoned flour: The flour carries all the seasoning for the beef: salt, pepper, onion powder and dried oregano and thyme. Use the dried leaf herbs, not ground.
Tomato paste and broth: 6 ounces of tomato paste and 15 ounces of beef broth make the pan sauce. Beef stock works in place of the broth.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, well trimmed (precut cubes or a beef chuck roast cut into cubes)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (leaf, not ground)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (leaf, not ground)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 15 ounces beef broth or beef stock
- 3 cups baby red potatoes, quartered
- 3 cups carrots, sliced
- 2 cups celery, sliced
- 1 cup white onion (1 small onion), cut into large pieces
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 11.2 ounces Guinness stout (1 bottle), original or extra stout
- 2 bay leaves
How to Make Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
1. Coat the beef. Make sure the beef is fully thawed. Put the flour, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and onion powder in a large zip-top bag. Add the beef and shake until every piece is well coated.
2. Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the floured beef in batches so the pan is not crowded, and brown it on all sides without letting it burn. It does not need to cook through.
3. Make the sauce. When all the beef is browned, return it to the skillet and add the tomato paste and beef broth. Stir until a thick sauce forms, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan, then set it aside off the heat.
4. Layer the vegetables. Put the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the slow cooker.
5. Add the beef and Guinness. Spoon the beef and sauce over the vegetables. Stir in the Guinness and lay the bay leaves on top.
6. Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours without opening the lid, until the beef is fork-tender.
7. Serve. Remove the bay leaves. Stir gently so the tender beef stays in pieces, and serve.
How to Get a Thick, Rich Guinness Stew
Build the sauce in the skillet. The flour on the beef and the tomato paste turn the broth into a thick sauce in just a few minutes, before anything goes into the slow cooker. Tomato paste brings flavor as well as body.
Keep the browned bits. The dark bits stuck to the skillet after browning go into the stew too. Work the broth around the pan with a wooden spoon until they come loose, and pour every drop over the vegetables.
Leave the lid alone. Keep it closed for the full 8 hours on LOW. USDA FSIS says to keep the lid in place and lift it only to stir the food or check for doneness.
Thicken it at the end if you like. Hold back 1/4 cup of the Guinness when you add the bottle. When the beef is tender, set the cooker to HIGH, whisk 1/4 cup flour into the reserved stout until smooth, and stir it in. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
No stout held back? Whisk the 1/4 cup flour into a little of the hot stew liquid instead, then stir it back into the pot. Fold it in slowly: fork-tender beef falls apart if you stir it too hard.
Tips for Success
Why won’t my beef brown?
Give it room. Beef packed into the pan does not cook evenly, so brown about half at a time, about 8 minutes per batch. Shake off any excess flour before the pieces go in, and keep an eye on the pan so the coating browns without burning.
Why are the potatoes still firm when the beef is done?
USDA FSIS says vegetables cook slower than meat in a slow cooker, which is why they go in first. Keep them on the bottom, under the beef and sauce, and cut them as listed: potatoes quartered, carrots and celery sliced.
What if the beef is still tough?
Give it more time on LOW; it is ready when a fork slides in easily. USDA FSIS suggests the low setting for all-day cooking and for less-tender cuts, and it is safe to cook on low the whole time. If you can, FSIS also suggests starting on the highest setting for the first hour, then switching to low.
Variations
- Lamb stew: use cubed lamb in place of the beef and follow the recipe the same way.
- With parsnips: add parsnips to the slow cooker with the carrots and potatoes.
- Brothier stew: for more liquid, use up to 33 fluid ounces of low-sodium beef broth with a 12-ounce bottle of Guinness.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Thaw frozen stew in the refrigerator, or reheat it straight from frozen in a saucepan or the microwave. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, not in the slow cooker, until the stew comes to a rolling boil and reaches 165°F. You can then keep it warm for serving in a preheated slow cooker at 140°F or above.
What to Serve With It
Serve the stew in deep bowls with crusty bread or Irish soda bread, spoon it over creamy mashed potatoes, or top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream or a little grated cheddar. A pan of roasted vegetables goes well next to it: try roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts or roasted asparagus and carrots. For another beef dinner cooked in stout, make the slow cooker dark beer beef roast. For more beef stews, there’s Instant Pot beef stew and beef bourguignon, and for a St. Patrick’s Day table, add slow cooker corned beef.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook Guinness stew in a slow cooker?
Yes. USDA FSIS names stew among the high-moisture foods that suit a slow cooker. It also says the low heat helps less expensive, leaner cuts of meat become tender and shrink less.
What does Guinness add to beef stew?
A slight taste of ale that is not overpowering, and a rich, deep flavor. The stout turns the broth into a sauce with deep, complex flavor.
What kind of beer should I use?
Guinness original or extra stout; Guinness draught works too. If you don’t have Guinness, any beer can go in its place.
Can I get it ready the night before?
Yes, partly. Cut the beef and the vegetables the night before and keep them in separate containers in the refrigerator, as USDA FSIS advises, and mix the seasoned flour in the bag. In the morning, coat and brown the beef, make the sauce, layer everything in the slow cooker and cook as written.
Final Notes
For a fresh finish, stir a little minced fresh parsley into the pot right before serving. If you make this stew, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments.
Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef stew meat well trimmed; precut cubes or a beef chuck roast cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaf, not ground
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaf, not ground
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 15 ounces beef broth or beef stock
- 3 cups baby red potatoes quartered
- 3 cups carrots sliced
- 2 cups celery sliced
- 1 cup white onion 1 small onion, cut into large pieces
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 11.2 ounces Guinness stout 1 bottle, original or extra stout
- 2 bay leaves removed before serving
Instructions
- Make sure the beef is fully thawed. Put the flour, salt, pepper, oregano, thyme and onion powder in a large zip-top bag. Add the beef and shake until every piece is well coated.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the floured beef in batches so the pan is not crowded, and brown it on all sides without letting it burn. It does not need to cook through.
- When all the beef is browned, return it to the skillet and add the tomato paste and beef broth. Stir until a thick sauce forms, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pan, then set it aside off the heat.
- Put the potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the slow cooker.
- Spoon the beef and sauce over the vegetables. Stir in the Guinness and lay the bay leaves on top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours without opening the lid, until the beef is fork-tender.
- Remove the bay leaves. Stir gently so the tender beef stays in pieces, and serve.
