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Slow-Cooker Irish Stout Beef Stew

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  • Prep 45 min
  • Total 16 hr 45 min
  • Servings 8
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During the colder months, we can’t get enough soup, stew and chili, but truth be told—sometimes we need a break from our old favorites. That’s why this recipe is such a welcome addition. It makes for a hearty bowl with fall-apart-tender chunks of beef in a luscious, rich broth, but that’s not all that’s going on here. Caramelized onions add a sweetness that’s well balanced by the slightly bitter (think coffee-flavored) taste of the Guinness®. The preparation of the beef—it’s dredged in flour and browned before being added to the slow cooker crock—helps thicken the stew and adds all sorts of deeply savory flavor. So when you want something comforting and crowd-friendly—but also feel like you’ve been eating the same thing for months—turn to this sensational stew for something new.
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Dec 9, 2019
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Ingredients

  • 6 cups thinly sliced sweet or yellow onions (about 2 lb)
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 cups Progresso™ beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)
  • 1/2 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 3 lb beef stew meat
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup Guinness® Draught (from 12-oz can)
  • 1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Steps

  • 1
    Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
  • 2
    Mix onions, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper in slow cooker. Add 1 cup of the broth. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until onions are very tender and browned.
  • 3
    In large bowl, mix flour, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add beef; toss to coat. Discard any excess flour. In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook half of beef 5 to 7 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker; repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining half of beef.
  • 4
    Add remaining 1 cup broth to skillet; heat to boiling over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Add to slow cooker.
  • 5
    Add Guinness®, potatoes, carrots and thyme to slow cooker; stir. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until meat is tender and sauce is thickened.
  • 6
    Garnish with parsley.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Like many slow cooker dishes, this one turns out better when the meat is browned prior to being slow cooked. The chemical reaction that happens during browning actually builds flavor. While slow cookers can work many culinary wonders, they aren’t designed to heat up enough for browning. They are great at taking meat that’s been browned and breaking it down into succulent fork-tender morsels, as happens in this recipe. So yes, it’s not a completely hands-off recipe, but we think the little bit of effort is well rewarded by the end result of this rich, savory stew.
  • tip 2
    We used small Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe—1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If your potatoes are larger, halve or quarter them to ensure best results.
  • tip 3
    Using the slow cooker to caramelize onions is one of our favorite tricks. Slice ‘em and forget about ‘em, all day or all night—they’ll need about 8 to 10 hours. When you check in again, you’ll find yourself with a wealth of sweet and jammy onions ready to be used in anything from this recipe to French Onion Soup to Slow-Cooker Caramelized Onion Dip and more.
  • tip 4
    Guinness® is a dark, rich and creamy Irish stout with a malty, slightly coffee-like flavor. It would be a delicious drink to serve alongside this stew.

Nutrition

480 Calories, 24g Total Fat, 35g Protein, 31g Total Carbohydrate, 7g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: About 1 1/3 Cups
Calories
480
Calories from Fat
220
Total Fat
24g
37%
Saturated Fat
9g
47%
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
100mg
33%
Sodium
630mg
26%
Potassium
1000mg
29%
Total Carbohydrate
31g
10%
Dietary Fiber
4g
17%
Sugars
7g
Protein
35g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
110%
110%
Vitamin C
15%
15%
Calcium
8%
8%
Iron
20%
20%
Exchanges:
1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1/2 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • Irish beef stew is one of those classic dishes whose ingredient list no one seems to agree on. In its most traditional form, it might have been made with mutton or goat and root vegetables. This Americanized version features beef stew meat, which is widely available at U.S. grocery stores, root vegetables and for a fun twist, a dash of Ireland’s most famous beer. This dish would make a great Sunday dinner because you could caramelize the onions overnight on Saturday and prepare the beef and other ingredients the next morning. By the time dinner rolls around on Sunday, everyone’s mouth will be watering from smelling this savory meal come together.
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