Beef and Guinness Pie

Beef and Guinness Pie with a large slice cut out

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 3 hrs 30 mins
Cooling Time:: 45 mins
Total: 4 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Beef and Guinness Pie brings together Irish beef and Guinness, two of Ireland's most famous products. The long slow cooking of the filling creates not just perfectly tender beef, it also allows the flavor of the Guinness to permeate the meat and the vegetables and produce a thick, luscious sauce.

Perfect for sopping up the gravy, serve this pie with crusty homemade bread, Irish soda bread, or a side of mashed potatoes or colcannon.

Reprinted with permission from Angela Boggiano's cookbook Pie, this Beef and Guinness pie is absolutely delicious, and although it takes a bit of time to make, it is something you will want to serve again and again.

"So rich and decadent. Just like comfort with every bite. The pastry is so buttery and flaky and the bird does such a great job of keeping it crisp." —Melissa Gray

Beef & Guinness Pie
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour

  • Fine salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 pounds (907 grams) chuck steak, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 2 tablespoons (25 grams) unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced

  • 2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 teaspoons tomato puree

  • 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (500 milliliters) Guinness, or other stout beer

  • 1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) hot beef stock

  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

  • Water, as needed

  • 1 large egg, beaten

For the Pastry:

  • 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 1 pinch fine salt

  • 4 ounces (110 grams) unsalted butter, cubed, or an equal mix of butter and lard

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Steps to Make It

Make the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Beef and Guinness Pie Recipe ingredients

    The Spruce / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a large bowl, place the flour and season it with salt and ground black pepper.

    Flour, salt, and pepper in a glass bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Add the cubes of meat and toss well in the flour until evenly coated.

    Cubed steak in a glass bowl tossed with flour

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the butter and oil on medium until the butter has melted. Add the meat to the fat in small batches and brown quickly all over for just a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

    Beef cooking in a large casserole dish with butter and oil

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and fry until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

    Onions and carrots in a casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Return the meat to the pot, and add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, Guinness, beef stock, and sugar. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt, stir well, and bring to a boil.

    Beef, onions and carrots cooking with Guinness in a casserole dish

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  7. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

    Beef and Guinness pie filling simmering in a casserole pot

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  8. Remove from the heat and transfer to a 2 1/2-pint (1 1/2-liter) deep pie dish. Set aside to cool completely, 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, make the pastry.

    Beef and Guinness pie filling in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Make the Pastry and Bake the Pie

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Beef and Guinness pie dough ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. In a large bowl, add the flour, salt, and butter.

    Flour, salt, and butter in a ceramic bowl

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. With your fingers or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it is the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Work as quickly as possible to avoid warming the dough.

    Butter worked into flour in a ceramic bowl for pie crust

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add 2 tablespoons of very cold water, stirring it into the dough using a cold knife until it binds together and can be formed into a ball. If it becomes too dry, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time.

    Cold water added to pastry dough with a knife

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.

    Ball of pie dough rolled up and wrapped in plastic wrap

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Heat the oven to 400 F/200 C/Gas 6. Roll out the pastry to 1/8-inch / 3-millimeter thick. Cut a 3/4-inch / 2-centimeter strip from around the outside of the rolled-out pastry.

    beef and guinness pie

    The Spruce Eats

  7. Brush the rim of the pie dish with water and place the pastry strip around the rim, pressing it down. Trim excess.

    Beef & Guinness Pie

    The Spruce Eats

  8. Place a pie funnel (also called a pie bird) in the center of the filling; it will support the pastry and stop it from sinking into the filling and becoming soggy.

    Beef & Guinness Pie

    The Spruce Eats

  9. Place the pastry lid over the top and press down to the edge and seal. Trim off any excess pastry and crimp the edges with a fork or between your thumb and forefinger.

    Beef & Guinness Pie

    The Spruce Eats

  10. Brush the top with the beaten egg and make a hole in the center to reveal the pie funnel. You can also decorate the top of the pie with pastry trimmings as you like.

    Beef & Guinness Pie

    The Spruce Eats

  11. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

    Beef & Guinness Pie

    The Spruce Eats

Tips

  • Since the pastry requires a maximum of 30 minutes to chill and the pie filling requires 2 hours to cook, start preparing the pastry when the filling is almost done or while it cools down.
  • If you prefer, the shortcrust pastry can be mixed using a food processor.
  • Make the pie dough up to 3 days in advance, if desired. Wrap tightly and store in the fridge until ready to use.
  • If you don't have a pie bird, cut a 1/2-inch hole in the center of the pie dough and some slits around the hole to allow for steam to vent during cooking.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Swap the stout for any type of beer you like.
  • Swap regular onions for sweet onions.
  • Stir a bit of Marmite into the filling before assembling the pie.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
709 Calories
49g Fat
13g Carbs
46g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 709
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 49g 62%
Saturated Fat 23g 114%
Cholesterol 224mg 75%
Sodium 414mg 18%
Total Carbohydrate 13g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 3mg 16%
Calcium 57mg 4%
Iron 5mg 28%
Potassium 679mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)