Ah, the obligatory Saint Patrick’s Day post.
(But for real, this recipe is bomb.)
I actually stumbled upon this recipe while doing some reading about Chicago Saint Patrick’s day. For those that may not know yet, I grew up in Michigan, not too far from Chicago. A few years back, when Dave and I still lived in Michigan, we decided to take a road trip to Chicago to view the annual dye-ing of the Chicago River; this WOULD have been an amazing experience if we hadn’t decided to go the day after a night shift at the hospital (hashtag poorjudgement..). As a result, instead of having an amazing day partying our green socks off, I was groggily wandering around throngs of bedazzled green humanity demanding access to a bed immediately. If I’m not mistaken, I napped in the car while Dave wandered around Chicago by himself.
It’s a miracle he asked me to marry him…
I guess my charm and winning personality convinced him it was all worth it, right?
(Or he just in it for the cooking…)
But for real- this recipe is inspired from chef John Hogan of the Chicago River Roast restaurant. While I cannot comment on the official quality of this restaurant, I can comment on the quality of his Irish Guinness Stew Recipe, which is to say it is bacon-y, boozy, and melt-in-your-mouth awesome, just the way a good stew should be.
So, hope you enjoy the recipe (or just enjoy the pictures while drinking a pint of green beer.) Cheers!
Yes, I cooked the entire pack of bacon, not just 4 slices. Seemed like a good idea? My arteries might disagree…
This is the color you’re looking for when you caramelize the beef. But don’t get overly obsessed with this unless you are aggressively taking photos for a food blog. The flavor will still be awesome.
Finished stew after about 3 hours in the oven.
Serve the stew with a little chopped parsley for garnish.
Adapted from John Hogan of Chicago River Roast
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes, trimmed of excess fat
- 4 slices of center cut bacon
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup of flour (seasoned with paprika, salt, and pepper)
- 4 medium red potatoes, cubed
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 16oz cans of Guinness Extra Stout
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, render bacon in cast iron pot (or other oven safe pot) until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Reserve bacon drippings in the pot.
- Toss beef in flour mixture. Continuing with medium-high heat, sear beef in the hot bacon fat, until it takes on nice brown color. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In remaining oil, add onions and garlic. Cook until slightly golden. Add the remaining flour and stir to coat. Add tomato paste.
- Pour in Guinness and beef broth, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return beef to the pot. Crumble in the reserved bacon. Add carrots, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
- Cover and cook in a 300 degree oven for about 3 hours, or until beef is very tender.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper to season, if needed. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Serve with toasted french bread or sourdough.
4 comments
nice article, keep the good work going
Thank you so much!
This is a fabulous dish, thank you!
Thanks Mary! Glad you enjoyed 🙂