In this hearty traditional Irish stew, that is a pub classic, lamb chunks and vegetables are braised in a broth that is spiked with Guinness beer that brings out that dark and robust color and flavor in this Irish Lamb Stew with Guinness.
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here and as I was looking through the recipes on my blog, there wasn’t a single recipe that had anything to celebrate St Patty’s Day with.
Not to go on again about the weather here in Seattle, but we really need some soul warming goodness to get out of this rainy weather funk. So Irish stew it was for dinner that day.
I went to our local PCC store this morning and picked up everything I needed for the stew. There was one last package of lamb chunks for stew on the shelf ( I could have asked them to cut some for me, but I was in a hurry) and I picked it up. I picked up the Guinness, onions, celery, carrots, beef stock and everything and checked out.
I knew I had to start cooking as soon as I got home as this was gonna take a few hours to get done. I didn’t waste any time once I got home and started on this stew.
As I was chopping everything to make it, I chopped up a couple of jalapenos on a whim. I know this is not in the traditional Irish stew, but this is my recipe and I am sure the husband would love that extra spicy kick to it.
What kind of beer is used in an Irish Guinness stew?
Of course, the beer used in a Guinness stew is Guinness beer, not much of a secret, is it? Look how dark that Guinness is! That is what gives this Irish Lamb Stew that deep, dark, rich color.
What meat to use in an Irish stew - lamb or beef?
Traditionally Irish stew is made with lamb but in several parts of the world, including North America, many prefer beef over lamb.
My husband eats beef and lamb but being from India and having eaten more lamb than beef, he prefers lamb. So, I decided to use lamb in this recipe to kinda also stick to the tradition of the stew.
If you love lamb, here are a few recipes you may love
- Instant Pot Indian Lamb Curry
- Grilled Masala Lamb Chops
- Lamb Kebabs with Cilantro Mint Cauliflower Puree
- Keema Biryani - Biryani with Ground Lamb and Peas
If you are more of beef lover, you will love these recipes
Ingredients:
- Organic lamb meat cubes for stew
- Olive oil
- Vegetables - yellow onion, garlic, celery, carrot, jalapenos
- Can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- All purpose flour
- Low sodium beef broth
- salt and crushed black pepper
- Guinness beer
Method:
Pat dry the lamb cubes and heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Place the meat in a single layer in the pan and salt it. Once it is browned for a few minutes, flip them over and let them brown to a good sear on the other side. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meat.
The meat will render some fat to the pan. To that fat, add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and jalapenos. Add salt and crushed black pepper. Once the onions have browned a little, add the flour and let it cook a little till the raw scent of the flour disappears. Add the broth a little and mix the flour into it well without any lumps.
Add the rest of broth, the seared lamb, tomatoes and the Guinness to it. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer uncovered for 15-20 mins. Cover and simmer for another hour till the sauce has thickened.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty Irish lamb stew can be served with creamy polenta, mashed potatoes or crusty bread.
You can also serve some greens and vegetables alongside it like garlic parmesan green beans, roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts or a fresh greens salad like this Spinach salad.
📖 Recipe
Irish Lamb Stew with Guinness
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb organic lamb meat cubes for stew
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ yellow onion , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 stalk celery , chopped
- 1 carrot , chopped
- 2 jalapenos , chopped
- 3 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 qt / 32 fl oz beef broth , low sodium
- salt , to taste
- crushed black pepper , to taste
- 1 - 14.9 oz can Guinness
- 12 oz bottled fire roasted diced tomatoes
Don't forget to check out Step-by-step instructions with photos in the body of the post above
Instructions
- Pat dry the lamb cubes and heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Place the meat in a single layer in the pan and salt it. Once it is browned for a few minutes, flip them over and let them brown to a good sear on the other side. Remove them to a plate and repeat with the rest of the meat.
- The meat will render some fat to the pan. To that fat, add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots and jalapenos. Add salt and crushed black pepper. Once the onions have browned a little, add the flour and let it cook a little till the raw scent of the flour disappears. Add the broth a little and mix the flour into it well without any lumps.
- Add the rest of broth, the seared lamb, tomatoes and the Guinness to it. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer uncovered for 15-20 mins. Cover and simmer for another hour till the sauce has thickened.
- Serve hot with crusty bread or with creamy polenta like I did.
Brandi Crawford says
What a hearty dish! Love the Guinness pairing.
Manju says
Thank you Brandi ?
Tim Fowler says
You lost me with the fire roasted tomatoes and the jalapeños. I’m sure it tastes great but those two ingredients don’t sound very Irish.
Manju says
I understand, Tim. I do say in the post that I added the jalapenos on a whim and that it is not a traditional Irish stew ingredient. I based this recipe on the Irish Stew but tweaked it a little to what my family loves.
Cricket Plunkett says
I love lamb, but never know what to do with it. The recipe looks like a perfect place to start!
Manju says
Yes it is, a very simple recipe. Just takes a little time on the stove top, that's all!
Laura | Wandercooks says
Oh how good is lamb in stew! And the Guinness just draws out all those lovely flavours in the lamb and vegetables. You've got me so inspired to make up a batch of my own tonight! 🙂
Manju says
?? thank you!
Valentina says
This looks and sounds so tasty! And I LOVE serving stew with creamy polenta -- perfect!
Manju says
Yes, I love that combo too! ?
Platter Talk says
Your photos are so well done that I could taste that Irish lamb stew without reading the recipe! A keeper.
Manju says
Awww!! Thank you! ?
Alicia Lewis says
am not a lamb fan but this looks so darn delish!!
Manju says
Thank you Alicia ?
Jennifer says
This might be a stupid question but reading the recipe, at what point do you add the seared meat back into the pan?
Manju says
Not stupid at all, looks like I completely missed that! I added that step to the recipe. Thanks for pointing it out, Jennifer.
L says
Where does the rosemary come in? It’s pictured but not included in the ingredients.
Manju says
Its not in the recipe per se, just a garnish that I added and then removed before we ate it.
juanita says
my guys loved this-I had ground lamb in freezer I needed to use up & served over left over mashed potatoes. I did have to thicken a little extra, think I’ll cut back on stock next time.
Manju says
Thats awesome! Thanks for letting me know. So glad your family loved it! ????