Guinness Braised Beef
This Guinness braised beef recipe is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, or any time of year! It’s super simple and creates tender, flavorful beef with just enough sauce to pair with mashed potatoes. Makes 12 servings.
Why I love this braised beef recipe
Since it’s been dreadfully cold here lately, I decided to revamp one of my favorite Dutch oven recipes – Guinness braised beef. I’ve been making it for years, in one form or another, but I used to use a stovetop/oven method, and I recently tested a new version that outshines the last by a lot.
It’s hearty and comforting for a cold, snowy (or rainy) day. In fact, a snow day like today is the perfect time to simmer a post of this Guinness braised beef on the stove and let the wonderful aroma will your home. We love to pair this with my dairy free mashed potatoes and a nice serving of green veggies. Try some oven roasted broccoli or even a fresh arugula salad.
More St. Patrick’s Day recipes: Irish potato candy / Irish champ / Irish sausage / Irish beef stew / Corned beef tacos / Lucky Charms cookies
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Chuck roast – It’s a classic choice for slow-cooking because it’s a well-marbled cut that becomes incredibly tender after cooking for a few hours. A brisket or bottom round are good alternatives if you can’t find a chuck roast you like.
- Guinness stout – Any type of stout beef will work, it doesn’t need to be guinness.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to braise beef
Prepare your chuck roast. Cut your chuck roast into large cubes (about 1-inch).Sprinkle the beef with two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and liberally season it with salt & pepper. I don’t normally measure my salt for this, but I use about 1/2 – 1 teaspoons coarse salt and a little less pepper than that.
I like to leave mine on the cutting board while I flour and season it. While it’s on the cutting board, I stir it around to make sure everything is evenly coated. You could do this in a bowl if you want, but I don’t see the point in dirtying another dish.
Sear the beef and sauté the onions. Heat your Dutch oven to high and add 2 tablespoons of oil (any cooking oil will work). Working in 2 – 3 batches, sear the sides of your beef until the easily release from the pan. This normally takes a few minutes per side. Remove seared beef and transfer to a plate.
Once all of the beef is seared and on the plate, reduce your heat to medium and add the onion. Sauté it until almost translucent, stirring occasionally.
Simmer everything. Add the beef back to the pot with the remaining ingredients and cover the pot. Simmer your braised beef for 2 – 2.5 hours, or until the beef is tender. Resist the urge to check the beef. Each time you open the Dutch oven, you will lose some of the liquid in your pot, so do this sparingly.
By the time the beef is tender, the liquid in your put should have thickened from the flour and fats cooking together. If it seems too thin, remove the lid and return heat to medium. Allow your beef to simmer/boil off the excess liquid for up to 30 minutes.
Before serving, discard the celery stalk and garnish with fresh chopped parsley (optional).
More beef recipes. Shredded beef tacos / Grilled beef satay / Bolognese sauce / Baked hamburgers
FAQs and tips for braising meat
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast (cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt & pepper
- 1 sweet onion (diced)
- 1 12- ounce can Guinness (or other stout beer)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 garlic clove (smashed)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 celery stalk (cut into thirds)
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Coat the chuck roast in flour and liberally season with salt & pepper.
- In a dutch oven or large stockpot, heat olive oil to high.
- Sear the beef for on all sides until golden brown, working in batches if needed.
- Remove the beef from the pan, leaving any liquid in the pot, and reduce heat to medium.
- Add onions and cook for about a minute – stirring frequently.
- Return beef to the pot and add remaining ingredients.
- Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 – 2 1/2 hours, or until beef is tender and liquids have thickened.
- Remove celery from pot, and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.
This recipe was AMAZING! I paired it with your non-dairy mashed potatoes and a salad with your balsamic-pesto dressing (such a great dressing, although it’s shockingly hard to find store-bought pesto without parmesan). Love your website. It’s awesome to find non-dairy recipes that still embrace carbs and meat!! 🙂 Thanks and can’t wait to discover more of your recipes!
This was AMAZING! I made it in the slow-cooker instead and paired it with your dairy free mashed potatoes and an arugula salad with your balsamic pesto vinaigrette!! Can’t wait to discover more of your recipes. It’s awesome that you still embrace the carbs and meat but keep it ND!! Thanks! 🙂
I made this twice, I found that shallots are a great substitute for the white or sweet onions. I also found that the flour is definitely a great guest at this party!! I recommend using three to three in half TBSP. Also, crushed canned tomatoes work well with the tomato paste. Negra Modelo is also a great substitute!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Great recipe. Searing the meat doesn’t seal in the juices. It’s the opposite. Water comes out of the meat when it gets heated and then it browns. I definitely adds flavor.