Recipe This | Slow Cooker Irish Stew With Guinness (2024)

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Slow Cooker Irish Stew. How to make a delicious traditional Irish lamb stew in the slow cooker. Loaded with lamb neck fillet, Guinness, potatoes, and vegetables.

You will love this classic irish stew, or you might call it a lamb casserole. Not only is it one of the simplest slow cooker lamb stews, but it is full of flavour, is gluten free and perfect for cold winter days. Or serve it up on St Paddy’s Day as a new Irish tradition in your house.

Originally shared in 2018 we have transformed this irish stew to the slow cooker from the instant pot.

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Slow Cooker Irish Stew

Did I ever tell you that my maternal grandma was Irish? She used to tell me stories about her early years living in Ireland before moving to England when she was still a child.

I used to ask her to tell me more as Ireland just sounded so interesting.

Well, she married a guy from Yorkshire (my grandad), they had five daughters and they lived happily ever after.

One way that my grandad was always trying to impress my grandma was with his cooking and he had mastered an amazing irish stew. He would always cook it with Guinness, it was always hearty, and filling and it was always loaded with leftover lamb neck fillets that he had got on a deal from the butchers.

Even when he had too much of the Guinness and salted it twice, I would still enjoy every last mouthful and look forward to the next time.

Today, I wanted to share with you, how you too can make a proper traditional Irish stew in the slow cooker.

Are You New To The Slow Cooker?

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This is perfect for you if you want to get more recipes for your slow cooker. Loaded with a lot of British classics and something for everyone.

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Can You Put Raw Lamb In A Slow Cooker?

Yes, you can put raw lamb in a slow cooker. Just like with any slow cooker meat, you can dump it in with the other ingredients, mix it and then you have slow cooker stew.

But you have a better Irish lamb stew slow cooker recipe, if you brown your meat first.

Do You Have To Brown Lamb Before Slow Cooking?

No, its not essential to brown your lamb before slow cooking, but I do recommend you do it.

This is because it adds extra flavour to the lamb and lamb also carries a lot of extra fat, so you can then drain the lamb fat, before you slow cook your Irish stew.

For example, this is the liquid we created after browning our lamb neck.

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How Do I Make Lamb Stew Meat Tender?

You slow cook your lamb. Lamb is perfect for stews and casseroles and by dumping your lamb and cooking it for 4 hours in the slow cooker produces the best results.

If you want your lamb to fall off the fork as you tuck in, then you can increase the cook time to 5 hours to achieve this.

What Is Traditional Irish Stew?

Traditional irish stew is cooked in the slow cooker and is loaded with lamb neck fillets that have been diced, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomato puree and a full can of Guinness.

You will find many Irish stews that are not traditional because they don’t use Guinness, or they substitute lamb for beef.

Irish stew is often referred to as a lamb and Guinness stew or as a lamb neck stew.

How Do You Make Irish Stew Better?

One ingredient that I often see in a slow cooker irish lamb stew is flour to thicken up the stew.

I recommend NOT using flour and instead to drain your lamb stew after you have finished slow cooking.

Then reserve half of the liquid as lamb stock for future recipes and then place the other half back in.

Then add a big spoonful of mashed potatoes and stir it in.

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You will then have a yummy gluten free Irish stew without it feeling heavy and grainy from the flour.

Guinness Irish Stew

One ingredient that is not familiar to many, when making a traditional irish stew is Guinness.

Well, what the Guinness does is replace part of the stock. Don’t expect a stew that all you can taste is ale, because that is not the case.

I do recommend pouring your Guinness into a glass an hour before cooking. It will reduce the head on it and make it easier for cooking with.

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Though because we don’t drink much, we don’t have any pint glasses, so used two smaller ones.

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Irish Stew Slow Cooker Ingredients

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Lamb – I recommend you use lamb neck fillets that have been diced ready for a stew, or you slice them up yourself.

Guinness – What makes an Irish stew stand out from the crowd, is the addition of Guinness. Once you try a Guinness stew in the slow cooker there is no going back. You will only need 1 can for 1 big hearty stew.

Stock – I make big batches of stock in the instant pot, freeze it, and then use it in my slow cooker meals. You can load frozen stock cubes into the slow cooker too. If you don’t have lamb stock you can sub it for chicken or vegetable. Then for extra stock I also add in some tinned tomatoes. Avoid water if you can, as it will make your stew taste like dishwasher water.

Veggies – Go traditional and add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. Or mix it up and add some swede or parsnips.

Seasoning – when making irish stew in slow cooker I recommend for seasonings salt, pepper, rosemary, chives, and thyme.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this Irish lamb stew slow cooker recipe it has just been our Crockpot Slow Cooker. We have this one and its wonderful for many types of stews and casseroles.

Plus, we recommend you head over to our slow cooker recipes category as we have more than 90 tried and tested slow cooker recipes and have been using slow cookers for 18 years.

How To Make Irish Lamb Stew In Slow Cooker?

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  • Brown. Chop up your lamb neck fillets, if it not cubed already and then brown your lamb in the slow cooker with a little extra virgin olive oil. Then drain any excess fat. Remove the lamb and put to one side.
  • Load. Then load up your slow cooker with your prepped vegetables and saute with some extra virgin olive oil.
  • Dump. Take the slow cooker off the heat, add everything else, give it a good stir, and add your stock cube on top. Slow cook for four hours.
  • Serve. Then when it is done, drain half the liquid, stir in a heaped tablespoon of mashed potatoes and then serve with mash.

And I am sure you can see now how easy it is to make an irish lamb stew in the slow cooker and why it’s a favourite of mine.

Irish Stew Recipe Slow Cooker Tips & Tricks

  • I recommend that you brown your lamb first and then drain the fat. It will stop your lamb stew from being overly fatty and great for if you want a healthy irish stew.
  • Use frozen veggie stock as it’s a life saver and makes your lamb stew more flavoursome. I recommend using our instant pot vegetable stock for this.
  • Its best served with creamy mashed potatoes. Keep it Irish by using our instant pot irish mashed potatoes.

Interesting Slow Cooker Trick – Always buy a slow cooker like this Crockpot one that we own. It can go on the stovetop to brown meat and go in the oven.

Can you make ahead your irish stew recipe? Yes, you can. I often do this to save on time. You can also reheat your Irish stew in the slow cooker by cooking it on low for an hour.

Can you freeze irish stew? Yes, you sure can. Simply load into freezer containers and allow to cool before sealing the lid.

More Slow Cooker Stew Recipes

  • Slow Cooker Vegetable Stew
  • Slow Cooker Scottish Stew
  • Slow Cooker Corned Beef Stew

All the above are amazing slow cooker recipes. Though if I could choose just one, the slow cooker vegetable stew is hands down the absolute BEST.

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Your Irish lamb stew slow cooker recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.

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4 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Irish Stew With Guinness

Slow Cooker Irish Stew. How to make a delicious traditional Irish lamb stew in the slow cooker. Loaded with lamb neck fillet, Guinness, potatoes, and vegetables.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Slow Cooker

Servings: 6

Calories: 213kcal

Author: RecipeThis.com

Ingredients

Kitchen Gadgets:

MetricImperial

Instructions

  • An hour before starting pour your Guinness into a glass to allow it to flatten a little.

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  • Load your lamb into the slow cooker, add extra virgin olive oil and brown on all sides.

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  • Drain the excess fat and then put the lamb to one side.

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  • Prep your veggies. Peel, dice and clean your onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes.

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  • Load the onion, carrots, and celery into the slow cooker and sauté for a couple of minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Use some extra oil if you feel like your slow cooker needs it.

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  • Mix in some tomato puree. Pour in and mix Guinness.

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  • Add in everything else (apart from the stock) and stir. Then position a frozen stock cube in the middle. Slow cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.

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  • Drain half the liquid and put to one side for future lamb stock. Then stir in a heaped tablespoon of mashed potatoes. Then serve with mash.

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Notes

Swaps. You can swap the mashed potatoes for blending some of the potatoes that are in the slow cooker.

Thanks for reading our slow cooker irish stew recipe on Recipe This. We have many more slow cooker recipes for you to check out next. Though if you would like more hearty recipes, I recommend you try our slow cooker brisket and gravy next.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5250IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition InfoPlease Note: Nutrition values are our best estimate based on the software we use at Recipe This and are meant as a guide. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

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FAQs

Why is my beef and Guinness stew bitter? ›

Stouts, like Guinness, are known for their bitterness. If the stew is cooked too quickly or if it doesn't include ingredients to balance the bitterness, this flavor can be very pronounced. This recipe includes a couple of simple steps to tame that bitter flavor and ensure it doesn't overwhelm the stew.

What does beef and Guinness stew taste like? ›

There's no greater comfort food than a hearty stew. And Irish Beef and Guinness Stew might be the king of them all! Guinness gives the sauce an incredible rich, deep flavour, and the beef is fall-apart tender.

What is the difference between Irish stew and regular stew? ›

The main difference between an Irish stew and classic beef stew comes down to the protein. Traditional Irish stew is usually made with lamb, while beef stew is always made with beef.

Why is my beef stew chewy in the slow cooker? ›

Using the wrong cut of meat.

The long, slow cook time leaves lean meat, like sirloin, tough and chewy, while tougher cuts, like chuck, break down and become really tender. Follow this tip: When choosing the best meat for beef stew, stick with using chuck meat.

How do you get the bitter taste out of Guinness stew? ›

Add a little brown sugar to this Guinness beef stew to help get rid of some of the bitterness that can come from the Guinness when it is cooked. Use a slow cooker instead to make this recipe even easier.

What thickens Irish stew? ›

If it's too thin, simmer it, uncovered, at the end of cooking until thickened to your liking. You can also thicken it with a cornstarch slurry made by combining a small amount of cornstarch with a little water to make a thin paste. Add to the stew and simmer until thickened.

What is the real name for Irish stew? ›

Irish stew (Irish: Stobhach Gaelach) or Stobhach is a stew native to Ireland that is traditionally made with root vegetables and lamb or mutton, but also commonly with beef. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time to time, or place to place.

Can you overcook Irish stew? ›

However, the good news is that it is very difficult to actually overcook this dish. Your primary focus should be ensuring that it has cooked adequately rather than worrying about overcooking. A properly cooked Irish Stew should have a slightly thickened deep brown broth and extremely fork-tender meat.

What does Guinness do to meat? ›

Guinness Stout or Extra Stout produces a dark, rich, flavorful sauce for your marinade that is also an effective meat tenderizer. Use this recipe for any steak, but we like the Rib-Eye, especially if this cut is on sale. If you are cooking for two, choose a nice big thick steak that you can slice and share.

What gives beef stew a rich flavor? ›

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

What is the most flavorful meat for stew? ›

The best cuts of stew meat are lean with a high concentration of collagen-rich connective tissues—such as chuck or shoulder cuts—that also have some fat marbling for flavor. Lean cuts of meat come from parts of the animal that have lots of muscle, like the legs.

Why do Irish people eat Irish stew? ›

The origins of Irish stew are somewhat shrouded in mystery, but it's believed to have originated in the 17th or 18th century. At that time, the dish was often made by shepherds and rural farmers who had access to only a few ingredients but needed a nourishing meal to sustain them through long days of work.

How do you thicken Irish beef stew? ›

An Irish beef or lamb stew, made with meat and vegetables is commonly thickened with a roux made from butter and flour. Flour can also be added without liquid while searing the meat, removing any raw flour taste. Grated potatoes or corn starch can be a thickening agents as well.

What potato is best in stew? ›

ANSWER: Waxy potatoes or those called boiling potatoes stand up well in soups and stews. These have thin skin and are high in moisture and low in starch. Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups.

Why does my Guinness taste bitter? ›

Isohumulones are the primary source of bitterness in Guinness and, generally speaking, in beers. The more humulone available during boiling, the more likely it is to isomerise and thus produce isohumulones.

Why does my beef taste bitter? ›

A bitter aftertaste in meat could indicate a few different things. Overcooking meat, especially poultry, can produce compounds that leave an unpleasant taste. Certain cuts like organ meats may have a natural underlying flavor some find bitter.

What makes beef taste bitter? ›

Bitterness is likely due to hypoxanthine, anserine and carnosine as well as some amino acids (MacLeod, 1994).

How do you fix bitter beer cheese soup? ›

How do you fix BITTER beer cheese soup? Two things may be at play here. 1) You tasted the soup shortly after adding the beer before the bitterness of the alcohol had a chance to cook off. If this is the case, let the soup cook for 5 more minutes then taste again.

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