Slow Cooked Irish Beef Stew (Crock Pot or Hob/Stove Top)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe!  

My podcast guest, Shauna Lawless, author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men shared this authentic slow cooked Irish Beef Stew with us! As you prepare your stew on the stovetop or in the crock pot, I invite you to listen to her episode, "History, Mythology, and Irish Stew". 

Irish Stew is, by definition, slow cooked.

Only through low, slow heat can the golden, floury potatoes absorb all that rich broth deep into their core. And only in the presence of steam and gentle heat can the rich beef (or lamb) become succulent and tender.

Shauna’s family used a large cast iron Dutch Oven to make their Irish Stew. Whether you use a slow cooker or the stove top to make this hearty stew, it’s just the comforting meal you’ll want waiting for you after a long, slow ramble in the rainy woods or along windy peaks.

Table of Contents (Jump To Section)

When does an Irish stew stop being an authentic Irish stew?

A simple Irish Stew is a hallmark of Irish cooking. But what defines an Irish stew? As an American (not an Irish) woman, I’m not fully qualified to comment on this. However, I have gathered quite a few experts who debate this question and I’ll share what they say here:

• According to my podcast guest Shauna, who shared this recipe, and this article from My Irish Culture traditional Irish Stew is comprised of exactly 4 ingredients: Beef (or Lamb), potatoes, carrots, and onions.
• According to this article from Mercury News, lamb is the more authentic and traditional choice of protein. If you choose lamb, choose a cut on the bone, like lamb shoulder or lamb shanks.
• Before potatoes were introduced in the 16th century, the Irish depended on grains. Barley would have been included in the earliest versions stew, over 600 years ago. Here’s a recipe from We Love Donegal that incorporates this ancient grain into their recipe.
• If you must add more ingredients, add similar ingredients – root vegetables like parsnips. rutabagas. I did find cabbage in a variety of Irish recipes.
• Some recipes will call for parsley or thyme; others insist that herbs are too fussy for a traditional Irish Stew.
• Many American adaptations will add Guinness beer to the broth for a Guinness Beef Stew – but Shauna says that Guinness Stew is a popular, but completely separate, menu item to Irish Stew.
• Potatoes are not meant to be layered on top of the stew in fancy patterns.
• In recipes for Irish Stew written by Americans, you’ll find a lot of tomato sauce or paste. I never found a single recipe from an Irish cook that called for tomato paste.
• All in all, if the dish becomes too time consuming to make – or if the list of ingredients becomes too long or too expensive – it’s no longer an authentic Irish Stew!

How to Thicken Stew in the Crock Pot

• This simple, authentic Irish stew was first cooked slowly in a large pot over a hearth full of fire.
• While we have more modern devices now, like slow cookers or stoves (hobs), the important thing is to cook the stew slowly. While high heat may cook the potatoes and meat quickly, only low, slow cooking can create the tender morsels of meat and flavorful broth that we seek.
• The stove (hob) will create a thicker broth/gravy for the stew because more liquid will escape during cooking in the form of steam. Either way, you can always thicken the gravy in the end with a variety of methods.

Slow Cooker vs. Stovetop (Hob)

• This simple, authentic Irish stew was first cooked slowly in a large pot over a hearth full of fire.
• While we have more modern devices now, like slow cookers or stoves (hobs), the important thing is to cook the stew slowly. While high heat may cook the potatoes and meat quickly, only low, slow cooking can create the tender morsels of meat and flavorful broth that we seek.
• The stove (hob) will create a thicker broth/gravy for the stew because more liquid will escape during cooking in the form of steam. Either way, you can always thicken the gravy in the end with a variety of methods.

Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Instructions

• Layer the onions, carrots, potatoes, beef, and herbs in that order.
• Pour 4-6 cups of water, broth, or Guinness in the crock pot. The vegetables and proteins will release plenty of water (and steam), so it's not necessary to completely submerge the meat. The liquid will rise during cooking.
• When finished cooking, thicken the gravy by allowing steam to escape from the pot OR make a roux/gravy from the broth OR mash a few of the potatoes to thicken the broth.

Stove Top (Hob) Instructions

• Fill a pot ⅔ of the way with liquid (or broth/Guinness).
• Place potatoes and meat into the liquid and bring to a boil.
• Add carrots and onions. Set lid halfway on and allow to simmer. Depending on the size and cut of your beef/lamb it could take from 60 minutes to 2.5 hours.
• Thicken if necessary.

Ingredients

Best Choice of Potatoes

• Shauna specifically recommends a floury potato
• If you live in the US, Yukon Gold is the perfect match

Best Choice of Beef

• The easiest option is to look for beef stew meat, which is already chopped into bite-sized pieces.
• Stew meat is generally cut from a chuck roast.
• You actually want a tough cut from the neck/shoulder/arm with lots of connective tissue and collagen.
• During a long slow cook time, the collagen will melt, releasing collagen and resulting in perfectly tender beef.
• For more details, I suggest this article from Steak School.

Best Herbs and Spices for Beef Stew​

While the most traditional Irish stew is super simple, the following herbs go well with beef. Just use sparingly or you'll be making something altogether different to Irish Beef Stew 😉

• Rosemary holds up so well to both beef and lamb and is often paired with potatoes and carrots. However, several sources said it's not common to include rosemary in Irish Stew. If you choose to use rosemary, simply place a sprig on top of the beef in the slow cooker or toss it into your Dutch Oven with the rest of the ingredients. Before serving, make sure you fish out the woody stem.
• Bay leaf gives a deep, slightly fruity flavor to your stews and casseroles. Make sure the bay leaf is submerged in the cooking liquid.
• Thyme is another popular herb to pair with beef. You can painstakingly add fresh thyme leaves too the pot. Or, place several sprigs on top of the beef and take the stems out later.
• Quite a few Irish stew recipes call for parsley. Because this herb is more delicate than the others, chop and add this one for the last 15 minutes of cooking only - or simply chop and use as a garnish on top of the bowls of stew.

How to Make Guinness Beef Stew

• As mentioned before, Shauna (and others) say that Guinness Stew is quite common in Ireland and frequently found on menus. However, a Guinness Stew is really not a traditional Irish Stew. They would be separate items on a menu.
• That doesn’t mean it’s not delicious, however! If you’d like to make slow cooker Guinness Beef Stew, simply follow the directions in this recipe but replace 2.5 cups of liquid with a dark Guinness Stout.
• If you’re buying your Guinness in the US, make sure you buy the “Foreign Extra Stout” as pictured below. This is actually made and bottled in Ireland. It has a greater concentration of alcohol and will taste more like what you’ll find in the pubs there.

Origins of Irish Beef Stew & The History of Potatoes in Ireland

• Irish Beef Stew was a logical way to combine cheap and plentiful ingredients. This quintessential Irish food is first recognized as Irish Stew in European cookbooks in the 1800s.
• Potatoes, a staple of Irish stew, were introduced in Ireland in the 16th century.
• As the English took more land and taxed more crops, the Irish became poorer and more dependent on potatoes.
• During The Great Potato Famine, there was actually plentiful food production in Ireland. Only the potatoes were affected by blight. The rest of the crops, however, were exported to England, leaving the Irish to starve.
• Learn more about the history of potatoes and this Irish Stew in my interview with Shauna Lawless: Ep. 149: Mythology, History, and Irish Stew with Shauna Lawless, Author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

Equipment You May Need

• Dutch Oven or Cast Iron Pot
• Slow Cooker

Try this Recipe Using Irish Guinness

Individual Steak and Kidney Puddings

Kidney is chopped finally, cooked twice to soften its flavor, blended with steak, beef gravy, beer, onions and carrots, and encased in a highly flavorful crust. It is truly delicious.

How to Freeze Irish Beef Stew with Potatoes

• Freeze leftover stew in an airtight container or – to save space – in a flat Ziploc bag for up to a month.
• The flavors of broth will only intensify and deepen as it defrosts.
• Keep in mind that freezing/defrosting the potatoes will break them down into smallery, somewhat watery chunks.
• Also, if you thickened the mixture with flour, it may separate in the freezing/defrosting process. If possible, wait to thicken until after reheating.
• It's also a good idea to thicken the stew after reheating to counteract the extra water released by the potatoes. Make a quick roux (¼ cup fat (oil or butter) and ¼ cup flour) and adding in about 2 cups of broth from the stew to make a thick, creamy gravy. Once this is whisked smooth, add it to the reheated stew.
• A defrosted and reheated stew may benefit more than a fresh stew from fresh herbs.
• Read more about how to store and reheat beef stew in this article from Betty Crocker.

Recipe Contributor:
Shauna Lawless

Author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

When Shauna turned 30, a relative challenged her to start writing again. Despite having two young children and working full time, Shauna and her husband Jared carved out just one hour every other day for her to write.

Six years later, walking out of the library, my eye fell on her debut book, The Children of Gods and Fighting Men.

When I finished reading the novel (quickly and quite late at night!) I was hungry to learn more about the three great conflicts she effortlessly wove together through compelling characters and a strong, fast-paced story line set in 1000AD.

The first conflict is between the mythological Tuatha Dé Danann and Formorians.

The second between the real-life Nordic warriors and historical Kings.

The third, between the pagan and Christian belief systems that battled for both hearts and power in Ireland.

Shauna's Memories of Irish Stew

Shauna's father took her on epic walks in the Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland. He's put this stew on the stove before they set off for their hikes and they would return home to hot, steamy bowls of thick and rich beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Listen to Shauna's Episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast:

149: Mythology, History, and Irish Stew with Shauna Lawless, Author of The Children of Gods and Fighting Men

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