Tomato Beef Stew Guinness Slow Cooker

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This crock pot Irish stew is a classic Irish Guinness beef stew, made in the slow cooker. Made with your favorite beer, beef chuck, and bacon you know it's going to be good.

This is the BEST Guinness beef stew recipe because it's a classic stew at its best. It's that comforting winter soup you didn't know you needed and it's sure to definitely hit the spot.

From the deep flavors in the broth to the fall-apart tender meat in every bite, this is one soup recipe you're going to want to repeat often.

Serve it up for a seasonal dish or serve it up on St Patrick's Day when you want to add a festive Irish meal to the table.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew With Beer

It's no surprise that beer is a wonderful tenderizer when it comes to meats which is why it's so often used in marinades and slow cooked foods.

It helps the meat to get to that fall apart consistency that practically melts in your mouth in every bite. For this recipe, we make the Irish beef stew with Guinness stout for a depth of flavor too.

Guinness naturally tastes like coffee and chocolate and to pair it with beef is a no brainer because those deep flavors combined with the beer are practically magical!

Ingredients you'll need for Guinness Irish Stew

Beef chuck
Bacon
White onions
Garlic cloves
Celery sticks
Carrots
Tomato paste
Sugar
Low Sodium Beef stock
Guinness beer
Salt
Fresh thyme
Bay leaves
Freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil
White flour

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Irish Stew in a Slow Cooker

Slice your bacon into strips and fry in a pan until golden and crispy. Once fried remove the bacon to a plate but keep the grease in the pan.

Slice the beef chuck into medium-sized cubes (bite-sized pieces) and add them to a medium-sized bowl with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Add the chuck to the bacon greased skillet. Cook over medium heat until the meat is seared and browned and then remove the meat and set it aside.

Dice your onion and garlic cloves and add them to the skillet and saute for 10 minutes over low heat until the onions are translucent and golden. If needed, add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.

Pour in your Guinness beer and deglaze it to remove browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add in the tomato paste and dissolve it into the liquid. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

While the beer, onion, garlic, and tomato mix is cooking, cut the celery into small cubes and the carrots into thin wheels and set them aside.

Add the bacon, beef chuck, celery, carrots, and the contents of the skillet to your slow cooker.

Add in the beef stock and herbs and mix to combine.

Taste the liquid and determine if it needs the sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Season with more salt and pepper and cook on low for 6 hours.

Optionally if desired you can mix 1/3 cup of flour with half a glass of water until dissolved and then add it into the stew to make it thicker towards the end of the cooking time.

Let it cook for at least 30 minutes with the flour mixture in the stew before serving.

Recipe Tips

This beef and Guinness slow cooker recipe can be made without potatoes, so it can be served over a bed of mashed potatoes.

Another possibility is to add potatoes to the stew, in that case, add 1 medium-sized potato per person peeled and cubed. Add the potatoes to the mixture in the slow cooker, since potatoes don't need any previous cooking procedure beforehand.

Other serving suggestions can be cubed fried potatoes on the side or even white rice (although not traditional at all, both options are equally delicious).

FAQs

Is crock pot Guinness stew Gluten Free?

No, this recipe is not gluten free because we ask for flour as a thickener. In case you want to keep the stew gluten-free but still have a thick stew sauce, leave the crockpot uncovered for the last 2 hours, so steam can be released and it will naturally reduce and thicken. You can thicken it also it with corn starch instead of white flour to keep it gluten free.

PLEASE NOTE: For Celiacs and High Gluten sensitivity this recipe will still not be gluten free safe by changing the thickening methods. Guinness is considered a gluten-filled beer because it uses malted barley.

If you are simply trying to reduce your processed flour intake and carbs then changing the thickener will work, but for allergies, this recipe would need to use a certified gluten free beer and not Guinness.

So while yes, the soup would be gluten free with Guinness, and safe for regular diets and consumption, it is not gluten free to the allergen standards of those with high sensativity.

How long is crock pot Irish stew good for?

You can keep your leftover stew in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. This means that if you don't eat it all at dinner you can enjoy it throughout the week for lunch!

Can I freeze crock pot Guinness beef stew?

Yes, this soup recipe is freezer-friendly. After it has cooled completely, place it into a sealed freezer safe container for up to 6 months. When you are ready to eat you can simply place it from frozen back into your slow cooker until warmed through or you can thaw and heat it in a covered pot on the stove over medium-low heat.

For more incredible recipes with Guinness Beer, check out these flavorful suggestions:

Stout Ice Cream Float
Milkshake
Chocolate Cake
Black Bottom Cupcakes
Cheese Dip
Slow Cooker Short Ribs

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1. 7 pounds/800 gr beef chuck.
0.55 pounds/250 gr bacon.
1 big white onion or 2 medium-sized ones.
3 garlic cloves
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
33 oz/ 1 liter low sodium beef stock
A tall can of Guinness beer (draught black beer)
1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper or to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
1/3 cup regular white flour (optional)

Instructions

Cut the bacon into strips and fry it in a pan, until golden crispy. Once the bacon is fried, set aside but leave the released grease in the pan.
Cut the beef chuck into medium-sized cubes (bite-size) and add them to a medium-sized bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Add the cubed and seasoned beef chuck to the pan where you have the bacon grease and brown it on medium heat.
Once the meat has been seared and browned, remove and set aside.
Dice the onion and garlic cloves and add them to the pan. Sautee for 10 minutes on low or until translucid, fragrant, and golden. If needed add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
Pour the Guinness beer into the pan to deglaze it and take all the beautiful browned bits from it.
Add the tomato puree to the pan and dissolve with the liquid. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes.
While the beer, onion, garlic and tomato mixture is cooking, cut the celery sticks in small cubes and the carrots in thin wheels. Set aside.
In your slow cooker add the bacon, beef chuck, celery stick, and the content of the pan. Also, add the beef stock, and the herbs and combine well. At this point, you want to taste the liquid and add the sugar. This will balance the tomato paste and beer acidity.
Season with more salt and pepper and let cook on low for 6 hours.
Optional step: if you want to make the stew sauce a bit thicker, dissolve 1/3 of a cup of white flour in half a glass of water and add it to the slow cooker towards the end of the cooking. Let cook for at least 30 minutes with the stew.