This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy for additional information.
Why You’ll Love My Recipe
Packed with vegetables, herbs, and a dose of rich dark beer, this hearty lamb stew is the perfect meal to warm you up on a chilly day. If you don’t usually like the taste of lamb, this is the place to start!
Irish lamb stew is full of tender chunks of lamb shoulder, simmered in a fresh herb and Guinness® tomato-based stew sauce loaded with vegetables. Serve this tasty stew with some Buttermilk Biscuits or Classic Homemade Garlic Bread.
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This is an easy recipe.
- Total Time: Depending on which method you choose, making this stew will take you anywhere from 2 hours (stovetop) to 8 hours (slow cooker).
- Variations: Like any stew, the details are up to you. Try using a different cut of lamb, or make a beef stew instead. Make some of your own Beef Stew Seasoning to add. Mix in some parsnips, turnips, or beets. Try it without the beer (though that’s what makes it Irish) and add a splash of red wine instead.
- Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a large bowl, a Dutch oven or large pot with a lid, a cutting board, and a sharp knife. If you’re going to be cooking this in a slow cooker, you’ll also need a large frying pan.
What You’ll Need For Ingredients
Lamb: This particular recipe is perfect for the tougher meat of a lamb shoulder, since it needs plenty of time to cook before it gets tender. If you’re using a different cut of lamb, you may want to reduce the cooking time.
Beer: While Guinness® is, of course, the optimal beer to use here, you can try using your favourite dark beer instead. You’ll want something heavy, slightly bitter, and rich to complement the lamb’s richness.
Vegetables: Classic root vegetables are the best here. Hearty russet potatoes, along with chunks of carrot and celery, make this a filling stew. Feel free to try adding some parsnips or turnips.
How To Make Irish Lamb Stew
This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Add cubed beef and toss until fully coated.
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or lidded pot over medium-high heat. Add lamb cubes, cook until browned on all sides. Remove meat from the pot and set aside.
- Add onions to the pot and saute until softened. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, until fragrant.
- Pour a splash of Guinness® into the pan and scrape along the bottom to collect all the browned bits.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Add cooked lamb.
- Heat to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- To make this stew in a slow cooker, brown your lamb cubes and onions in a pan. Follow the same deglazing process (4). Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Irish Lamb Stew
Use Fresh Herbs: If at all possible, use fresh herbs for this stew. Dried herbs will give you the flavours, but fresh is always so much better. Just make sure to remove the stems along with the bay leaves (these are usually dried) before you serve the stew. It should be fairly easy to fish out the thyme and rosemary stems. If you do end up using dried herbs, taste as you go since dried herbs pack a lot more flavour into a tiny amount.
Serving Options: While this stew has plenty of of veggies and protein and is filling on its own, you can totally add a carb on the side. Try some homemade bread, biscuits, or a crusty loaf of sourdough to dip into the rich broth. You could even make a batch of Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes and serve scoops of potatoes with stew ladled overtop.
Storage Instructions
Store this stew in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Be aware that the beer flavour will intensify the longer the stew sits.
You can freeze it for several months. Try using single serving containers for this so that you can take out individual portions to reheat as needed. Reheat in the microwave or on your stove.
Other Delicious Stew Recipes
Looking for more easy stew recipes?
Try this Oyster Stew if you prefer seafood.
Or this Cowboy Stew for something classic.
Different protein options? Make some Slow Cooker Chicken Stew or Classic Homestyle Pork Stew
There you go, everyone. All of those rich, hearty flavours you love in a good Irish stew. try this recipe out and let me know what you think!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Irish Lamb Stew
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lamb shoulder, cubed into 1″ pieces
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large yellow onion
- 14.9 ounces Guinness®
- 4 cups beef broth
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 large Russet potatoes , peeled and diced into one inch cubes
- 3 cups carrots, peeled and cut on the bias
- 2 cups celery , cut into one inch pieces
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 large bay leaves
- freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Dutch Oven Stovetop Method
- Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the lamb cubes until they are completely coated.
- Preheat a large Dutch oven or lidded stockpot over medium-high heat and melt the butter.
- Add the lamb in one layer, turning and cooking until it's browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the onions to the pan and sauté until softened, if needed add more butter to the pan. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, around two minutes.
- Pour a small amount of the Guinness® into the pan, deglazing the bottom of the pot by scraping up the browned bits off of the bottom.
- Add the remaining beer, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves into the pot. Stir until combined. Add the lamb cubes back into the pot and stir.
- Bring the stew to a low boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the lamb and vegetables are tender. Stir every 30 minutes to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Remove the bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Serve hot.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- When preparing the vegetables for the slow cooker, cut them into larger pieces that will take longer to cook.
- Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Toss the lamb cubes until they are completely coated.
- Add the lamb in one layer, turning and cooking until it's browned on all sides. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the onions to the pan and sauté until softened, if needed add more butter to the pan. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant, around two minutes.
- Pour a small amount of the Guinness® into the pan, deglazing the bottom of the pot by scraping up the browned bits off of the bottom.
- Place everything into the slow cooker.
- Add the remaining beer, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, carrots, celery, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves into the pot. Stir until combined.
- Cover and simmer for 3-4 hours on low and 6-7 hours on high until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Make sure to clean the outer fat off the lamb shoulder and remove any gristly pieces.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Leave a Comment or Recipe Tip