Irish Whiskey Stew

In the late fall and winter months, I love cooking meals that require hours of simmering.  On those grey and chilly days, nothing warms the soul better than a stew, gumbo, chili, or hearty soup. It must be the Irish in me, but this Irish Whiskey Stew is one of my favorite meals.

The story behind this recipe involves the famous Chicago Irish saloon - Butch McGuire's.  My folks were friends with the McGuire's and we used to frequent the classic establishment often.  Especially during the holidays as the saloon does Christmas right with terrific decorations and good cheer.

The bar at Butch McGuire's

While not necessarily known for its food, the Irish saloon had a few very underrated dishes back in the day:

  • Eggs Benedict with potatoes and corned beef hash (Sunday brunch)
  • Free Chili after every home bears game ($1 donations encouraged)
  • Irish Whiskey Stew

While you might still be able to order up the eggs benedict, the chili and stew have long been retired.

As for this Irish Whiskey Stew, my mother had somehow landed her hands on a copy of the recipe and she would make it annually.  Much to her chagrin, I had bowered and lost the physical copy of this recipe.  I don't know if my mother has fully forgiven me for this lost treasure, but I've spent the past few winters trying to right the wrong and recreate it from memory.  This version is very similar, but I've incorporated some aspects of another famous beef stew recipe - Julia Child's Zinfandel of Beef.

Equipment:

  • Cast Iron Pan
  • Dutch Oven
  • Pup for cleaning

Ingredients:

  • 3 to 4 pounds beef stew cut in 1 1/2 - 2 inch cubes
  • 2.5 cups Irish whiskey
  • 2.5 cups red wine
  • 1/2 cup beef stock (broth okay but no sodium)
  • 2 cups of sliced onions (don't chop)
  • 2/3 cups of sliced carrots (don't chop)
  • 2 stalks of sliced celery
  • 4 large unpeeled cloves of garlic smashed
  • 2 cups of of drained italian plum tomatoes
  • 6 medium russet potatoes peeled and quartered
  • 2 cups mushrooms (optional)
  • 1/2 cup of peas (optional)
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
  • Salt and veggie oil
  • Crusty baguette

Step 1: Browning the Meat

Getting a good brown on the meat is key.  There are three tricks of the trade to do this well:

  1. Dry the meat - pat the meat with a paper or cloth towel so that any of the excess moisture is removed.
  2. Cast iron - Use a cast iron pan that is very hot with a slim layer of preheated oil.
  3. Don't overcrowd - Do not attempt to cook the full 3 to 4 pounds of meat at once.  When adding the meat, ensure you have plenty of room to turn the pieces (see pic).

Once meat has been browned on all sides (3 to 5 minutes), set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Caramelize the veggies

Provided the meat drippings are not burned, cook the veggies (except the potatoes and peas) in the juices until they are slightly caramelized (5 minutes).  You can keep the heat fairly high, but make sure there's no smoke or burning.  Once the veggies are caramelized, add the beef stock by stirring, scraping, and mixing the stock in with the meat dripping.  Ideally, you want to pull the flavor from the pan by cleaning the iron with the broth.  Never add the whiskey prior to the broth and wine as you'll start a pan fire -trust me on this one ;). Cook on a low boil until the stock thickens (5 - 7 minutes).

 

Step 3:Making the stew

Combine the following ingredients to assemble the stew:

  • Browned beef
  • Wine
  • Irish Whiskey
  • Tomatoes
  • Thyme
  • Bay leaf(s)
  • Mushrooms (optional)

The ideal amount of liquid (wine + whiskey) should slightly cover the meat and veggies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4: Give the pup some licks

This is Ivy and she likes my food.  If you have a pup, let him/her enjoy the meat juices from the plate!

Step 5: Cooking the stew

Bring the stew to a simmer and cook covered for 2 1/2 hours.  You can can continue to simmer the stew on the stove, but I prefer to place the covered stew in the oven at 325 F degrees.  Be sure to stir occasionally and break down the tomatoes over time.  Do be careful not to break up or over handle the meat.

Step 6: Salt and Potatoes

Once you've added the salt to taste, coat the potatoes and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes.  If you're using peas, go ahead and toss them in with the potatoes.  The stew will be done when the potatoes and meat are fork tender.

Step 7: Serve & Enjoy

Serve in bowls with warm and sliced pieces of the crusty baguette.  A stew such as this is excellent with a full bodied red such as a cab or zinfandel.

Note- If you want to make this stew to better reflect the original Butch McGuire version, use more whiskey and broth (2/3 whiskey) in place of the wine.  I prefer the wine as it brings in more flavors.  My memory isn't precise on this, but It could have called for pearl onions instead of sliced.  Additionally,the original version called for peas with no celery and mushrooms.

by Tim Riley