Irish Beef Stew
- Joe S.
- Jan 16, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 18, 2021
The perfect dish for celebrating St. Patrick's Day... or any other day!
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours
Serves up to 10 people
Gluten Free, Family Meal & Kids Friendly
This traditional Irish Beef Stew is not only delicious but so satisfying! Perfect for a cold winter's night, St. Patrick's Day... or any occasion to be honest. It is hearty, full of chunks of meat, vegetables and lots of flavor! The best part? It is 100% gluten free!
Made with fresh ingredients and either choice of wine or beer, this stew will become a favorite at your family table. I know because it is a favorite at ours!
I've said it before and I will say it again: simple fresh ingredients produce the best results.
What is the flavor profile?
Hearty, robust, sweet notes, and herbaceous.
What is Irish Stew?
Irish stew is a lamb or mutton and root vegetable stew native to Ireland. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time, or place to place. Basic ingredients include lamb, or mutton (mutton is used as it comes from less tender sheep over a year old, is fattier, and has a stronger flavor, and was generally more common in less-affluent times), as well as potatoes, onions, and parsley. It may sometimes also include carrots. Irish stew is also made with kid goat.
Irish stew is a celebrated Irish dish, yet its composition is a matter of dispute. Purists maintain that the only acceptable and traditional ingredients are neck mutton chops or kid, potatoes, onions, and water. Others would add such items as carrots, turnips and pearl barley; but the purists maintain that they spoil the true flavor of the dish. The ingredients are boiled and simmered slowly for up to two hours. Mutton was the dominant ingredient because the economic importance of sheep lay in their wool and milk produce and this ensured that only old or economically non-viable animals ended up in the cooking pot, where they needed hours of slow cooking. Irish stew is the product of a culinary tradition that relied almost exclusively on cooking over an open fire. It seems that Irish stew was recognized as early as about 1800.
Irish stew is considered a national dish of Ireland.
What ingredients will I need to make this?
Stew beef, potatoes, gluten free beef broth, red wine or gluten free beer, vegetable oil, gluten free Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, carrots, onions, garlic, thyme, parsley, sea salt, black pepper, unsalted butter, and refine sugar.
What else will I need to make this?
A cutting board and knife, measuring cups and spoons, a wooden spoon, a fork, a large cast iron pot or similar, and a smaller cast iron or similar.
Can I make any substitutions?
Yes...you can either use red wine or any gluten free beer available to you.
You could also go the more traditional route and use lamb or mutton instead of beef.
Can I make any additions?
Yes. You can add turnips, mushrooms, peppers, or any root vegetable of your choice.
Where can I find gluten free beer?
I like Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gluten Free Beer. I found it at my local liquor store. You can also find it online.
Where can I find gluten free beef broth?
You should be able to find it at your local grocery store or specialty store. I use Swanson Beef Broth (GF), which I find at my local Walmart Supercenter. If you are not able to find it, you can either order it online or visit Swanson Gluten Free for locations in your area where you can find it.
INGREDIENTS
3 lbs/ 1.3 kg stew beef, cubed
3 lbs/ 1.3 kg potatoes, cubed
8 cups of Swanson Beef broth Unsalted (GF)
1 cup of red wine or gluten free beer
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of Lea & Perrins Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
4 carrots, peeled and roughly cut
1 large sweet onion
8 cloves of garlic
fresh thyme
fresh parsley
sea salt & black pepper
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of refined sugar
Method
Heat the oil in a large cast iron pot.
Brown the meat in batches with the garlic. Do not overcrowd the skillet.
Add the tomato paste, red wine or gluten free beer, beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, sugar and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Melt the butter in another pot and add the potatoes, onions, carrots, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once the 40 minutes have elapsed, add the potatoes, carrots and onions to the rest of the stew.
Bring to a boil again, reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered for 90 minutes or until the meat is tender.
When ready, skim the excess fat/grease from the top.
Serve and finish it by adding the chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
Printable recipe (pdf) below:
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