Beef and Guinness Casserole
Few beef recipes are as satisfying as a well-made Beef and Guinness Casserole. The star here is (2.5 lbs) of round beef, supported by a short list of everyday ingredients. A hot pan and a little patience give you the kind of colour and texture that makes this dish. Scroll down for the ingredients, the step-by-step method, and answers to the questions we get asked most about it.
- Level Medium
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.5 lbs) of round beef
- 4 –5 medium onions
- 4 –5 stalks of celery
- 4 –5 medium carrots
- 1 Bottle (500 ml) Guinness or other stout
- 500 ml 500 ml (16 oz) of tomato sauce (can use canned chopped tomato, but for a richer sauce use bottles of tomato sauce. Do NO, 16 oz) of tomato sauce (can use canned chopped tomato, but for a richer sauce use bottles of tomato sauce. Do NOT use ke
- 1 small Handful of fresh thyme
- 2 clove Garlic, crushed and sliced thin
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ¼ cup Plain Flour
- 2 tbsp Peppercorns, can add more to taste
- 1 tsp Salt
- Approximately 1 litre (1 quart) of stock
- Olive Oil
- 1 bunch Spring onion
- Starchy white potatoes, enough for 4 people
- Butter
- Milk
Method
- Trim the meat of excess fat, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Cut your vegetables into small, similarly sized pieces. Keep the carrots big enough (about ½-inch cuts), and none so big as you wouldn't want to find it later and think "that's a bloody big bit of carrot".
- Freshly grind your pepper to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar. Take your time with this. Then add a teaspoon of salt, and set half of this aside for your champ potato. Then add the other half to the ¼ cup of flour and mix well to get seasoned flour. Then mix this in a big bowl with your beef.
- Heat your frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a good lug of olive oil, then add your coated beef (discard the excess coating, which shouldn't be much). You need enough oil so that the coating isn't dry on the beef. You then want to brown the beef—keep it moving so it doesn't burn. What you're doing is sealing the meat so it's tender and undergoing the Mailliard reaction, which give fantastic flavour. Brown in batches if pan is not very large. Put to one side.
- Add another small glug of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and turn to medium-low heat. Cook for a few minutes, add celery and garlic, and continue to cook until they all soften and the onion has started going golden. Add the carrot and continue for another few minutes.
- Now get a big oven-proof casserole dish, and add your stock, cooked vegetables, beef, Guinness, tomato, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to boil on a hob, put on the lid, and put into a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) convection. Check every 40 minutes to 1 hour, and give a good stir. This takes 3 hours to cook properly. All the protein that makes round beef tough comes out into your sauce to make it thick and rich and your beef juicy and tender. If you did the browning part right, the beef should be succulent and bursting with flavour—if not then it is dry and boring.
- About 40 minutes before the casserole is done, boil the potatoes until soft. Drain, and allow to steam until dry. Mash thoroughly and add pepper/salt combo (salt to taste), butter, and a little milk—its amazing how little milk will turn your potato to sludge, so be careful. Once all this is mashed well, stir in your spring onion.
- Serve in deep bowls. Put a layer of champ at the bottom, ladle your beef and Guinness on the top, serve, and enjoy.
Tips for the best Beef and Guinness Casserole
- Do not crowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed so everything browns instead of steaming.
- This is a 8-step recipe, so set up your workspace in the order the steps use it.
- Taste as you go. Seasoning at the end is fine, but adjusting halfway through gives a more balanced result.
- Let the beef come up to room temperature for 15 minutes before cooking so it cooks evenly.
Variations
- Swap the beef for lamb or mushrooms or lentils — keep the cooking time similar and check for doneness.
- Individual portions: divide into ramekins or a muffin tin and reduce the baking time by about a third.
- Vegetable boost: stir in a handful of spinach, peas or diced peppers in the last few minutes of cooking.
Serving ideas
Serve hot with rice, potatoes or crusty bread, and something green on the side.
Storage
Best eaten fresh. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 2 days; reheat in a hot pan or oven rather than the microwave to bring the crispness back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make Beef and Guinness Casserole ahead of time?
Yes. It actually improves after a few hours, so make it earlier in the day and reheat gently before serving.
Is this Beef and Guinness Casserole recipe hard to make?
It is rated hard: 18 ingredients and 8 steps. Follow the order and the tips above and it is very forgiving.
What can I substitute for (2.5 lbs) of round beef?
Any ingredient with a similar texture and cooking time works; see the variations below for ideas. Keep quantities the same and adjust seasoning at the end.
Adapted from Wikibooks Cookbook, CC BY-SA 4.0 — source
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