The BEST slow cooker Irish Guinness beef stew recipe. Chunks of tender beef cooked in a Guinness beef broth with carrots and potatoes. Topped with micro greens that look like lucky clovers!
In a baking dish, stir and combine the flour, 2 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoon pepper. Add the beef stew meat and toss to coat. Tap off excess, and transfer the flour dredged stew meat to a plate. Discard any leftover flour.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, and add about 1/4 of the meat, being careful to not overcrowd the pan (otherwise the meat will steam and not brown). Cook about 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown, turning to cook both sides. Transfer the cooked meat to your slow cooker. Repeat to continue browning the meat, adding another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan each time before adding the meat. It takes me about 4 batches to cook all the meat.
While the meat is browning, chop up the carrots and potatoes to be about 1" x 1/2" chunks. You don't want to cut the vegetables too small, otherwise they won't hold up in the stew. Transfer the cut carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker. Chop up the 2 onions and set aside.
After the meat is done cooking, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the same pan and cook the onions. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. While the onions are cooking, scrape up any brown bits and cooked flour on the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions just starting to soften. Add in the garlic and tomato paste, stir and cook for 1 more minute. Add in about 1 cup of the chicken stock and scrape up any remaining bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer the cooked onions and liquid to the crock pot. Add in the Guinness beer, remaining chicken stock, and bay leaves to the crock pot. Give a stir to evenly distribute the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours, or LOW for 8-10 hours. Taste for salt and pepper after cooking. Sometimes I'll even add garlic powder if it needs it.
Serve warm, and garnish with micro greens or chopped parsley.
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Notes
To cook this in the oven, substitute a Dutch oven for the slow cooker. Once all the liquid is added, bring to a simmer then transfer to a 225 degree oven for 6-7 hours.
Nutrition
Calories: 436 | Total Carbs: 35.4g | Protein: 46.3g | Fat: 9.9g | Fiber: 3.8g | Net Carbs: 32g