I don’t know how you feel about Guinness.  I like it, but I really like Murphy’s Irish Stout.  So I re-created an Irish Stew using Murphy’s rather than Guinness.  I love to eat this and drink it with its base beer.  The result? Well, judge for yourself.  Here’s the recipe (of course, proportions are adjustable):

Murphy’s Irish Stew

1 1/2 pounds of chuck roast cubed into 1 inch pieces (helps if it’s natural or organic and fatty)

1 1/2 Tbsp Butter

1 1/2 Tbsp Oil

Flour and Corn Starch for Thickening (depending on how much you cook it down)

2 Medium Onions

3 Garlic Cloves

1/4 to 1/2 Tsp Thyme

Salt and Pepper for Browning

1 Rutabaga

2 Carrots

Handful of Fingerling or New Potatoes

1 large Golden Yukon Potato

2 Pints Murhpy’s Irish Stout

Heat large pan on medium heat until hot.  Add butter and olive oil.  Once hot, add beef and coarsely chopped onion.  Cook until beef browns and add garlic.  Cook until garlic is soft.  Add all seasonings at this point.  Cook for five minutes.  Turn heat up to medium high for 3 minutes, stirring consistently.  Once the mixture is hot, added the beer.  Heat to a simmer.  Once simmering, turn the heat to low setting and cover mixture.  Check and stir occasionally.  Cook for a period of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours for very soft and delicious beef.  Once mixture has cooked down for this period, make sure that liquid level is high enough to accommodate veggies (they should be cut about like meat).

Before you add veggies, take a few tablespoons of flour and a couple teaspoons of corn starch and mix them in cold water (they will be more soluble and smooth.  If you put them into hot liquid, they will clump). Add a bit at a time until the mixture starts to thicken.  Once it starts to thicken, add the veggies and cook them until they soften.  Enjoy!

I want to mention why I choose Murphy’s over Guinness.  Look at the ingredients.  Beef has it’s own earthy qualities.  Potatoes, rutabaga, and carrots are earthy.  Thyme is herbal and earthy.  Murphy’s has an earthy tobacco mint quality that I simply love.  It seems to match the recipe.  For even more earthy tones, lamb or venison would do nicely.  Also, you may notice that I don’t have any beef gravy in recipe.  I just love to let the ingredients speak for themselves.  Try this recipe and you won’t be disappointed…this is assuming you have taste buds.  Remember…this is stew and will be thick.  If you’re a cheese fan, a nice Irish Cheddar like Kilaree shredded on the surface of this stew will rock you.  Another variation is to take some of the potatoes out, mash them, add butter, and broil them until brown (you can even mix the cheese in these).