Instant Pot: Guinness Beef Stew

St. Patrick’s Day is pretty important at our house. Well, it’s important to my husband Patrick because he believes it’s a day in celebration of him lol. That said, he’ll embrace all things Irish and one of his favorite dishes for the season is this Guinness Beef Stew! I recently made my stand by recipe in an Instant Pot and it came out amazing! Beef is slow cooked with Guinness Draught beer to lend a complex, rich flavor with baby carrots and potatoes…

This is a hearty meal in of itself, especially with some garlic bread or warm rolls. But to stretch it a bit, it’s also great over buttered egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Leftovers are especially good because the flavor develops even more… that is, if there are even leftovers to begin with! If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can get the slow cooker version here!

In your Instant Pot:

Season beef with salt and pepper to your tastes and set aside.

Plug in the IP with insert set in place; Press SAUTE.

Add 2 teaspoons of the oil in the IP. Once hot, add the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until softened, for 5 to 7 minutes.

Add tomato paste and flour, cooking until most moisture is absorbed and pan is slightly dry, for 1-3 minutes. 

Whisk in the broth, 3/4 cup Guinness, brown sugar and thyme, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. 

Add the seasoned beef to the IP and stir.

Secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.

Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 35 minutes on HIGH pressure.

The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure.

Once at pressure, the display will reflect 35 (the number of minutes you initially set) and will begin to countdown to 0 minutes.

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 35 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes. While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NPR or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure).  No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

When the display reflects 10 (which is 10 minutes since the IP has beeped) all pressure should have naturally released. If not, turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release any remaining pressure (also known as QPR or QR). I use a wooden spoon to carefully turn the setting to avoid close contact with the potential steam. You may also want to turn your IP away from cabinets to allow the released steam to escape freely. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen).

Add the carrots and potatoes to the IP.

Secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.

Press MANUAL and adjust the time to 2 minutes on HIGH pressure.

The display will reflect ON while the IP comes to pressure. Allow a few minutes for your IP to come to pressure.

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 2 minutes, turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release any remaining pressure (also known as QPR or QR). I use a wooden spoon to carefully turn the setting to avoid close contact with the potential steam. You may also want to turn your IP away from cabinets to allow the released steam to escape freely. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen).

Just before serving, stir in remaining 1/2 cup Guinness and parsley into slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.