Slow-Cooker Irish Stout Beef Stew

Prep 45 min
Total 16 hr 45 min
Servings 8

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. MORE+ LESS-

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated December 9, 2019

Make with

Gold Medal Flour

Ingredients

cups thinly sliced sweet or yellow onions (about 2 lb)

tablespoons butter, melted

teaspoon salt

3/4

teaspoon pepper

cups Progresso™ beef flavored broth (from 32-oz carton)

1/2

cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

lb beef stew meat

tablespoons vegetable oil

cup Guinness® Draught (from 12-oz can)

lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed

carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

teaspoon dried thyme leaves

tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Steps

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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.

Expert Tips

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.
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.
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.
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 Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: About 1 1/3 Cups

Calories: 480
Calories from Fat: 220

% Daily Value

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

*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.