beef and ale stew

I made the Pork version of this stew from Ministery of Food. Very tasty, but would be difficult to feed 4 from it never mind 4-6 as stated in the recipe. I cooked on the hob, but will try in slow cooker next time.

Any hearty beer that you enjoy will work. Find Guinness bitter to drink? Then you'll probably find it too bitter for recipe. Except you can add maple syrup or brown sugar to the stew. Only time I found it bitter was when I added more beer than it called for. Too much of a good thing evidently! I like the stove top version. Easy to keep at a simmer and to stir occasionally. Love this recipe.

This is by FAR my favorite stew recipe. I've tried many but none compare. Not only is this absolutely delicious but it is low maintanence and super easy. Jamie has become my go-to for great recipes.

Amazing recipe! I have tried hundreds of casseroles and this is deffenitly the best, can't wait until the family get home to see if they like it

a delicious, easy recipe! used newcastle brown ale as suggested in previous comments, gave a lovely flavour. chucked it all in the slow cooker for the afternoon. husband was very impressed, have had to make it several times since! try this, you cant go wrong!

I made this stew this evening for myself and my husband and it was great! I hate celery so replaced it with mushrooms and just put them in half way through. I used Newcastle Brown as I was a bit concerned by comments others had made about a bitter after taste from Guiness. I think next time I will give Guiness a go as although the stew was lovely we couldn't really taste the ale. As others have mentioned, I don't think the oven temperature is correct. I had already started cooking the stew at 180 when I realized that it would be too hot to cook it for 3 hours. I reduced the cooking time to 2 hours and it was perfect, nice and tender meat. I will defnately be making this again!

If you've noticed the bitter taste some ales give - add sugar!! Sounds a bit obvious but honestly works and completely neuralises the bitterness. A little cinnamon helps too.

this is a simple but great recipe .i recomend you use Guinness as it has a richer and deeper flavor than ale also try adding half a teaspoon of marmite for a full meaty stock and cook on low in a slowcooker for five hours

Made this tonight, had a lovely sweet robust taste initially but then we noticed a bitter after taste. Used black sheep ale, wish I'd used Newky Brown or something lighter. Will do next time. Otherwise, really lovely thick sauce and the meat was so tender. Cooked it in a casserole in the oven and was surprised how well the meat cooked even though it wasn't browned off first. 5/10, as this recipes needs some tweaking and it seems to be important to use the right stout or ale which seems to have frustrated quite a few people as no instructions have been given regarding which is a good ale/stout to go for.

I made this stew this evening. Its the first time i have ever cooked stew in my life, everyone loved it and my 8yr old asked for seconds. Fabulous proper warming food :)<br />

Trying this as I type - using a slow cooker! <br /> I will keep all those who wanted to know if the recipe would work using one posted. I have it on high - and will be checking in on it every hour or so, I am assuming it will take about 3 to 4 hrs.

I tried this stew but the chicken and white wine version. It was incredibly tasty and very easy to do. I found it in Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook. I also did a write-up on it, you can read it here:<br /> http//:tastynchic.com

Slow cooker for a few hrs and served on baked jacket potatoes. Amazing!

Is it possible to do this recipe in a electric slow cooker?

I just tried this over the weekend and must say absolutely beautiful,the only thing i changed was the stout for a traditional ale and i added 2 beef oxo cubes (1 after first hour and 2nd after second hour)!!! I did mine on the hob not oven though!!!!!

And it was fantastic. I used beefstock/water instead of tomatoes as I don't like them. Worked out perfectly, the ale wasn't too overpowering but you could definitely taste it. Guinness next!

Just simmering away now, used Old Peculiar for my Ale as it's already in the house. Smells good already!

First attempt underway. Using Newcastle Brown. Will be making dumplings too. Will write back with update.

Substitute the Beef for Venison if you fancy something different, and instead of using 500ml of Guiness, use 250ml and 250ml of something else like Newcastle Brown, tames the bitter aftertaste.

I don't like carrots, so I make this with a big load of button mushrooms thrown in - yummy. Also, I add a stock cube just to enhance the flavor of the beef. Finally, I also think that Guinness leaves a rather bitter after taste, so I always use a lighter ale. Newcastle Brown Ale works perfectly (and brings back happy memories of nights out as a teenager drinking the old Newky Brown!)

@Steve:<br /> <br /> I think any dark beer would do. Asahi have a dark beer, just google it ;) (I used a special bottle of Rochefort 10!)<br /> <br /> As for the celery: that's a hard one, as usually unions and carrots are named as an alternative. I guess you can use more onions or carrots and use some celery salt if you can get that? Else you might consider using a light cabbage of some kind.

so im going to be cooking this for some teacher friends of mine this week. Problem is I live in Japan and can't get all the ingredients. Any ideas on a good replacement for celery and a different oil other than olive? <br />

I just made this today as I had spare beef, but do not drink the alcohols mentioned and was too scared to use a light wine. So I substituted this liquid with good beef stock and honey mix, added this to the recipe, and cooked at a low heat for 3 hours in a heavy bottomed pan, the honey thickens the sauce and glazes the beef. I also added red peppers and fresh beans from the farmers market, garnished with thyme and....oy oy oy! mamma mia! what a lovely dish this one turned out great! :-)

well having a bit of an experiment tonight.. cooked this loads of times for my mother in law, she loves it, got some venison leg steaks in the freezer (reduced to 80p at tesco hehehe) using venison and beef (also reduced at tesco, we are a yougn family, working hard to get by) really interested to see how it goes! cooking it tonight and then going to make it into a pie tomorrow, with fireman sam on top to make my boys happy haha. will let everyone know how the beef/venison mix works!!

I have made this loads of times, I use newcastle ale which you can't really taste, delicious and sooooo easy to make!!

I've just tried this recipe and although it was easy to make and smelt delicious when it was cooking, the taste was very bitter (I used bottled guiness, which I love) I didnt enjoy it very much, the beef was cooked to perfection tho!<br /> My husband thoughly enjoyed it so maybe it just my taste buds :-)

For those who don't like the guiness after taste, just use a pilsner or something lighter. mmmm

Please don't be mad, totally Indianized your recipe..there's something that tomatoes do to the flavor of all meats that doesn't agree with me so i never use tomatoes, leave alone canned stuff, with meat, on the other hand the only recipe of beans that my mother taught me has tomatoes as an essential ingredient..decided to be adventurous, turned out just fine, am enjoying it at this moment..no tomatoes/tomato stuff, added roasted cinnamon sticks before onions, added cumin seed, coriander seed, and red chilly powders, no water and substituted country liquor for "ale". You know we don't have ale fresh out of taps and cauldrons over here. Works for me. Oh yes, soaked the beans in water for 4 hours before cooking. Me and my humble palate are feeling pretty smug, thank you kindly.

Lovely....and easy. I used Grand Imperial Porter beer, and thanks to the comments here, I added fresh garlic and rosemary, a lug of worcheshire, a heaped tablespoon each of gravy powder and beef stock powder, plus a few spuds. Made the dumplings too, but being Australian, I don't think I fully appreciate this whole dumpling thing! They were nice enough, but I didnt think they added much. The stew with some creamy mash and greens made a perfect Sunday night dinner..

A regular dish in my household.....Postman's Knock is my beer of choice. Treat it like wine in a dish, only more seriously - if you wouldn't drink it then don't put it in!<br /> <br /> Love this dish!

i've been getting a slight bitter taste. i've been using hobgoblin, maybe this is why<br />

Fantastic! Great meal for Mothers Day. After the initial prep, it was simmering away in background for hrs. Thanks V much for the recipe. First time i have tried to make Doughballs. They tasted great! Think Im on cooking duties now????????????????

Need to plan an easy supper for friends. Was thinking of this beef stew but do I need a starter- if so- suggestions please. Iwant to keep it relaxed and not formal.

Thanks

What dumpling recipe is best to use?

I wish I'd read the comments re the Guinness and the aftertaste. I found it not so pleasant but hubby seemed to love it (he likes Guinness tho). The real test will be if the baby eats it tomorrow.

I did it in a normal saucepan on the stove top - after calculating that it was cheaper to run the gas stove for 3 hours rather than an electric oven. Prob with saucepan is that the base is too thin compared to casserole dish so adjust your cooking times downwards. Also beware as it is very inclined to stick and burn (to a saucepan). Don't panic at the runniness of the stew, the half an hour simmering with lid off reduces it nicely. It does still make a liquidy stew (like a goulash) but I think this was how it was meant to turn out.

I found it a bit bland too... we jazzed it up (also to cover the slight burnt taste) using Worcester sauce (a glug LOL) and Chinese oyster sauce. I found the meat a bit dry (as in if you took it out to eat separately but as you are eating it as part of a stew, this is less noticeable - but this is most probably user error on my part due to the thin saucepan.

Next time around I would use ale/ not Guinness, cook in a casserole dish and probably use the oven to see if it improves. I still think the original recipe I came to this site for is fab (melt-in-your-mouth shin of beef stew) - even if this is less faff to cook.

Very easy to pressure cook too - simply brown the meat and vegies, then put the meat, guinness and tomatoes in the pot. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, quick release, add vegies and flour. Cook just until it comes up to pressure then turn off. Easy. Ready in under an hour.

OK, I made the recipe, but since I had read a couple of the comments on the thread regarding the possible bitterness, I used Belgian Leff beer, which is less bitter than Guiness. Everyone at the table took seconds or thirds, and I did make dumplings, which everyone just loved!

I really appreciate the recipes, keep them coming!

L

oh my god! that's delicious, it look's sooooo good, i'm from Romania and i watch every show !!!! we have a kind of this food also, it's called TOCANITA CU CARNE DE VITA .KISS U OLIVER and i want to ask u ....when u will come to ROMANIA??????

Just made this today using Kilkenny Irish Beer and it turned out excellent. I cooked it on the stove about 3 1/2 hours, made twice the recipe, so I had to remove some of the liquid as it was too soupy to begin with. Made it with dumplings and my kids just inhaled it. LOL ;-) Thanks Jamie, you're the best!

Jackie

@ Amy
Best to use Guinness stout from a bottle, not draught. We also add tabasco sauce to give it an extra kick. This sort of recipe goes down a treat this time of year and doesn't last too long!!

After 3 hours, it was incredibly frustrating to have the bitter taste which really spoilt the whole thing for me. I used Guinness - from a can. Would there have been a difference if it was from a bottle for instance?

Done this twice over the past fortnight and it's lovely - I used Guinness and it worked fine - I did it at 150 degrees, and on the second occasion, had dumplings with it......I will say though, it could serve 3 small portions, but 2 portions I'd say, is perfect.....that last 30 mins with the lid off really reduces it brilliantly.

I made this but used deer meat instead. I also did not have a stout beer so I used a regular beer with a good dollop of molasses. It turned out really good. I will definitely being trying more of Jamie's recipes in the future.

This was a brilliant stew and so easy to make. It tastes delicious and doesn't require loads of faffing! Off to make it again tonight, mouth is watering already!

I cooked this recipe last week-end. I used my slow cooker. I cooked it for 10 hrs on Low. It turned out fantastic. The beef was melting. The beer (from trader joe/USA store) was not over powering. It was very good. I will cook this recipe again. Happy Cooking Everyone!

This has to be my 6th or 7th attempt at one of Jamie's recipes and the results amaze me every time!! I don't think i have the right to say I can't cook any more.... This looked and tasted amazing!! I used the Guinness version...

going to have a go at this glad for all the comments left as i think i will try it with ale and add more veg as the amount does not sound right for four to six people

Help..can I cook this in a slow cooker, how long for and do I need to add extra liquid if I leave it on whilst I'm at work all day??

I made a double recipe of this dish, then split it in two and cooked one in the oven and one on the stove. The one in the oven produced a stew with meat that was noticeably more tender and seemed more flavourful as well. Given the choice, I recommend the oven!

I am not a big fan of cooking but thought I better make an effort as my boyfriend has just moved in. Found this recipie really easy to follow and to say it was my first attempt I was pleased with the results. Will definately be trying other recipies, it has given me a new found confidence with cooking.

Hi, I made this over the weekend and boy oh boy it was yummy!!! I added some sweet Bazil, splashing of Tabasco sauce + marinated the beef in L&P Worster sauce, a little black pepper and salt. I took note of the cooking temp and decided to simmer on the hub worked a dream 4 hours later no burns perfect! I also went with the guiness ;)

I have a crock-pot and wondered if anyone else has tried cooking this 'Beef and Ale Stew' in one before??

Thanks,

Paul DPaul your oven temp seems way too high, im not really surprised it was frazzled. I too have a fan oven and would cook this nice and low on 160. Will definetly be giving this a go tho. x

I'm an ex-pat living in Peru.... where I can't find packet dumpling mix. Are they easy to make from scratch ?

I cooked this a few days ago and it was awesome.!!! I'm a newcomer to cooking and really only tried this as a test. I have avoided beef dishes for the last few years as I was tired of eating tough, dry or rubbery meat whether eating out or at home.. After the initial disasters I had when starting out with MOF, I checked the home page and discovered the forums.. After reading the tips I tried again and the results were fantastic. That's when I decided to try the beef and ale stew. I cooked on the stove not in the oven and followed the recipe as written but checking often as was recommended. After two and a half hours I tried a piece of meat. I thought that I was biting into butter. It melted in my mouth. We ate it with pasta and everyone loved it. No bitter taste in fact it was delicious... And I cooked it!!!! That was the thing that most amazed me.. So easy but what a taste...

I made this stew on Sunday and it was delicious and so easy! I don't like celery so I added extra carrots and onions and some left over sweet potato and flung it all in a pot and left it for 3 hours, will be making this again for sure.

I believe this would have been a really great recipe BUT using Guiness really over powers this stew. Every mouthful started to taste more and more bitter. I will try this again using Murphy's as mentioned by Paul DPaul as I think it really would be a good stew.

@BIgSpud

Dude why didn't you sort the flavors while it was cooking? If it was too bitter ya could of tasted it and changed the flavor by balancing it out with some other stuff. Parsnips sweetens it up a bit also bang a few bits of other stuff in if it's bland - Lob some Hot pepper sauce in to give it a kick and try a few other flavors in there like some balsamic vinegar lemon zest, garlic, worcester sauce, beef stock cubes and some rosemary, give it a few extra dimensions. I'm always experimenting with it and thats half the fun.

i would add one table spoon of mustard, just for taste, love these reciepets, so easy, so easy, always send them to my sister who is unticook and hates "wasting" her time in the kitchen, i would also put more of the bay leaves, 3 seems to be not enough, almost unnoticeable...thanx, anyway

I followed the recepie from the book and cheked after 2 1/2 hours, saw a frazzled stew :-(
Luckily manageed to sort of rescue it with some liquid, but even 2.5 hrs at 200 in a fan oven was way too high and too long, so next time i'll do it at much lower temp.
Lil tip though if you find guiness too bitter, try Murphy's as it's much more creamy

Made this for St. Patrick's day 2009. Delicious. Added some potatoes, a few sprigs of thyme and 3 cloves of minced garlic.

There's nothing better in the winter than a nice hearty stew.

I made this stew a few weeks back for four people, luckily i had bought a bit extra stewing beef (700g) and I'm glad i did as i really don't see how 500g would have fed 4-6 people. I made the stew with a can of Ale and cooked it in for just over 3 hours, there was a massive amount of liquid loss but i kept checking it and adding more water and when it was ready it was sublime and my guests agreed.
I am cooking it again this weekend but for 6 people so i think I'll double the quantities to make sure there is enough to go around.

WOW WOW WOW!!!!absoluetly fantastic, made this and even the kids ate the lot!!!!  bluming gorgeous jamie well done.  cooked in fan oven as above at 180c, but added half a pint of beef stock, this sorted the problems experienced by others and gave a nice juice to be mopped up by a crusty home made loaf - magic!!!

my family and i found this recipe good,i give littel basil.my english no good.sorry,i love Jamie"s recipes next i meik lemon sorbe.

Apologies for this - the temperatures have been adjusted

The temperature is definitely an error in this recipe.

If you are cooking a stew for 3 hours, you are most certainly NOT doing so at a temperature of 400 degrees. Turn it down to 350 and 3 hours should be perfect.

I usually use chianti as my braising liquid but with St. Patrick's day coming up, perhaps I'll give it a go with Guinness

A very tasty recipe, however, 200C far too high which lost a lot of liquid. Will use same recipe next time, but gently simmer at a much lower temperature, say 140C.

A lug is two glugs

I made the stew today with guinness it tasted horrible.A bad after taste like what the other person also said.I had tried the dish before at a friends house and it was loverly.I cooked it on the hob for 3 1/2 hrs.I will try again with stout.The only thing that I found was that the liquid soon evaporated.Any help cooking this dish would be greatly appreciated.

Made this a couple of times now - last time was for some friends. They were very impressed and asked for the recipe. So, you've guessed it, I passed it on!

Hoorah!

can anyone tell me what a lug is? 2 lugs of olive oil!

Just finished the steak & ale stew. Cooked it for my wife for Valentines day. We loved it. Was worrried at first when all the ingredients were put into the pot. I wasn't sure she was going to like it (tomatoes and stout ale she asked??) but due to circustances (ma in law on the phone) it cooked for over four hours and was perfect when taken from the oven. Made the dumplings too and they were spot on. Ta very much Jamie.
P.S. Made your apple crumble and loved that too.

This tastes much better using Ale rather than guiness and cooked for longer at lower temperature.

hi jamie,
my boyriend bought me a cook book for xmas its great and so easy to follow,you make home cooking so much fun not a chore!!!!!!!!
thanks

I've got mine in th'oven now. I started off with a different recipe with mushrooms in and guiness but then sort of morphed it into this one coz it looked easier. Wish id have sotred it earlier tho - it will only be ready at 1 int mornin! haha Me mams comin round for some tomorrow tho so hopefully it'll be reet

my sisters cooking it and she has friends coming round in 2 hrs and thought it said 2 hrs and its 3 hrs.heres a tip... read carefully and it will work out fine.....

Fantastic really enjoyed this made it yesterday. I did adjust the cooking temperature to 150 as I thought it would be too hot at 200. The meat was perfectly cooked. Today I am going to try the Salmon Pie. I don't think I will be disappointed!

FAB!!! prepared it last night and put in slow cooker today, got home and although a bit 'wet' took some fluid off and made it into a hot pot and i cannot beleive how great it tasted.
really warming and tasty

fairbairn i thought the same,i have a fan oven and that heat it would dry out,got to be a typing error i thought for 3 hours has te be 125 or 150p

I had to turn my oven down, the stew was bubbling like mad at that heat.

Have to say this wasn't a winner in my house - it was bland, even after a lot of seasoning. Worse was the nasty bitter aftertaste that the Guinness left after each mouthful.

Disappointing. If I did it again I'd use a tasty red wine and perhaps less carrots.

I made this dish on Saturday night and it went down a treat with my friends and family. However, I need some help/advice. The stew I made was very runny (even after simmering it for 2 hours) and I ended up draining it through a sieve before adding the mashed potato. What am I doing wrong? Is it because I did not use a casserole dish (I used a saucepan)? Or did I simmer it at a too low temperature? I even added extra flour to help thicken the sauce but it still was very runny. Please help...

Gas 6 for 3 hours seems high. Will this go tough?

I agree. My stew was a bit burnt after a while so I had to add some water to it. We have a fan oven too. This is such a brilliant recipe though and the others. I have never bought a cook book and cooked so much from it in a short timescale. Please can someone tell us what the temperature should be for fan ovens?

I heard about this recipe from a friend and decided to try it. I have never made dumplings before!
My family and I thought it was amazing. The dumplings were beautiful too. Definately a firm favorite now!!

Sorry to be a disbeliever but surely the stew is not going to 'simmer slowly' at a temperature of 200C for 3 hours. Is this a typing error? I am referring to a fan oven.