Beef and guinness pie

About to try my hand at this for the first time this week. Made one before with an english ale and it was so bitter that it ruined the gravy. Just wondering if anyone has tips on what ingredients to include /exclude.

I'm thinking onion, mushroom, carrot, garlic. Maybe celery as well. I have some chorizo, but would throwing some of that into the pie ruin it with the saltiness?

emaleth

Definitely go with the onion, mushroom, celery and carrot. Red onion is nice and sweet, and if you soften it in what's left in the pan after you brown the beef well it'll be even nicer. I soften onion, carrot and celery together, diced small, then add in the browned beef, fresh herbs and beer and then let it just blip away very gently for a couple of hours. I sauté the mushrooms separately and add them to the pot about half an hour before we're going to eat. I'd skip the chorizo, just because it's a strong flavour. You could have chorizo in red wine as a starter though

The Hill Billy

I'd leave out the chorizo personally. The beef & the Guinness should be big enough flavours for the dish on their own. If you really want an extra 'kick' maybe consider a tablespoon of dijon or coarse mustard.

Cheers for the replies. One last question, is draught guinness from a can Ok to use or should I opt for the "extra stout" one.

Emaleth, any links to a recipe for the chorizo and red wine starter?

The Hill Billy

Extra Stout would be my preference. But draught can will still give you a good flavour.

WildRosie

Extra stout is also my preference but the draught is excellent also. Make sure you cook it for long enough otherwise the flavour will be bitter. I cook mind for about 2.5-3 hours before assembling the pie and the gravy is lovely and rich and sweet. This is really important in getting the flavour right.

Alun

I agree, I think with Beef and Ale/Stout/whatever stew or pie, the secret is to cook it slowly and for long enough otherwise there's a bitter aftertaste to it.

dixiefly

Does anyone have a link to a recipe for this?

Also, has anyone made extra of the beef / guinness / veg mix after it has been cooked and kept some in the freezer for another pie a week or two later?

WildRosie

dixiefly wrote: »

Does anyone have a link to a recipe for this?

Also, has anyone made extra of the beef / guinness / veg mix after it has been cooked and kept some in the freezer for another pie a week or two later?

I make a double/triple portion when I'm making it but alas it never lasts long enough to make another pie unless I freeze it to keep midnight snackers away.

I don't have a link to a recipe but this is mine (very simple)
4lbs rib steak diced
2 medium onions finely diced
750ml guinness extra stout (or draught)
Approx 2l of beef stock made with 3 knorr rich beef stock pots
2 tsps finely chopped fresh thyme
Seasoned flour for dredging the meat
2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
Salt and pepper

1. Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour
2. Brown very well in small batches in veg/sunflower oil, removing to plate
3. When all browned, soften onion in same pot with a bit more oil and without cleaning it out
4. Return meat and juices to pan on med-low heat
5. Add thyme and sprinkle flour over
6. Give it a good stir to coat and cook flour slightly, scraping tasty bits off the bottom of the pot
7. Add guinness and stock and stir well to combine
8. Cook covered on low on hob or in fan oven at about 160C for 2.5 - 3 hours or until the meat is very tender and the bitter taste of the guinness is gone
9. Adjust the thickness of the gravy to your preference with either roux or extra stock/water and also adjust the seasoning
10. Serve as a stew with mash or make into a pie with puff pastry (I use a large metal piping tip to stop the pasty sinking into the filling ensuring it puffs up well, just stick it on top of the filling in the middle, lay the pastry over it and cut a hole around the top of the piping tip. Then glaze with egg wash and bake at 200C fan for about 30 mins or until golden brown and puffed up).

I don't put veg into the stew because it is very rich and I don't like how is discolours the veg. If I want veg I cook and serve them seperately but this is just my preference. This recipe makes about enough for two large pies (I make them in those Dolmio lasagne dishes). Add more stock if you want more gravy.

emaleth

Re. the chorizo and red wine, I don't have a recipe but what I do is get a heavy frying pan nice and hot, and sauté my sliced chorizo fast until it's crispy and caramelised on some edges but still a bit soft in the middle, then add red wine, let it bubble for a few minutes and reduce and then eat with loads of crusty bread. For say a pound of chorizo, to serve four, I'd add a glass of red. I like to chop the chorizo into randomly sized chunks as well because then you get a variety of textures. You could top it with chopped flat parsley, if so inclined, for the fanciness

Right, so based on other posts in this forum I splashed out on a slow cooker from argos. I dredged the beef in flour, seared it, and have it going in the cooker with mushroom, carrot, onion, celery, herbs, worcester sauce, must and, and the Guinness for the last 2 hours.

The plan is to lash some pastry on top and stick it in the oven when its done.

Minder

Try a sour cream pastry like in this recipe. Very, very good.

http://tvnz.co.nz/masterchef-australia/ep-54-gary-s-beef-onion-and-guinness-pies-5052687

corblimey

I don't want to hijack your post $hifty, but while on the subject, I've remembered something I've been meaning to ask for a while - how 'wet' should a b+g pie be? I generally cook for long enough that most (99%) of the liquid has evaporated, but I wonder if there shouldn't be a decent amt of gravy in each pie? (My only reference point for pies is those god awful Denny's ones, which are not exactly mad on the gravy themselves, so I can't say one way or the other).

Of course on the other side, too much liquid is just going to make the puff pastry surrounding soggy and inedible (and probably leak all over my oven)

WildRosie

corblimey wrote: »

how 'wet' should a b+g pie be?

This is really personal preference. If you have too much gravy, fill your pie with the meat and some gravy and serve the rest of the gravy seperately at the table in a jug. I like mine kind of in between and always serve extra gravy. If you support the pasty with one of those pie support thingys from home store+more (or a piping tip) it should help prevent soggy pastry and give you a good rise.

Hey folks, looking for some last minute advice with this. I had it on a high setting in the slow cooker for about 4 hrs, thinking this might be long enough. When i checked it, though, it was very watery and very bitter also. I think i may have overdone it with the guinness (1 full can with a pound of beef, 1 red onion, 2 stalks of celery and 4-5 large mushrooms).

I ended up switching it to the low setting, and my other half made a different dinner for tonight

I'm going to bed soon and wondering if it's okay to leave the slow cooker on low until the morning, about 7.30 - 8.00, which will be about 13hours altogether. I made a roux to thicken the sauce a bit, and while its approaching a decent consistency, its still very bitter.

I don't exactly want to admit defeat, but i definitely don't want to wreck the slow cooker seeing as i bought it today. Any advice greatly appreciated.

WildRosie

I've never used a slow cooker but if it still tastes bitter it's not cooked. It should be dark, a bit sweet and slightly thick. If it's still too strong, just water it down with some beef stock or water. I don't think that cooking it overnight on low is going to do it any harm. As far as I know, there is no risk of burning with a slow cooker and it'll only get richer and the meat more tender the longer you cook it. What cut of beef did you use?

I think it's diced round steak. I bought it in lidl as the butchers was closed after work. I've used it in stews etc before and it was lovely. Thanks for the quick reply, I'll leave it til the morning and check it then.

WildRosie

That should be perfect, won't take as long to become tender as say stewing steak. Should turn out perfect.

Dizzyblonde

Shifty, it's important when using a slow cooker to reduce the amount of liquid a lot, usually by half if you're using a recipe that's written for the hob or a conventional oven.

Cheers for that. I definitely put too much guinness /too little of everything else.

I checked it this morning, though and it was much better. A lot less bitter and the meat was unbelievably tender. Should make a decent pie now. Might sweeten it with a bit of brown sugar or honey.

dipdip

Cooking too long in the slow cooker makes the meat dry and gives it a strange mouthfeel.

I wouldn't cook for longer than 10 hours max, and even that is pushing it.

Bitterness in stew can be alleviated with a little sugar.

Mince Pie

This recipe has got to be one of my all time favourites. I have adjusted it slightly to my taste but its totally amazing and the cheese just works so well.
I would make sure to stir it a bit more often cos ovens vary and first time it dried out too much although still perfectly edible.
Total winner with guests every time I make it.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/steak-guinness-and-cheese-pie-with-a-puff-pastry-lid

Dizzyblonde

Mince Pie wrote: »

This recipe has got to be one of my all time favourites. I have adjusted it slightly to my taste but its totally amazing and the cheese just works so well.
I would make sure to stir it a bit more often cos ovens vary and first time it dried out too much although still perfectly edible.
Total winner with guests every time I make it.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/steak-guinness-and-cheese-pie-with-a-puff-pastry-lid

My daughter has made that for us a few times and it's delicious.

Just finished my first portion, and it was unbelievably delicious. I put a big dollop of honey in before throwing it into the oven with the pastry on top. The beef was the most tender Ive ever cooked.

Next time I'll do two things differently : get the Guinness to filling ratio correct and not expecting it to be done in a couple of hours.

Big thanks to everyone for their input, it was a great help.