Beer-Braised Irish Stew
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 coarsely chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
2 potatoes, diced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle of beer (note: just about any beer will work, although a very dark beer like Guinness can impart a bitter taste)
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Peas, if desired
Instructions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot. Brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides. Return all the meat to the Dutch oven. Sprinkle meat with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with flour. Stir in onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, beer, beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Bring mixture to a boil; cover.
Place Dutch oven into preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes. Uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes. Add peas, if desired, near the end of the cooking process. Remove bay leaves. Serve and enjoy!