Description
The maltiness of dark beer really does amazing things for this gravy. It’s a very simple dish, but at the same time it has a deep, complex, rich flavor. I served this in a nice ring of green onion-mashed potatoes. I hope you give this a try, whether for St. Patrick’s Day or anytime of the year.
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- 2 ½ pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 onions, coarsely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.9 ounce) can dark beer (such as Guinness®)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
- 4 cups mashed potatoes (Optional)
Instructions
- Cook and stir bacon in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp
- 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer bacon into a large stew pot
- reserving bacon fat in the skillet.
- Season beef chuck cubes generously with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under the skillet and sear beef pieces in the hot fat on both sides until browned
- about 5 minutes. Place beef in the stew pot with bacon
- leaving fat in the skillet. Turn heat down to medium; cook and stir onions in the retained fat in the skillet until lightly browned
- 5 to 8 minutes; season with a large pinch of salt.
- Cook garlic with onions until soft
- about 1 minute. Pour beer into the skillet and stir with a wooden spoon
- scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food into the liquid. Pour cooking liquid from the skillet into the stew pot. Stir in tomato paste
- carrots
- celery
- thyme sprigs
- sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- and enough chicken broth to cover.
- Bring stew to a gentle simmer
- stirring to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer stew until beef is fork-tender
- about 2 hours. Stir stew occasionally and skim fat or foam if desired.
- Remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Bring stew to a low boil and cook until stew has slightly thickened
- 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange mashed potatoes in a ring in a serving bowl; ladle stew into the center of the potatoes.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time: 3 hrs
Servings: 6