This hearty beef stew is rich with the umami flavors of mushrooms, beef, dark roux, and Guinness. Yes, Guinness Extra Stout beer. My Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew is a bowlful of St. Patrick’s Day happiness.
The depth of flavor comes from beef simmered in beer thickened with dark Cajun roux. (All photos credit: George Graham)
I’m green with envy at communities that passionately celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is an upbeat holiday that every able-bodied Irishman (or woman) takes to heart. And with this Guinness Beef and Mushroom Stew, you’ll be wishing you were Irish, too.
Rest assured, it doesn’t take a holiday to enjoy this culinary combination. I’ve been cooking with beer for years, and with just one sip of a dark Extra Stout, I just knew Guinness would show up in one of my recipes. Guinness’ burnt flavor derives from roasted barley and has a characteristic tang. It’s rich, dark ruby color blends with my dark Cajun roux to develop a depth of flavor.
St. Paddy’s Day is the perfect time to give this one a try, but I can assure you it won’t be your last.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds bone-in sliced beef shank or stew meat, 1-inch cubes and trimmed of fat
- 12 button mushrooms
- 1 cup roughly chopped yellow onion
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrot
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 bottle Guinness Extra Stout beer
- 6 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon dark Cajun roux, such as Rox’s Roux
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- In a large pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Once sizzling, add the beef and sauté until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
- In the same pot, add the mushrooms and sauté until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil to the pot along with the onion and celery. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrot, garlic, and rosemary and sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic powder, white pepper, and paprika along with the beer. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.
- Add the beef stock along with the dark roux.
- Add the beef and mushrooms back to the pot and submerge in the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 90 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve in bowls with white rice or mashed potatoes on the side.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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Looks like Cajun Carbonnade and the addition of smoked paprika makes it a must try. Thanks for posting!
This looks wonderful. I’m going to make it on St. Patrick’s Day. I couldn’t find a single bottle of Guinness stout but I found a New Orleans local beer called Irish Channel stout. I guess that’s Irish enough? LOL
Hey Denise-
Great substituion…Irish and Louisiana…I love it. Let us know how it turns out. All the best.
I will definitely let you know! I’m looking forward to it. I wanted to clarify that I could find Guinness stout but I wanted to just purchase an individual bottle rather than a whole 6-pack of it.
Thanks for stretching the boundaries of traditional Cajun/Creole recipes. I mean gumbo has come a long way from tomato and okra. Just try and find dat on a menu! I believe it’s those bits ‘n pieces left over and thrown in the pot that make the best flavors and recipes. Love your ideas – thanks.
George, just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed you Acadiana Table seasoning; what a great all around seasoning for everything. I have been diagnosed with hypertension and am going to have to cut back on my sodium intake. How would you make your Acadiana Seasoning without salt or what would you substitute for salt? Looking forward to hearing back from you. Thanks.
Hey Jim- Check out Nu-Salt, a sodium-free product that just might do the trick. Here’s the link on Amazon. All the best.
George – I had a package of lamb shanks in the freezer that were extras from a dinner we prepared for friends in the fall. I used those in this recipe along with a couple quarts of lamb stock I had on hand. Otherwise, true to the recipe. Served it over baked sweet potato and very finely julienned collards. Spectacular!
I’ve followed your blog for several years now. I’ve really enjoyed it and have cooked from it many times. It’s difficult to source many of the seafood ingredients here in central Kansas, so we don’t prepare many of those recipes…but we’ve used many of the other recipes that involve red meat, chicken and game. We’ve got plenty of that!
Hey Chuck- Thanks for the idea on using this recipe for lamb shanks, one of my favorites. Keep the comments coming.