GUINNESS BEEF STEW RECIPE + WonkyWonderful (2024)

FAQs

Why is my beef and Guinness stew bitter? ›

Stouts, like Guinness, are known for their bitterness. If the stew is cooked too quickly or if it doesn't include ingredients to balance the bitterness, this flavor can be very pronounced.

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

Forgetting the Acid. The paradox of beef stew is that all that braised goodness can be a little bit heavy on the palate. It's easy to forget to add some sort of wine, vinegar, or yes, even lemon juice, to brighten things up. Adding some fresh thyme in the last 30 minutes of cooking can help brighten things up as well.

Add sugar and/or ketchup to the stew to reduce the bitterness. Butter and salt also help to reduce the bitter taste. Perhaps the beef fat has been cooked too hot and too long. All animal fats, when cooked very hot and very long, start to taste non optimal.

“As it cooks, Guinness tends to get a little more bitter,” says Paul Flynn, author of Butter Boy, “so I would always include something like redcurrant jelly or maple, golden or apple syrup.” Gill, meanwhile, adds honey when turning Guinness into a glaze for meat.

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

Even the best home cook has stared down into a simmering pot of stew and realized it looked more like soup! Sure, a bowl of soup can be comforting, but a true stew in all its glory should be rich and thick in consistency.

Cook 1½–2 hours, until beef is tender. Meanwhile, cut the carrots on a bias into 1-inch rounds. Dice the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. When beef is tender, carefully stir in carrots and potatoes.

What is the best tenderizer for stew meat? ›

The choice becomes easier when you realize that simple baking soda can be an ideal meat tenderizer that helps to bring out all the aromas and flavors in every sizzling beef stew or charburger.

Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours.

(side note) Some of the flavor of the stew liquid is from those vegetables, especially the celery and carrots. You'll probably want to cook some with the meat, even if you discard (or puree) them.

The Best Substitute for Red Wine

Alcohol-free red wine. Beef broth. Chicken broth. Red wine vinegar (use ½ vinegar and ½ water for similar flavor results)

Simmering and Boiling

In the event that your goal is to keep moisture in—like when your pot of soup, stew, or sauce is already at the right consistency, but you want to keep cooking the vegetables and melding the flavors—leave the lid on to keep any more liquid from evaporating.

Note, preparing the above way may make the gravy a little bitter - either reduce the amount of Guinness, or add the Guinness to the onions when frying to reduce the volume and bitterness.

Hops is a plant (related to hemp), and is responsible for the bitterness of the beer. The more hops the more bitter the beer.

The bitter taste that overcooked meat gets is from a compound called creosote that is created by the burning of lignin in hardwood. Creosote is created during incomplete combustion of wood and becomes a vapor at temperatures below 540 degrees.