This St. Patrick’s Day, you can have your beer and eat it too — no seriously, you can actually drink your Guinness alongside a delicious recipe that incorporates Ireland’s favorite stout into the mix. Whether you prefer salty, savory, or sweet, there’s a Guinness recipe out there for everyone. Grab a can and get to cooking!
Guinness is a great beer to drink at the pub, but it's also a fantastic cooking ingredient. Known as "The Black Stuff," Guinness Stout is a very dark beer with an unmistakable taste. When that rich, roasted wheat flavor finds its way into food, it lends a new dimension to the dish. Even if you’re not a fan of drinking it, Guinness can add a magical touch to your dishes.
When you dig into a hearty broth or a scrumptious chocolate treat made with Guinness, you might feel like you are visiting Ireland. Surprisingly the addition of something as simple as a bit of beer can elevate a basic recipe onto an entirely different level. In baked goods, for example, Guinness makes the chocolate richer, with a deeper flavor. In soups and stews, Guinness gives the broth a nice heartiness.
Guinness’ distinct flavor can add a subtle complexity to everything from chili to ice cream and shepherd’s pie to black and tan cupcakes. One of the easiest ways to incorporate Guinness into your cooking is to think of it as a stock or braising liquid. When cooking pot roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders, or even corned beef, cover meat in liquid and cook on low heat in an oven or a slow cooker for at least three hours. (You can use just beer or equal parts beer and water or beer and stock, depending on how much flavor you want to soak into the meat.) Guinness can be added to stews at the beginning of the cooking process to lend a mellow roasted flavor to both the meat and the vegetables.
Guinness can also be mixed with vinegar, lemon, or other acid and spices to make a marinade for beef or lamb before cooking in the oven or on the grill. Like wine, Guinness can be used as a deglazing liquid. And don’t worry about getting drunk off a Guinness beef stew; almost all the alcohol cooks away.
As you might suspect, Guinness is a favorite ingredient in many Irish recipes. For instance, our recipe for corned beef and cabbage calls for 12 oz. of Guinness. Believe it or not, this beer is also a perfect pairing for chocolate and found in many delicious dessert recipes. Better yet, many of these recipes don't require a full bottle. Go ahead and drink the excess while you cook, I won't tell! 😉🍀Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Bellisari’s!
