How To Make A Guinness Beef Stew

Step 1: Brown the Onions

Slice your onions, then add some butter to your pan along with your cooking oil and a good pinch of salt; that will break down the onions and bring out the liquid in them . Start them off on a high heat, they will start to go a lovely golden brown colour. If they get too brown around the edges then put a little water in, just to let the sugar release throughout the onions, then turn them down to a lower heat for maybe another ten to fifteen minutes, so they become soft, sweet and delicious.

Step 2: Fry the Pancetta

Now fry the pancetta. Get the pan hot and add a little oil. The dish will be cooked for a further two hours so all you need to do is add some colour to the pancetta so it’s nice and brown. It’s flavour will release into the sauce and add additional flavour, so just cook it for a couple of minutes until its crispy and golden. When it’s done put it into a bowl at the side. The pancetta releases a lot of fat so you can keep that in your pan to cook the beef because it tastes great . Your onions should now have some colour and be really soft.

Step 3: Seal the Beef

Now you can seal the beef. Lots of people get this wrong, they put in too much meat at once which makes it sweat and go grey. Ideally you want a caramelised crust on your meat, which will give your sauce a lovely colour and lots of flavour. Put some flour on a plate, season it with salt and pepper and coat your meat in it, this will help the meat get a nice crust. Put the meat in the pan, make sure it’s hot and that the meat has space, it must be dry and hot. Don’t overcrowd the pan, this reduces the temperature and releases loads of liquid, it is very likely you will need to cook your meat in a couple of batches. Don’t move it around, leave it alone until it gets a nice golden brown crust and when both sides are done, take it out.

Step 4: Assemble the Stew

Now you can assemble the stew. Put all the ingredients together with a Bay leaf and a dash of Worcester sauce. Then finally add your Guinness, just enough to cover the beef and then add a little pepper. If you are using small pieces of beef the cooking time should take approximately two hours. After 45 minutes to an hour, take it out and give it a stir. You know it's ready when the meat starts falling apart.