Grandma's Irish Beef Stew

Grew up in a large Irish family and this is a twist on my Grandma's Beef Stew we would have during the winter. I added an amazing dark beer (chef's choice) and some Irish whiskey (Jameson) to give it a bit more depth and flavor. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 bacon strips, diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 bunch of green onion, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 cups beef broth (homemade is preferable)
• 1 pint/can dark beer or stout
• 4 ounces of Irish whiskey
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Grab everything you need to cook!

In a pan cook the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and transfer onto onto a toweled plate, make sure to retain the bacon drippings. We're going to use the drippings to cook the stew beef later!

In a resealable bag (sandwich/gallon size) place flour, salt, and pepper and shake to combine evenly. Add beef, a couple pieces at a time, and shake. The coating will keep all the juices in as the beef cooks. Once the beef is coated you're ready fry it up!

Cook the coated beef in the bacon drippings until each side is browned. You'll just be browning the beef so no need to cook all the way through. Place the beef aside once it is all done cooking.

In the same pan add your onion, green onion, (a dash of oil if needed) and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Once the garlic is ready add 2 ounces of Irish whiskey and deglaze for a few minutes.

While the veggies are deglazing in the Irish whiskey it is time to prep your stock and slow cooker. Turn the cooker on low and add the following to it: tomato paste, pint/bottle/can of dark beer or stout, 2 ounces of Irish whiskey, 4 cups beef broth, bay leaves, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and your paprika. On the side add your cornstarch to the cold water and stir till fully blended, once mixed pour and stir into slow cooker.

Add your beef, veggies, potatoes, carrots, and 3/4's of the bacon (don't forget about them) to the slow cooker slowly! Set for 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high, but the slower the better. Make sure to discard the bay leaves before consuming!

Save some of the bacon to add as a garnish or dump the rest into the slow cooker because you can never have too much bacon :)

Grab your favorite fall/winter beverage, serve (out of a bread bowl for some extra fun), and ENJOY!

Hope you all like it and please let me know your thoughts!