3/9/18

0 30 Minute Irish Guinness Beef Stew - Pressure Cooker


Bold flavors of chocolate, dark coffee, and subtle wood smoke with the maltiness of dark beer makes this Irish Beef Stew amazing! Deep, rich, and complex in flavor, the beer you choose can make or break this recipe. Pair it with a loaf of crusty Irish Soda bread, and you'll have a meal!

I adapted this popular recipe, which takes two hours to simmer over the stove and used my pressure cooker to reap the same benefits of flavor, in 30 minutes! The 30 minutes includes the coming up to pressure time and the natural release time. This is possible because the meat cut into 1" pieces,  is browned, (for flavor) and the veggies are cut into 1" pieces. Smaller and uniform pieces of veggies mean a shorter cook time.

TIP: Save prep time by using precut stew meat, peeled baby carrots, and omitting the potatoes. Serve this stew over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles or mashed cauliflower. That means you can have dinner ready in well under an hour!


Choosing Your Beer
I do not drink alcohol, but I do occasionally use it in cooking for flavor. Guinness beer is commonly associated with Irish Stew, and I could NOT find it in my grocery stores... apparently, it is either not stocked or it was sold out.

I found a store manager who briefly educated me on ales, lager, and helped me pick out a local dark beer, Uinta Baba, which has the same flavors as Guinness beer. You can check this website for beers that are comparable to Guinness beer. Your local liquor store would also be a good source.

TIP: If you want to make this without alcohol, you can use Coke or root beer (not the Diet). I love using root beer in this awesome chili recipe.




TIP: I love using my kitchen scissors to quickly cut meat. I trim out the hard connective tissue in chuck roast that can make it taste chewy, allowing me to use a shorter cook time.


Browning your meat adds flavor to your meat and stew. Brown the meat in batches, using the reserved bacon drippings. Brown in 3-4 batches, making sure you don't overcrowd the meat. Resist the urge to move the meat before it has completely browned. When browned, the meat will not stick to the pot. 


After browning the bacon and all the meat, saute your onions, stirring to pick up all the browned bits (fond) off the bottom of your pot. This is the good stuff!

TIP: Use the browned bits to flavor your onions and spices. 
After your onions have softened, add your garlic and dried thyme, till fragrant. Hubby came home and said, "Something smells good!"


Add tomato paste (TIP: freeze your extra tomato paste!) and your beer. Stir to dissolve the tomato paste and make sure there are no stuck on bits at the bottom of your pot.


TIP: Chicken broth is recommend for this recipe. I would not recommend using beef broth, as it will overpower the flavors in the stew. I use Better Than Bouillon, as it keeps well in the fridge and I always have it on hand.

Add your broth, carrots, potatoes, and put your fresh thyme (if using) and bay leaf on top.

Cover, close your pressure valve and set it on HIGH pressure for ZERO minutes.


Wait? Zero minutes? But... but ... but...

Trust me, this works! It will take about 15 minutes for the cooker to come up to pressure and during this time, your potatoes and carrots will be cooking. If you use a 1, 2, 3, minute or longer cook time, your veggies will be mush.

Your pressure cooker will take 15 minutes to reach pressure, then it will beep, and then the Natural Release begins. Wait 15 minutes before opening your pressure cooker.

TIP: Remember to remove the fresh thyme and bay leaf before thickening your stew.


THICKEN: I like to use a mix of all purpose flour and softened butter to thicken, it dissolves easily with no lumps.


Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy this amazing Irish Beef Stew in a bowl with a side of crusty bread. Enjoy!


Enjoy!



print recipe

Irish Guinness Beef Stew - Pressure Cooker
Bold flavors of chocolate, dark coffee and subtle wood smoke with the maltiness of the dark beer gives this Irish Stew a deep, complex flavor. Use coca cola or root beer (regular, not diet) for an alcohol free version.
Ingredients
  • 4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
  • 2-3 pounds boneless chuck, trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
  • salt & pepper
  • 1.5 cups 1 medium sweet onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (4-5 sprigs fresh thyme)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 12-15 ounces dark beer (or use Coca Cola or Root Beer)
  • 2 cups chicen broth (I used Better than Bouillon)
  • 3-4 medium (8 ounces) carrots, peeled and cut into 1" slices
  • 4-5 medium (1 pound) russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1" cubes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (omit if using Soda)
  • Thickener:
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons softened butter
  • salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Select Browning/Saute on your pressure cooker.2. Add bacon pieces, stirring until brown and crisp. Remove bacon and set onto a paper towel.3. Season your meat cubes with salt and pepper. In 3-4 batches, brown the meat, using the reserved bacon drippings. Set aside.4. Change the pressure cooker setting to Saute/low and put chopped onions in the pot. Cook until softened, about 3 minutes, scraping the fond (browned bits) from the bottom of the pot.5. Sitr in dried thyme and garlic, until fragrant. If using *fresh* thyme, add it ad the end, just before closing the pressure cooker.6. Add tomato paste and beer (soda), stirring till tomato paste is dissolved.7. Add chicken broth, browned meat, carrots, and potatoes.8. Place fresh thyme and bay leaf on top.9. Close & lock the lid, and close the pressure valve.10. Select HIGH pressure and the time for ZERO minutes. If your cooker doesn't go to zero, select 1 minute.11. When the cooker comes to pressure, the float pin will surface and the cooker will beep. 12. Turn off cooker, and let the pot naturally release for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, open the pressure valve. 13. Open the pressure cooker. Remove the fresh thyme and bay leaf. 14. Mix the all purpose flour and softened butter into a paste. Stir into the hot stew, until thickened. Serve in a bowl with a slice of crusty Irish Soda Bread, or if omitting the potatoes, serve over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles or mashed cauliflower.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6-8

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Pin It button on image hover