I first made a slow cooker beef and ale stew when I was gifted a Jamie Oliver cook book about 10 years ago – and I was hooked. This is my version that uses a slow cooker instead of an oven, and has been tweaked and perfected over the 100-or-so times I’ve made it! Once the weather turns, this is usually the first recipe we turn to for a hearty winter warmer.
My slow cooker beef and ale stew has a top secret ingredient – Worcestershire sauce! It adds an extra kick which sets this slow cooker stew apart from the rest. Let me know what you think in the comments!
What’s the best type of beef for a stew?
Stews work amazingly well in a slow cooker because it allows use of cheaper cuts of meat, which get better the longer they’re cooked. In fact, with beef – the cheaper the better when it comes to slow cooking!
Cheaper cuts of meat come from well-worked muscles, that tenderise as you cook them for long periods of time. Whatever you do, do not let your butcher sell you an expensive cut of meat. After hours of cooking it’ll be dry and horrible!
Our absolute favourite cut of beef to use for a stew is beef shin, but you need to buy a well-butchered piece or it can end up full of fat and sinew. The best place to buy it from is your local butcher.
A worthy alternative is supermarket bought “braising beef”. This is also known as “chuck steak” and comes from the shoulder of the cow.
What’s the best type of ale to use for Beef and Ale Stew?
An ale with a full, malty flavour works best – our favourite types to use are either ruby ales or porters.
They have an outstanding full flavour and add an element of sweetness to the dish. If you’re after a suggestion, then Adnams Broadside is an awesome beer to try.
You may see lots of people online recommending Guinness. Guinness is a stout, and in my opinion is best avoided for this recipe due to its bitterness.
Same goes for IPAs, you’ll get a hoppy twang in the stew which can be unpleasant.
Can I make Beef and Ale Stew with non-alcoholic beer?
Yes! The alcohol from the beer doesn’t add any flavour – it’s all burnt off during cooking.
A good non-alcoholic beer suggestion is Low Alcohol Old Speckled Hen.
Can I freeze leftovers?
Absolutely, and trust me, you’ll want to keep any leftovers! To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight and ensure it’s piping hot all the way through before serving.
Can this be used to make a pie?
It’s really easy to adapt this beef and ale stew into a pie. Once cooked, divide the recipe into pie dishes and top with ready-made puff pastry. Cook per the pastry instructions.
You can check out our Slow Cooker Steak Pie for a guide.
Slow Cooker Beef and Ale Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) stewing or braising beef chopped into 3cm chunks
- 500 ml (2 cups) ale
- 200 ml (1 cups) beef stock
- 2 carrots sliced lengthways and roughly chopped
- 1 celery stick chopped
- 1 leek chopped
- 1 onion roughly chopped
- 150 g (1.5 cups) mushrooms chopped
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Sear the beef in a hot pan in a little oil. Season well with salt and pepper and coat in 1 tbsp of flour. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Pour the ale into the same pan and cook for a few minutes on a high heat to cook off the alcohol then remove from the heat.
- Add all of the chopped vegetables into the slow cooker, then add the remaining 3tbsp of flour, garlic, thyme and sugar, and stir to ensure an even coating.
- Add the ale, beef stock, mustard, tomato puree and bay leaves, stir well and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Once cooked check the seasoning, and add a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
Video
Notes
Choice Of Ale
This stew is made by the choice of ale! Full, malty ales work best, try Adnams Broadside. Don’t be tempted to use craft or pale ales – the extra hops in the beer will add an unpleasant taste to the stew.Gluten Free
If you’re making this recipe gluten free, replace the following ingredients:- Ale – There are loads of gluten free beers on the market – try Old Speckled Hen Gluten Free if you’re after a suggestion.
- Flour – Replace the flour with corn flour.
- Stock – most stock is gluten free, but check before using. We used Knorr Beef Stock Cubes.
Hi Rebecca and David. Made this for the first time today. Absolutely delicious, tastiest stew I’ve made ???? Would never have thought to add sugar but worked a treat. I used Hobgoblin ruby ale which worked really well. Really easy recipe to follow. I don’t usually sear beef but so glad I did. I added dumplings an hour before the end and served with roasties and warm crusty bread. Enough left for lunch for me and my wife tomorrow. Will definitely make this again.
Proper comfort food perfect for autumn. Thanks for the recipe guys.
That’s great to hear that you enjoyed this and I love adding dumplings to a stew, sounds delicious! Thank you for the review.
Hi David and Rebecca, I just wanted to share something with you. My Dad, in November last year had a stroke. My Brother and his girlfriend moved in with him to care for him. I live an hour away and tend to go over to visit at weekends. I like to take a meal with me so my Brother doesn’t have to worry about cooking a decent meal for my Dad, himself and his girlfriend for a day or two. I made this in the Slow Cooker, enough for 6, so it would last them a couple of days and I put a little aside for myself too. Before I say anything else, I would like you to know, me being a smarty pants, thinking I knew better put too much liquid in the recipe and didn’t add the sugar. Not keen on adding sugar to anything so I left it out. At the end of cooking I tasted it and thought “Hmmm! It needs sugar!” So before I left it to rest overnight I added the sugar. I was the first to try it and messaged my Brother and said, “Saved myself some of the Beef and Ale Stew and have just had it for tea. Absolutely delicious. I went back for seconds! Yummy! Hope you like it” A little while later my Brother replied and said, “Stew was really lovely. I just heated up and reduced the liquid down to thicken it up. Really tasty. Served it up with potatoes and crusty bread”. Next his girlfriend (her name is Sylvia) messaged me and said, “Your Dad is tucking into his stew. He said it’s very tasty and he likes it. I think it’s gorgeous! I love it. Just had mine and it reminds me of proper home cooked meals you used to get from Mum! Can I move in??” So there you have it, what a resounding success from all four of us. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share this recipe. Much appreciated. x
Thank you for taking the time to write this review. I’m so pleased that this was enjoyed by all the family and there is nothing quite like that proper home cooked meals taste so it’s wonderful to hear that the recipe brought that back for you all. Wishing you and your Dad all the best.
I put too much water in. I didn’t think it would have enough with the beer and 200ml but it would’ve been. Will try again with less water. Cornflower ahoy!
Glad you managed to salvage it with some cornflour 😉
Made this the other day , it’s very good , had some left so that’s in the freezer
For another day . It’s one other best I have ever done .
Definitely will be doing this again
That’s great to hear. Thanks for the review!
Absolutely delicious, particularly good recipe. Had it with colcannon, perfect for the autumn. Thank you
Great to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review.
Hi. Is Banks bitter OK to use (alot cheaper!)
Hi, I’m afraid I haven’t tried Banks Bitter in this recipe but if you use it do let me know how it turns out! Thanks and hope you enjoy.
@Bec, Yep. Banks Bitter was delicious. Going to try a Ruby Red Ale next time. Great recipe.
Oh perfect, glad that one worked out well. I will have to give it a try myself! Thanks for the feedback.
Can a child safely eat this concerned about the alcohol?
Hi, cooking the beer in the pan before pouring into the slow cooker will cook off a proportion of the alcohol but not all of it. We do have a recommendation on the recipe page for a great very low alcohol beer that you could use as alternative as well. Hope that helps.
Usually its my wife that does the cooking but hooked up with you guys and thought I should give it a go. I found the whole thing easy to follow and for a first timer, my wife was very impressed as was I. The recipe was delicious, and I used Hobgoblin Ruby Ale which is my favourite tipple, so I knew it tasted good. It lasted for two days with the second day tasting even better I thought. I’m a big fan now of your SLC and have subscribed with the intention of making many more. Incidentally I use the reviewed Slow Cooker. Thank you for this it’s more than appreciated. Your sincerely John
You’re very welcome, really great to hear that you both enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the review!
I tried this tonight for the first time, I’m not sure what happened but my beef was really tough & chewy. Any suggestions on what I can do differently next time?
Hi, sorry to hear that. What cut of beef did you use? Ideally you want beef that has some marbling as the leaner cuts can sometimes be drier from the long cooking times.
Absolutely gorgeous stew, best stew recipe I’ve cooked yet. Had a tsp of horseradish in my bowl too. Yummy ????
That does sound nice! Fantastic to hear you enjoyed this and thanks for the review.