this is an easy recipe to put together. however, i found that the amount of beef stock and guinness made far too much gravey. although the finished dish was tasty, the beef and mushrooms were swamped with gravey. less gravy and added potatoes, carrots, peas, etc. would have made a more complete pie. i'll use another recipe for my next pie.
Beef and Guinness Pie
Credit: Christopher Hirsheimer
SERVES 6 – 8
This is a hearty Irish variation on steak and kidney pie, made with the island's most famous beer.
3 tbsp. tomato paste
3 1⁄2 cups beef stock
4 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
1 1⁄2 lbs. white mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 cups Guinness stout
1 1⁄2 cups flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
1 lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Put tomato paste into a large bowl, add stock, and stir until paste dissolves. Add beef, mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme, and stout and stir well. Sprinkle flour over beef mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir well. Transfer to a deep 10 1/2" × 12 1/2" baking dish set on a large baking sheet. Cover dish with foil. Bake, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 3 1/2–4 hours.
2. Beat egg and 1 tsp. water together in a small bowl and set aside. Roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4" thickness, 2" wider than baking dish. Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Drape pastry over dish and brush with egg wash. Return baking dish to oven and bake until pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with spearmint sprigs, if you like.
Ratings & Reviews (6)
i listened to the review above and made a few alterations. i added a pack of frozen peas and corn. i only used one can of beer (11.2oz). i added some extra flour. i cooked it uncovered but stirred every 20-30 minutes. this thickened up the gravy and it wasn't runny at all. i served this to a group of 5, and all were pleased. great recipe for chopping everything the day before and throwing it in the oven the day of.
I used only three cups of stock, cooked the stock down a bit and dusted the beef with flour in a baggie before adding. I ended up with a scrumptious, lovely gravy and excellent pie!
This pie is great. The above reviews I will take note next time I make it, however the meat was tender flavorful and the added touch of the pastry was great. Dusting the meat with flour before browning is a good way to thicken the sauce. I think one cannot have too much gravy on anything.
Per the suggestions above, cut back on the stock and coated the beef with flour. I also made smaller cuts of meat than the recipe called for to cut down on the cooking time. With roughly half-inch pieces the first turn in the oven took only about 2 hours and the meat was tender. I also threw in some thinly sliced carrots and peas to make more of a single-dish meal. Yummy though.
cooked exactly to recipe and gravy was thick and excellent. a great recipe as is
Beef and Guinness Pie
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