St. Patrick’s Day, the recipe for Irish stew with Guinness beer

Is called Irish stew and is the traditional Irish stew that is prepared in the island on the day of Saint Patrick. Its main ingredients are Angus and stout (the Guinness is perfect), but potatoes and sometimes mushrooms are also added. Why exactly Angus? Even if the more traditionalists indicate the leg of lamb as an ideal piece, this type of beef has a less strong flavor. So it’s perfect for creating a dish that everyone can like a bit.

The meat for the stew with Guinness beer

The meat of Angus it is also preferred because it is soft and has the right balance of fat and muscle for a Guinness stew. As for the cut, however, it is advisable to choose a rather gelatinous one, which holds up well the long cooking.

The priest’s hat it is the ideal one. Some people also use the thigh, but the risk with this piece is to have a result too dry after hours of cooking.

Guinness beer

For Irish stew, one is used birra stout. A dark, top-fermented type produced with the addition of variable percentages of roasted barley malt and roasted barley. La Guinness, of low alcohol content, it is popular, available and very versatile. Its roasted aroma gives the dish an unmistakable brand.

The preparation

To prepare the Irish stew you have to keep in mind that it is very important to preserve meat juices. The ideal then, as is often used in stews, is to flour the roughly cut pieces before browning them in hot oil. This way the meat will be sealed. It will stay moist and will not lose its flavor during cooking.

Once browned the cubes will be added to a pan with high edges (cast iron would be the best) and cooked together with the vegetables (leeks, onions, carrots). The beer will serve to deglaze the bottom and to flavor the meat which will cook for at least two hours.

The dark color of the plate is given however also from tomato paste, added together with the meat. We can help you with the broth if the preparation dries too much. While the ideal spices are black pepper, paprika and cloves. With parsley which can be added at the end of the plating.

Potatoes for side dish

There are those who also add it to the Irish stew mushrooms and bacon. But what cannot be missing as a side dish are potatoes. You can put them inside meat or cook separately. In the second case they are boiled, then peeled, and finally crushed on the plate, like a bed on which lay the meat.