Irish stew is a very traditional dish, with deep origins dating back to likely the 17th or 18th century. The dish was often made by farmers who, while not possessing ingredients to make an elegant meal, needed the necessary nutrition to get them through a long day working out in fields, or raising livestock.
The real difference between a more traditional Irish stew and Guinness beef stew is the addition of Guinness stout. The stout elevates the flavor profile of the stew, and helps make the meat extra juicy and tender.
Guinness is a dark and malty beer made from water, barely, hops and yeast. The brewery was founded in 1759, and is still around today. In 1886 Guinness became the largest brewery in the world, however it’s since been surpassed in size by cheaper, less high quality breweries. Guinness opposed Irish rebellion, even helping the British fight against insurrection. If you’re interested in the history of Guinness and Ireland, and love dramas, I’d recommend watching Netflix’s House of Guiness tv series.
For the stew, you’ll need bacon, beef, salt, black pepper, onions, garlic, guiness, tomato paste, carrots, celery, fresh thyme, sugar, and beef bone broth. To make it, gather all these ingredients, along with those for the bread, and mashed potatoes, if you want to really elevate the stew.
Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet, separately and transferring it into a pot. Then in that skillet, cook the beef with salt and pepper in that pan, before transferring it into the pot. Turn down the heat, and continue this process with onions, stout, and garlic. Then pour that into the stewing pot, and stir in the tomato paste, carrots, celery, thyme sprigs, sugar, black pepper, and enough broth to cover the ingredients. Leave it on simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally, and remove sprigs.
This recipe is amazing, and I recommend that it’s worth trying if you have the time. For the bread, you need wheat flour, white flour, salt, oats, wheat germ, baking soda, buttermilk, and molasses.
Making the bread also requires you to cut a cross into the bread, both so it can cook properly, and as part of a tradition to ward off evil spirits. The full recipe for both the stew can be found by clicking the names below.
