Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew

It’s time to find your favorite green shirt, pour yourself a silky stout, and dance a little jig. St. Patrick’s Day is almost here.

Whether you plan on enjoying a few dark beers or spending the night in with friends and family, St. Patrick’s Day is a good excuse to expand your recipe repertoire and cook some traditional Irish fare.

While corned beef and cabbage is always a mid-March go-to, it’s not uncommon for some, especially the kids, to turn their nose up (or pinch their nose shut) at cabbage. If you want to avoid the inevitable dinner time struggle, switch things up and make Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew instead.

Cut beef into 1-inch cubes and sear on the stovetop for about 5 minutes until the meat is browned on all sides. Remove the meat, add garlic to the skillet, and sauté for about a minute. Deglaze the skillet with a stout beer and pour the contents into the slow cooker crock.

Sprinkle the mixture with quick-cooking tapioca (it’s a great thickening agent) then add the seared beef, carrots, onion, potatoes, beef broth, bay leaves, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

This Irish stew has all the familiar flavors of a winter stew with an Irish twist thanks to the hint of beer. Serve this thick, rich stew in a bread bowl or over noodles for a hearty St. Patrick’s Day meal. And don’t forget to sprinkle a few fresh herbs on top – you can never have enough green on St. Patrick’s Day.

Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew

Author: Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen

Ingredients

2 pounds beef for stew
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 beer (12 oz.) stout beer (or red wine)
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca (thickener)
10 small potatoes, washed and cut into bite size pieces
6 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut in eighths
1 14-ounce can beef broth
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sprig of rosemary or thyme, optional
Bread bowl, optional

Instructions

Trim fat from meat and cut into 1-inch pieces.
Heat oil on skillet (or stove top safe slow cooker vessel)
Sear meat until brown on all sides (about 5 minutes) Remove meat.
Add garlic and sauté about one minute
Deglaze skillet with stout beer and pour contents into crock
Place crock in base and sprinkle with tapioca
Add potatoes, carrots, onion, beef broth, bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on LOW 8 hour or HIGH 4 hours.
Remove bay leaves before serving. Add a sprig of rosemary, if desired.
Serve in bread bowl or over noodles

Notes

This is the perfect opportunity to save money by purchasing less expensive cuts of meat. One or our favorites in the test kitchen is round steak. Or you can save time by purchasing already cubed beef. To deglaze – pour liquid into hot pan to remove all caramelized food bits to create sauce.