Tracing the Origin Story of Beef Stew Through the Ages

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History of Irish Stew:

Stewing is an ancient method of slow cooking meats that has been used throughout the world. There are records of traditional Irish stews from as early as the 1800s. They are also called ballymaloe or stobhach gaelach in Gaelic. In the past, these stews were made with the cheapest and easiest-to-find ingredients, like mutton (less tender sheep over two years old) or lamb meat (neckbones or shanks) and water for root vegetables like potatoes and onions. Irish stew makes more of a clear broth. These days, a wider range of root vegetables are added, like carrots, leeks, parsnips or turnips, along with barley and parsley.

The original staple for Irish stew was potatoes which was easy to obtain. People who were lucky enough to have some meat would add it to stew to make it last longer and feed their whole family. Beef was available, but only affordable to British landowners. Your typical Irish cook would use lamb meat or mutton rather than sacrifice their only dairy cow. The addition of the neck bones or shanks also provided more flavoring to the stew.

Each region of Ireland will also have their different version of stew. Southern Ireland will add barley which is an affordable and nutritious filler. Other regions may cap their stew with a crust of mashed potatoes making more of a shepherd’s pie.

From what I’ve learned, it’s not clear when stout beer was added to the stew to make the meat more tender, strengthen it, and make it taste better. Maybe an Irish pub owner came up with the idea. The Irish will say that beef and stout beer don’t make a real Irish stew. Because of this, most Irish pubs will have both Irish Stew and Beef and Guinness Stew on their menus.

Since beef was easier to find in stores, Irish-American immigrants started making stews with beef instead of lamb. The strong flavor of the stout beer pairs well with beef or mutton. It gives the stew a nice roasted caramel and chocolate flavor when the Guinness stout beer cooks down.

500 BC: The cauldron became the most popular tool for cooking over a fire spit after the Celtic Invasion of Ireland around 500 BC. This time period is also known as the Irish Iron Age. Goat meat and root vegetables were stewed together.

16th Century – Potato crops were introduced to Ireland from South America.

1874 – Food Timeline – First publication if Irish Stew recipe Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery with Numerous Illustrations; Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co.: London, 1874 (p.331):

“Take two or three pounds of chops from the best end of a lamb neck and cut off almost all the fat. An Irish stew shouldn’t be greasy.” If you’d like, you can cut up a piece of breast and use it, but a neck of lamb is the best joint for the job. Take as many potatoes as amount after peeling to twice the weight of the meat. Slice them, and slice also eight large onions. Put a layer of mixed potatoes and onions at the bottom of a stewpan. Place the meat on this and season it plentifully with pepper and slightly with salt. Pack the ingredients closely, and cover the meat with another layer of potato and onion. Add enough water or stock to moisten the top layer, then tightly cover the pot and let the food simmer slowly for three hours. Be careful not to remove the lid, as this will let out the flavour. ”.

Ireland is famous for it’s black stout Guinness beer which has been brewed in Dublin since 1759. Irish workers and farmers who were poor loved their pints of stout beer and thought of it as part of their diet. A pint of stout was known as “liquid food”. When cooking stews and casseroles with meat, Guinness or other stout beers have been used to help make the meat more tender. You will even find Guinness used in chocolate cake recipes!.

• 2 pounds of beef meat that has been cut into 1-inch cubes and removed from any bones. This can be sirloin beef, bottom round beef, rump roast, or chuck roast.
• Coarse salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness stout beer, divided*
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon thyme, dried
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 bay leaves, dried
• 2 32-ounce containers of beef stock, made at home or bought from a store
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
• 5 to 6 big red potatoes (or Yukon Gold) cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 to 5 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks
• 3 to 4 celery stalks, sliced into 1-inch chunks
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

• Stove Top Preparation:

• Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat.
• As the olive oil heats up, use paper towels to dry the beef cubes. This is an important step because wet meat won’t brown. Season the dried beef cubes with salt and pepper. To coat the meat with flour, put the beef and 1/4 cup of flour in a medium-sized bowl and stir them together.
• Add the beef cubes to the soup pot or Dutch oven in small batches so they don’t crowd the pan. This will help the beef brown faster. Brown the beef on all sides. Take each batch of beef out of the pot when it’s browned and set it aside.
• Put the Dutch oven back on the heat and add the rest of the olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. When the onions are mixed with half a bottle of Guinness beer, bring the mixture to a boil. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot and loosen any browned bits that may have stuck there while the onions were browning. These bits will then melt into the liquid.
• Mix in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, white pepper, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then turn off the heat. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer approximately 5 minutes.
• Turn heat back up to medium-high. Add the rest of the beef, the last half of the Guinness beer, the beef stock, and the beef bouillon. If more beef stock or water is needed to cover the ingredients, add it now. Stir the ingredients together until they are well mixed. It should just start to boil again. Then lower the heat to medium-low and put the lid on top. Let it cook for an hour, stirring every now and then and skimming the fat off the top.
• Bring the heat back up to medium-high and add the leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat back down to medium-low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the beef and vegetables are soft. Remove any extra fat from the top, and then add salt and pepper to taste.
• If you want to make the stew thicker, mix the last 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl until you get a smooth paste. A little at a time, slowly stir in a little of the flour paste until the stew is the thickness you want it to be. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley for garnishment. That tastes great with Irish soda bread and a stout beer.
• Serves many.

• Slow Cooker (Crock Pot) Preparation:

• Preheat the Slow Cooker (Crock Pot).
• While the pan is on medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.
• As the olive oil heats up, use paper towels to dry the beef cubes. This is an important step because wet meat won’t brown. Season the dried beef cubes with salt and pepper. To coat the meat with flour, put the beef and 1/4 cup of flour in a medium-sized bowl and stir them together.
• Put the beef in the pan in small batches so it doesn’t get too crowded. This will help it brown faster. Brown the beef on all sides. Take each group of beef out of the pan and set it aside.
• Put some more oil in the pan and heat it up again. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add half of a bottle of Guinness and mix in the onions. Bring to a boil and use a spatula to scrape up and loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Put in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, white pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste, and sugar. Mix everything together. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Put the beef, onion mixture, potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, the rest of the Guinness beer, beef stock, and beef bouillon in the slow cooker. If more beef stock or water is needed to cover the ingredients, add it. Stir everything together and cover with lid. For about eight hours on low heat or four to five hours on high heat, until the meat and vegetables are soft.
• Take the fat off the top, and then add salt and pepper to taste.
• If you want to make the stew thicker, mix the last 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl until you get a smooth paste. A little at a time, slowly stir in a little of the flour paste until the stew is the thickness you want it to be. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Serve in bowls and sprinkle with parsley for garnishment. Excellent accompanied with Irish Soda Bread.
• Serves many.

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Preparation:

• Press and hold the “Adjust” button on the Instant Pot until the word “more” shows up on the screen. When the screen says “Hot,” put olive oil in the inner pot and turn it on.
• As the olive oil heats up, use paper towels to dry the beef cubes. This is an important step because wet meat won’t brown. Season the dried beef cubes with salt and pepper. To coat the meat with flour, put the beef and 1/4 cup of flour in a medium-sized bowl and stir them together. Working in small groups will help the beef brown faster because it won’t be crowded in the pot. Add the prepared beef cubes to the inner pot and brown on all sides. Take each batch of beef out of the pot when it’s browned and set it aside.
• Put the inner pot back on the heat and add the rest of the olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes or until translucent. When the onions are mixed with half a bottle of Guinness beer, bring the mixture to a boil. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot and loosen any browned bits that may have stuck there while the onions were browning. These bits will then melt into the liquid. Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, white pepper, bay leaves, tomato paste, and sugar. Stir everything together and bring it to a boil. To stop the Saute mode, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button.
• Add the beef, the last half of the Guinness beer, the beef stock, and the beef bouillon. If more beef stock or water is needed to make sure the ingredients are covered, but not more than two thirds full, in the inner pot. Stir the ingredients together until they are well mixed. Cover with a lid and close to seal. Make sure the pressure valve is also closed. Set the timer for 20 minutes and press the Manual button while the pressure is at high. After the cooking time is up, let the pressure naturally drop for at least 15 minutes.
• When all the pressure is gone and the pin falls, open the lid. Put the potatoes, carrots, celery, and leeks into the stew and stir them in. Cover with a lid and close to seal. Make sure the pressure valve is also closed. Set the timer for 10 minutes and press the Manual button while the pressure is at high. Quickly open the pressure valve when the cooking time is up. Open the lid and add salt and pepper to taste.
• If you want to make the stew thicker, mix the last 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl until you get a smooth paste. Press the “Adjust” button and then the “Saute” button until the screen shows “more.” A little at a time, slowly stir in a little of the flour paste until the stew is the thickness you want it to be. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley for garnishment. That tastes great with Irish soda bread and a stout beer.
• Serves many.

Recipe Notes

* Can substitute another stout beer of your choice.

Corned Beef Bubble and Squeak: In England, you fry up the potatoes and vegetables from Sunday dinner and eat them for lunch the next day. This is called Bubble and Squeak. The odd name is said to come from the noises made while cooking it.

This is Irish beef stew made with Guinness. If you go to an Irish pub, they will probably serve beef and Guinness stew. Putting the beef in Guinness stout beer for a while makes it tender and gives the stew a strong, malty taste.

When making Irish lamb stew, the meat comes from the neck bones or shanks of the lamb, and root vegetables like potatoes and onions are cooked with water. The stew is cooked over low heat until the meat is fall apart tender.

This is a popular dish in Dublin. It’s made with potatoes, onions, bacon rashers, and pork sausages that are slowly cooked together.

Irish Soda Bread: This is a great traditional Irish soda bread recipe that you can find in Irish homes and markets. When people in the United States celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, they often eat Irish soda bread with corned beef and cabbage.

Corned Beef and Cabbage: Every year for St. Patrick’s Day, my family and I look forward to having corned beef and cabbage for dinner. This is a great no-fuss meal to serve on Saint Patrick’s Day or any day that you desire.

Irish Sausage Rolls In Ireland, sausage rolls are very popular. They are served in pubs, at home parties, and you can even buy them already made at bakeries.

Guinness Chocolate Cake is a moist, rich chocolate cake that tastes great with Guinness stout beer added to it.

With Guinness Chocolate Cake and an Irish cream cheese filling, these black bottom cupcakes are a fun take on the classic style.

Categories:

Beef Stew: A Brief History

FAQ

Is stew Irish or Scottish?

What country invented stew?

What makes Irish stew different?

Is beef stew an English dish?

Where did stew come from?

The world’s oldest known evidence of stew was found in Japan, dating to the Jōmon period. Amazonian tribes used the shells of turtles as vessels, boiling the entrails of the turtle and various other ingredients in them.

What is beef stew?

Beef stew is a hearty, comforting dish that has been enjoyed by people all over the world for centuries. It’s a versatile meal that can be adapted to suit different tastes and dietary requirements, making it a popular choice for many households.

Where did stewing meat come from?

The concept of stewing meat is believed to have originated in ancient times when people began cooking with fire. The process involves slow-cooking meat in liquid until it becomes tender, which was an ideal way to make tough cuts of meat more palatable. In medieval times, stews were a common dish in many European households.

Why do people eat beef stew?

Beef stew is a beloved dish that has been enjoyed by people around the world for centuries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Europe, where it was a popular way to cook tough cuts of meat. The slow-cooking method allowed the meat to become tender, while the addition of vegetables and spices created a flavorful and hearty meal.