Irish Beef & Stout Stew
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Ingredients:
▪ 3½ lb (1½ kg) beef chuck, 1–2 in cubes
▪ 15 g (1 Tbsp) salt
▪ 40 g (3 Tbsp) olive oil
▪ 175 g (10 oz) cremini mushrooms, quartered
▪ 250 g (3 med) carrots, lg dice
▪ 300 g (1 lb ≈ 3 med) gold potatoes, halved
▪ 120 g (1½ c) pearl onions, peeled
▪ 75 g (5 Tbsp) unsalted butter
▪ 75 g (½ c) AP flour
▪ 600 g (2½ c) stout beer (Guinness)
▪ 750 g (3 c) beef stock
▪ 3 packs (21 g) gelatin
▪ 20 g (1 Tbsp) BTB beef base
▪ 20 g (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) tomato paste
▪ 20 g (1 Tbsp + 2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
▪ 2–3 bay leaves
▪ 2–3 sprigs thyme
▪ 90 g (1 heaping c) frozen peas
▪ black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 500F/260C.
Remove the band of fat in the center of the pieces of chuck. Cut the rest of the meat into cubes. You should be left with about 3.5lb/1.5kg of meat. Add meat cubes to a bowl and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil and 2 large pinches of salt. Toss to coat and spread beef onto a half sheet tray and load into the oven to sear for about 20-25mins until well browned.
Preheat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high. Add a generous glug of olive oil followed by mushrooms, carrots, onions, and pinch of salt. Sweat the veg to par-cook for 3-5mins until beginning to soften and caramelize. Transfer veg into a bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and add 75g butter. When butter is melted, add 75g flour. Stir to cook, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Fry for 60-90 seconds until smooth and taking on color.
Add beef stock and beer. Bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping frequently. When simmering, add in beef. Add a splash of water to the beef cooking tray, scraping up beef fond. Add to pot with beef. Stir to combine. Load pot, uncovered, into 300F/150C oven and cook for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.
Add potatoes/veggies into stew pot and gently stir. Add in bay and thyme. Return to the oven to cook for 1 more hour.
At this point, check the beef and potato for done-ness. Beef should be tender and shreddable, but not shredded. Potatoes should be fork tender, but not mushy.
Ladle off excess fat from top of stew (or allow to cool slightly, refrigerate, then scrape off fat from top once cooled). Stir peas into hot stew.
