Beef and Guinness pie is a traditional Irish recipe for a classic pie of beef cooked in Guinness with carrot baked with a shortcrust pastry lid. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Irish version of: Beef and Guinness pie.
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Guinness and beef are a classic combination, and are possibly at their best when used as the filling for a pie, all encased in buttery pastry.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
750g stewing beef, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, cut into chunks
2 tbsp plain flour
1 x 440ml can Guinness or other stout
1 beef stock cube
leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
1 x 375g pack ready-rolled shortcrust pastry or savoury shortcrust pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten
Method:
Set a large flame-proof casserole over medium heat. Add half the oil and cook the the beef, in 2 batches, for 7–10 minutes until nicely browned all over. Remove the first batch from the pan and set aside then use the remaining oil to brown the next batch. Remove the second batch of meat from the casserole then add the vegetables to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until softened.
Stir in the flour until the vegetables are evenly coated. Pour in the Guinness and stir around the pan, scraping up all the caramelised bits at the base of the pan.
Crumble over the stock cube and stir to combine, then return the beef to the pan with the thyme, topping up the liquid level with water if necessary. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes until the beef is really tender. Then take off the heat and set aside to cool. The stewed beef can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan/Gas mark 6). Spoon the beef into a large pie dish then pour in just enough juice to cover it (remove and discard the thyme sprig).
Unwrap the pastry and set over the top of the pie dish. Crimp the edges to the rim of the dish then trim away any excess with a sharp knife.
Make a small slit in the centre of the pastry as a steam hole then brush all over the top with the beaten egg.
Transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven and cook for 30–40 minutes until the surface of the pastry is golden and crisp.
Heat any remaining beef liquid in a saucepan and serve as a gravy alongside the pie. Accompany with mash or colcannon and your choice of greens.
