Guinness Beef Stew

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish

This Guinness Beef Stew is a healthy and hearty meal. This beef stew is quick to make if you start with a tender cut of beef such as flank steak.

Ingredients

1 Pound beef for stew (I prefer a cut such as flank steak, but chuck and bottom round work as well)
salt and pepper
⅓ cup flour
¼ cup oil (olive or canola)
1 Medium onion (diced)
3 Cloves garlic (minced)
1 bottle Guinness Stout Beer
2 Cans beef broth
4 Medium carrots (peeled and sliced into 1 inch pieces)
3 Medium baking potatoes (cut into 1 inch cubes)
2 Teaspoons thyme (add 1 teaspoon at a time, to suit your taste preference)

Note

Some tips for making stew -- dusting the meat in flour will help thicken the stew. If you prefer your stew even thicker, you can always add a couple tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of water towards the end of the cooking period.

Searing the meat will help create a deep flavor, as will deglazing the pan and scraping up all those bits. Sear the meat in small batches -- if you overcrowd, the meat will end up "steaming," which is not what you want!

Directions

Step 1
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in flour so that the meat is well coated.
Step 2
Heat oil in large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Sear the cubed meat. If necessary, add meat in batches to avoid overcrowding.
Step 3
Add onions and garlic and continue cooking over medium-high heat.
Step 4
Once onions are translucent, pour in bottle of Guinness and deglaze the pan by scraping bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 5
Add beef broth, carrots and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add thyme.
Step 6
Continue simmering until carrots, potatoes and meat are tender (about 20 minutes). Taste. Adjust seasonings.