Slow Cooker Drunken Irish Stew

I made this stew by request … I was discussing with my friend Seth at The Little Cellar Wine Company what recipes to feature in March for our monthly “wine and food tasting” event and he strongly suggested an Irish Stew. I could see the twinkle in his eye … that this was something he really would enjoy, and I decided right then that this was a wish that needed to come true.

So I started making the stew … and then realized just as I was tossing everything into the slow cooker that I had no beef stock on hand. Argh. I thought I had some! What to do? The answer called to me from the beer fridge … oh of course! Yes! Who needs beef broth when you have dark beer on hand?

So I used Guinness in place of the beef broth (and a bit of red wine, too!), adding some Better than Beef Bouillon to give it a bit more beefy taste. I served this yummy stew to my mom and dad when they visited for daughter’s choir concert, and they agreed (with me) that this hearty stew is really good. So yes, this is what I’m making for our wine & food tasting event this month, along with some nice Irish bread to sop up the good juices.

I’m told that the Irish make their stew with lamb … if you have access to lamb, then do! If you are, like me, inundated with venison (or beef), then don’t be afraid to substitute venison or beef.

Slow Cooker Drunken Irish Stew

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 9 hours
• Total Time: 9 hours 20 minutes
• Yield: About 2 quarts of soup (4 - 6 servings) 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/4 lb. stew meat, steak or chops (lamb is traditional, but beef or venison will work too)
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 2 bottles Guinness or other dark beer
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 2 teaspoons Better than Beef Bouillon
• 3 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 2 large golden or russet potatoes, peeled & chopped
• 1 large onion, peeled & chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper & cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas

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Instructions

1. Cut the meat into small chunks, put it in a rimmed dish and toss with the soy sauce and garlic. Pour the wine one of the beers over top. Set in the fridge to marinate over night.
2. Strain the juices into your crockpot, then sprinkle the meat and garlic with flour and toss to coat,
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying or saute pan over medium heat. Add the floured meat bits and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned/seared on all sides. The meat doesn’t have to be done at this point, just seared on the outside.
4. Meanwhile, in the slow cooker, stir together the tomato paste, remaining Guinness, 4 cloves garlic and bouillon until well mixed. Add the meat, carrots, potato, onion, bay leaves along with a good amount of freshly ground pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
5. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Check the potatoes … if they are not tender, pour the stew into a soup pot and simmer until the potatoes are nice and soft, up to 1 hour.
6. Shortly before serving, stir in the peas and heat just until the peas are hot. Serve warm.

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Notes

If you want to avoid cooking the stew on the stovetop to soften the potatoes, before cooking the stew, toss the potatoes in a bit of olive oil and microwave on high for a few minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes start to soften.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Foodie FriDIY, Sunday’s Simple Homemaker and Pretty Pintastic Party.