I wanted to end my Sun King Brewery Series with a bang! I have made 2 marinades, chili, an apricot barbecue sauce, Sunlight Bread Pudding and could not help but end with this classic dish.  Using my new favorite from SK- Ring of Dingle, a dry Irish stout, I made what I like to refer to as a lickable dish.  Meaning when my husband and sons were done they wanted to lick the bowl clean.  True story.

For me, stout and beef go together.  Yes, many people ceremoniously pour a can of Guinness in their beef stew for St. Patty’s Day, that is a given.  But to take a rich, well-crafted stout and create something  akin to a culinary dream dish, well, that takes skill.  Not my skill mind you, but that of the master brewers at Sun King.  I am a fan. I have drank their Kool-Aide and I am happily coming back for more….

Today’s post is the standard meat and potatoes fare with a deep, rich twist.  Served over chive smashed potatoes, roasted carrots and mushrooms, this meal will please any palate.  I can almost guarantee it!

Use any good quality dry stout for this recipe.  I chose the seasonal Ring of Dingle from Sun King for it’s deep, malty undertones, pretty lacing (Duh, I did drink SOME) and it’s clean finish.  Check out my brew lingo. I am really catching on! Move over Cabernet, There is a new drink in my life!

Beef and Stout Stew
4 large shallots, minced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1/4 C all purpose flour
5-7 pounds whole chuck roast, cubed into bite-sized chunks
2 TB unsalted butter
3-4 C stout, I used Ring of Dingle, a nice, crisp stout
3-4 sprigs of thyme
2 fresh bay leaves (may use dried as well)
4 TB Worcestershire sauce
4 C of good quality beef stock
Salt/fresh pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl toss the cubed beef with the flour, desired amount of salt and pepper.  Set aside.  In a large Dutch oven, add butter, shallot, onion and garlic and saute on medium heat until soft and translucent.  Add a pinch of salt along the way to sweat them a bit.
Next,reduce the heat to a medium-low and add the flour coated beef and allow to brown and caramelize a bit, about 10 minutes.  It will just brown, not cook through. 
Then, add the stout and using a wooden spoon, loosen any bits that are stuck on.  Allow stout to reduce for about 3-5 minutes on medium heat then add the stock and Worch. sauce.  Cover and simmer, on low, for 30 minutes.
Add the thyme and bay leaves at this time and allow to cook until the meat is cooked and tender and the sauce base is thickened to your desired amount, at least an hour.
*The cook time varies depending on how fast your meat cooks, your sauce thickens or how much time you have.  I made this in 2 hours but you could easily spread this out over an afternoon.
Taste it at this point.  Add a bit more stout to thin it or to add a bit more flavor if you so desire.  Remove bay leaves before serving.
This is the exact formulation I used and we ate every bite, save a bit I took in my lunch the next day.

I smashed some potatoes with cream and chives, roasted some giant mushrooms and carrots tossed in olive oil and garlic and made a loaf of crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.  Garnish with a bit of fresh thyme and freshly cracked pepper.