Williams Sonoma - The Artful Gourmet

Irish Stout Beef Stew

Rich, slow-braised beef stew simmered with Guinness, carrots, potatoes, and savory spices. The ultimate cozy comfort food for chilly nights.

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March can be a funny month. Technically it’s spring… but outside it still feels like winter decided to overstay its welcome. Grey skies, chilly mornings, and just enough drizzle to make you want to stay indoors with the heater on.

Honestly? I don’t hate it.

There’s something quietly luxurious about a day when the only agenda is cooking something slow, cozy, and soul-warming while a movie plays in the background and the kitchen fills with the smell of something simmering on the stove.

One November several years ago for my birthday, my mom gifted me a gorgeous Wolfgang Puck cast-iron enamel braising pan, and I had been waiting for the perfect excuse to christen it with a big, bubbling pot of comfort food when I first made it. But since it’s St. Patrick’s Day today – I’m bringing this fav recipe back!

Irish Stout Beef Stew

Enter: Irish Stout Beef Stew.

Deep, rich, hearty, and exactly the kind of thing that makes a gloomy day feel like a warm hug.

I started with chunky cubes of beef chuck, browned until golden and caramelized.

Beef Stew Braising Base

Then came the aromatics—sweet onions and garlic sizzling in the pan—followed by carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and a jar of Williams-Sonoma Beef Stew Braising Sauce, which brings a delicious blend of spices like cumin, paprika, curry, roasted red peppers, and chiles.

And of course… the magic ingredient.

Guinness Irish Stout

A bottle of dark Irish stout beer.
Guinness is my favorite here—it adds a deep, malty richness that transforms a simple stew into something truly special.

Beef Stew Simmering

Everything goes into the pot, slides into the oven, and after a few hours of slow braising the result is exactly what winter cooking should be:

A big pot of savory, hearty, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

Serve it with thick slices of rye bread or Irish brown bread, plenty of butter (Kerrygold, always), and maybe another glass of stout.

Because if you’re going to stay in…
you might as well stay in well.

Irish Stout Beef Stew

theartfulgourmet

The Coziest Irish Stout Beef Stew (Slow-Braised with Guinness)

Rich Irish stout beef stew braised with Guinness, carrots, and potatoes. A cozy winter comfort food recipe perfect with rye bread or Irish brown bread.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2 15

Total Time 2 45

Servings: 8

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Calories: 420

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

1 cup seasoned pan-searing flour (Wegmans or Wondra)
4 tbsp canola oil, divided
2 lbs boneless chuck beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 large onions, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic (3–4 cloves)
1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 bottle Irish stout beer (such as Guinness)
1 (8.5 oz) jar Williams-Sonoma Beef Stew Braising Sauce
1 (14 oz) can low-sodium beef broth
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped in a food processor
2 cups baby carrots or large carrot chunks
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered into chunks
1 pkg frozen baby peas
1/4 cup starch or roux thickener mixed with water (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Rye bread or Irish brown bread, for serving

Equipment

1 Dutch Oven

Method

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat in a large cast-iron enamel braising pan or Dutch oven.
Dredge the beef cubes in seasoned pan-searing flour. Brown in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add sliced onions to the pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sauté about 5 minutes, until softened. Add minced garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Add Worchestershire sauce and the Irish stout beer, stirring and scraping the pan to release the browned bits. Add the beef broth and simmer for a few minutes.
Return the beef to the pot. Add chopped tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, the Beef Stew Braising Sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil.
Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Braise for 1 hour.
Remove the pot from the oven, stir, and reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
If the stew needs thickening, stir in the starch or roux slurry until desired consistency is reached. (You can also mash a few potatoes to naturally thicken the stew.)
Return the pot to the oven and braise 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
Add the baby peas during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Remove from oven and let the stew rest 15–20 minutes on the stovetop to thicken slightly before serving.
Serve with rye bread or Irish brown bread, plenty of Irish butter (Kerrygold is my favorite), and a glass of Guinness or your favorite dark beer.

Notes

This rich Irish stout beef stew is the ultimate cozy comfort food. Tender beef chuck slowly braised with Guinness, carrots, potatoes, and savory spices in a Dutch oven until melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Perfect for chilly nights, St. Patrick’s Day dinners, or anytime you crave a hearty homemade stew.

✔ Easy slow braise method
✔ Deep flavor from Irish stout beer
✔ Classic comfort food recipe

Recipe Tips

• Use chuck roast for the most tender stew meat.
• Guinness stout adds deep flavor but any dark stout works well.
• Mash a few potatoes into the broth for a naturally thicker stew.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze up to 3 months.
Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth.

Nutrition (Approximate)

Calories: ~420 per serving
Protein: 32g
Carbohydrates: 28g
Fat: 18g

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