Beef In Beer Stew

by admin · 17/12/2025

Serves: 2 Prep and cook 2 to 3 hours.

This is a one-pot dish, cooked on the hob, ideal for freezing. Can be made in advance & reheated.

I use a multicooker, but you can also use a lidded flameproof casserole or heavy-bottomed saucepan pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp oil
150g bacon lardons (or streaky bacon cut into small pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
450g casserole beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
300ml bottle of dark beer (I opted for Theakston Old Peculiar)
2 tsp plain flour
150ml cold water
1 tsp garlic paste or chopped garlic clove
2 bay leaves dried or fresh.
2 tsp Dijon mustard (can be left out if you don’t use mustard)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste.
3 sprigs fresh thyme OR 2 tsp dried thyme
130g mushrooms – If using button mushrooms leave whole, otherwise, chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces.

METHOD:

Put the oil in a cold pan and wipe with a piece of paper towel to coat the pan. You do not need a lot of oil–fat should come from the bacon.
Put the bacon into the cold pan and turn the heat up to medium/high.
As the bacon starts to sizzle, stir and allow the fat to escape but do not allow the bacon to burn. Cook for 3 minutes
Then, add the chopped onion to the bacon and stir. Cook for another 3-4 minutes so the onions begin to soften.
Then, add the cubes of steak and stir–you want to lightly brown the meat. Do this for 4-5 minutes.
Now add the beer and stir again-bring the liquid to a simmer.
As the beer is simmering, make the thickening: Put the flour in a bowl, add the water in small quantities and, between adding the water, mix with a fork or small whisk – to prevent large lumps from forming.
Stir well to remove any lumps–the mixture should be quite smooth.
Then, add this mix to the beer and stir the contents of the pan.
Next, add the mustard (if used), thyme, bay leaves, garlic, salt and pepper. Give the contents one stir to make sure everything is mixed, put the lid on and leave to simmer for one hour.
After one hour, add the mushrooms, stir once, put the lid back on and leave to simmer for at least 30 more minutes, or until the beef is tender.