Beef and Guinness Stew

The Cultural Story

Guinness has been brewed in Dublin since 1759, and at some point Irish cooks realised that the same deep malty bitterness that makes it good to drink makes it extraordinary to cook with. Guinness stew is not traditional in the way that Irish stew is traditional. It does not appear in 18th-century records or Victorian cookbooks. It is a dish of the 20th century, born from abundance rather than scarcity, from the decision to use beef instead of lamb and to make the cooking liquid extraordinary. It has since become so thoroughly Irish that tourists order it and locals make it for Christmas. The stout does three things in this stew. First, it provides color — a long braise with Guinness produces a sauce of spectacular dark chocolate-brown richness. Second, it contributes bitterness, which offsets the natural sweetness of carrots and onions and keeps the dish from becoming cloying. Third, and most importantly, it adds body: the sugars in the stout caramelise and break down over the long cook, thickening the sauce to something that coats a spoon with serious intent. The bitterness that can feel sharp out of the bottle becomes deep and mellow after two hours in the oven. Chuck beef is the right cut — it contains the connective tissue that breaks down into gelatin and gives the sauce its texture. Cut it large, brown it hard, and do not rush the oven. This is a dish of three hours, minimum. The reward is a stew so dark it looks almost black in the pot, with beef that comes apart at the touch of a fork and a sauce that you will genuinely consider drinking directly.