Traditional Irish Stew Recipe Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Irish Beef Stew

St. Patrick's Day is in a couple of days, so you know what that means. . . Let's get feastin'!

Admittedly, we don't deck ourselves out in shamrocks, but we sure do appreciate some good ol' comforting Irish food. Which is why for St. Paddy's Day this year, we're sticking with a classic recipe for Irish Beef Stew.

Last year, we featured a recipe for Deconstructed Shepherd's Pie, which was so popular, it reappeared as a 'favorite' in one of our meal plans. We don't have any doubt that this year, this beef stew will become another winner dinner.

What's not to like about chunks of tender, slow-cooked beef, carrots, potatoes, and onions infused with not just Guinness, but red wine as well?

There's a bit of a pro and con to this dish, though. The con is that, since this is a slow cooker recipe, you will have to put your patience to the test as the warm and delicious smells waft around the house. We know, it's going to be hard, but trust us – it will be so worth it. Beef requires a long time to get super tender, which is why we decided to make this in the slow cooker.

But when you taste the meat in all its fall-apart-tender-and-flavorful glory, you'll see that slow cooker was definitely the way to go.

The pro to this dish, like with all slow cooker meals, is that you toss all the ingredients in and let the slow cooker do all the work, while you worry about more important things.

Or you can just relax with a glass of Guinness or red wine. Because, you know, the recipe doesn't call for a full bottle of each!

#eatgreen

Here's a quick way to add some green to this dish: When the stew is done cooking, pop frozen peas into the microwave for one minute, then fold into the stew.

Prepping Smarts

Meat should be tenderized to ensure that it is tender and will absorb all the great flavors it is cooked in. Watch our quick tenderizing method in thevideo below.
Practice your knife skills by chopping onions, carrots, and potatoes. If they're not perfect, it's okay; they'll have that tasty, rustic look!

Video

How to Season & Tenderize Proteins with a Fork

Maximize flavor and tenderize proteins with this little trick.

Video

How to Slice an Onion

Learn the most efficient way to slice, dice, and chop onions so that your prep always goes smoothly.

Video

How to Chop Carrots

Watch this video to learn our tips on how to best peel, chop, and dice carrots easily.

Video

How to Prep Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a delicious nutritional powerhouse - learn how to prep them in this video.

Equipment Smarts

Skillet – gives meat a good sear if you decide to brown the meat first. Browning the meat before adding to the slow cooker enhances the savory and meaty flavor. This step is optional, but if you have the time and don't mind washing an extra dish, we say go for it!
Slow cooker – a great investment and gets a ton of use during the colder seasons. This one allows you to sear meats on the stove top first, so you won't have to use an extra skillet.

Ingredients

Beef stew meat - 1 lb
Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
Onions - 1, chopped
Carrots - 2, chopped
Potatoes, russet - 2, peeled and chopped
Flour (opt) - 2 Tbsp
Cooking oil (opt) - 1 Tbsp
Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 Tbsp
Beef stock / broth - 2 to 3 cups
Guinness (opt) - 1/4 cup
Red wine (opt) - 1/4 cup
Bay leaves - 2
Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
Peas (opt) - 1 cup

Instructions

Prep

Beef – Sprinkle with salt and pepper and tenderize.
Garlic / Onions / Carrots – Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
Potatoes – Prep as directed.

Make

Optional step: Toss meat with flour. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and then sear meat until browned on the outside.
While meat is browning, mix together tomato paste, soy sauce, beef stock (use more if you like it more soupy than stewy) and Guinness & red wine (if using) in slow cooker.
Transfer meat (browned or not) to slow cooker. Add garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, and black pepper.
Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 until meat is falling apart and tender.
If using peas, microwave for ~1 minute and then fold them into stew.
Remove bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy and have a happy St. Paddy's Day!