This beef and stout stew is easy to make and a hearty, comforting meal. The stout gives a wonderful rich flavor & tenderizes the beef. Great on a cold day.

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I'm not quite sure why, but I sometimes get a bit stumped when I get stewing beef or something similar in our meat box. There are a few dishes my mum used to make with it, but none are big favorites. We do love youvetsi, but I have to say I prefer it with lamb.

Recently, though, I decided to make this beef and stout stew and it was a great choice. It's a comforting, flavorful and hearty winter stew that also fits in perfectly for today's St Patrick's Day recipes theme (more below).

As well as using the stewing beef, this was a great excuse to use a stray bottle of stout we had in the fridge. You see, we get some craft beers delivered each month, always different kinds which is fun to try.

Occasionally, though, you get ones you are just not that in to. That was the case with a coffee stout - it wasn't one either my husband or I really liked. I like coffee, but it was too much in this beer.

As a result, we've had a couple bottles sitting at the back of the fridge waiting to find another use. This stew was the perfect excuse, the stout adding a delicious rich flavor.

How to make beef and stout stew

This is really easy to make as all you do is cook the bacon and onions a little, brown the meat then add everything else. Cook it in a low oven for a couple hours then serve. It might look like it takes a while, but most of that is hands-off time.

Keeping in the Irish theme, we had it with mashed potatoes which were great for mopping up the gravy, but rice or other grains (or mash) would also work.

Irish stew, which is probably better known, is actually a little boring flavor-wise in my opinion as it's just a water or stock base, but adding stout is so much better. While you can use Guinness, I would suggest something else as Guinness doesn't have all that much depth of flavor.

Whatever you use, though, the beer helps to tenderize the meat as it cooks low and slow. The flavor gets right into the meat and carrots, making this so comforting and tasty.

It's maybe not entirely traditional, but this beef and stout stew makes a great meal that's full of flavor. Hearty, easy and great for colder days.

Looking for more comforting stew-like ideas? Try these:

One pot braised lamb shoulder chops with vegetables
Bo kho (Vietnamese beef stew)
Sauerbraten (German pot roast)
Roman lamb stew (abbacchio alla cacciatora)
Beef bourguignon
Plus get more main course recipes in the archives.

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5 from 1 vote