Slow Cooker Beef Stew Guinness

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew!

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Guinness Beef Stew made in your slow cooker is probably the most comforting and richest beef stew you're ever going to make. The addition of the beef base, the rich, dark, Guinness beer… This is a stew for a day of curling up on the couch under a blanket.

I don't usually cook with beer, but in the slow cooker I am a huge fan of it like with my Ultimate Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches and more notably one of my favorite recipes, the Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. I find it is a quick and easy way to add a great depth of flavor and a very unique savory flavor.

Can you make this dish without the Guinness? Yes, but I'd prefer to direct you to last week's Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef Stew because I feel like you've got the directions and the balance in flavors already.

Rich, hearty and delicious Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew.

Why use Guinness in the Beef Stew?

You certainly don't have to use Guinness, even with the glamour pour shot below this post is not sponsored by them. I just find they are the easiest stout beer to find in markets and convenience stores. Another good stout beer I love is a company from my hometown called Strand Brewing Company.

Quick and easy slow cooker Guinness Beef Stew.

Tips for making this Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew:

Just like with the Ultimate Beef Stew, brown your beef! I used a chuck roast, seared it well on both sides, then trimmed and cut it into 2-3 inch chunks.
Use Yukon Potatoes! They're buttery and rich and won't fall apart after a long day of cooking.
I browned the beef in my cast iron skillet and got a GOOD crust on both sides with plenty of kosher salt and black pepper. If you have a slow cooker with an aluminum insert I highly suggest browning it in the insert and saving all the browned flavor that stays in the pan for your stew.
If not using a base use beef stock instead of broth and its even more important to get a good sear on the meat, then deglaze the pan with the stock to make sure all the beef flavor comes with it.
Instead of crushed or diced tomatoes I use tomato paste. This will minimize liquids and add a bold flavor.
In a stew you aren't looking for the consistency to be that of a soup, so minimizing added liquids is helpful. If using canned tomatoes instead of paste drain the can.

Looking for more Slow Cooker Recipes?

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
Slow Cooker Roast Beef (Sliceable!)
Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Want to make this Guinness Beef Stew in the oven?

Brown the beef in a large dutch oven before cubing (you can also cube before browning if you prefer. Then add in the ingredients, mix well and cook in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours.

The best and easiest Guinness Beef Stew with buttery Yukon Potatoes and tender carrots.

Tools Used in making this Slow Guinness Beef Stew:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. I brown the meat in the insert without losing a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you're thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Cast Iron Skillet: If you don't have a slow cooker with a stovetop friendly insert, this is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chuck roast easily. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.
Beef Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.

▢ 8 ounces bacon cut into small pieces
▢ 3 pounds chuck roast
▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
▢ 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
▢ 12 ounces pearl onions peeled
▢ 5 medium Yukon potatoes cut into 2 inch chunks
▢ 5 carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
▢ 2 stalks celery minced
▢ 4 cups beef broth *
▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
▢ 12 ounce bottle Guinness Extra Stout
▢ 1/4 cup tomato paste
▢ 4 sprigs fresh thyme
▢ 1 teaspoon white sugar
▢ 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
▢ 2 tablespoons flour

Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove.
Season the beef with half the salt and the pepper.
Add to the skillet and brown on each side for 4-6 minutes or until deeply browned on each side.
Into the slow cooker add the pearl onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, half the bacon, broth*, garlic, beer, second half of the salt, tomato paste, thyme, and sugar.
Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks and add it to the slow cooker.
Stir all the ingredients until well mixed and cook on low for 7 hours.
In a small bowl mix the butter and flour and add it to the slow cooker and stir.
Cook an additional hour or until thickened.
Just before serving add in the remaining bacon and stir.

*Alternately use a big scoop of Beef Better than Bouillon like I did in addition to water/stock. The extra beef flavor is fantastic.

Keyword: Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew

Rich, hearty and delicious Crock Pot Guinness Beef Stew.

Slow Cooker Guinness Beef Stew with creamy Yukon potatoes, bacon, carrots and a rich tomato beef gravy, this is the perfect winter stew!

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the upcoming cookbook: Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients which is being published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

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