Guinness Beef Pie

While I’m not much of a beer drinker, I love the flavor that Guinness adds to food.  This dish is no exception. Just a cup of Guinness brings so much to this beef pie. Even if you don’t like beer, I think you’ll enjoy the flavor it adds. I’m not sure it’s officially a pie since its not covered with mashed potatoes or a pie crust, but whatever you want to call it, this is worth trying.  I love dinner where you cook everything in one pan. You’ll want an oven proof skillet like this one by Le Creuset.

I’ve had beef pies topped with all types of things, but I thought a good Southern buttermilk biscuit would be perfect to sop up all the delicious gravy surrounding the beef and mushrooms.  The biscuits are so easy to make and take a lot less time then making mashed potatoes.  You can make the dough while you’re cooking the onions and mushrooms.

It takes about 30 minutes in the oven depending on how thick your biscuits are.  You don’t want them to be doughy so lift one up once they are golden brown and make sure they’re cooked on the bottom.

You’re going to love love love the tender beef surrounded by the Guinness mushroom gravy. Not only is there Guinness in the sauce, but Worcestshire sauce and brined green peppercorns.  If you can’t find green peppercorns you can get them on Amazon.  Not familiar with brined green peppercorns, they are part of the caper plant but the peppery part.  They are also great in Creamy Steak au Poivre.

For the biscuits, I added some sharp cheddar cheese and they were perfect to soak up all that wonderful sauce.  It’s just as good warmed up the next day in the toaster oven. Don’t use the microwave or you’ll have rubbery biscuits. I also froze some of the leftovers and when reheated in the toaster oven, it was just as good as when it came out of the oven.

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Guinness Beef Pie

A Southern version of Guinness Beef Pie topped with buttermilk biscuits. A savory filling and flaky biscuits to soak up all the sauce. Just the thing for a hearty St. Patrick’s day meal or comfort food on a cold spring day. 

• Author: Barbara Curry
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: entree

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Boneless beef chuck roast, Cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces mushrooms , sliced
• 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestshire sauce
• 2 teaspoons brined green peppercorns, optional
• 1 cup Guinness beer
• ½ cup beef broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• BISCUIT TOPPING
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
• ¾ cup buttermilk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Pat beef dry. Combine flour and salt and pepper and pour over beef. Combine until evenly coated.
3. Heat olive oil in a large oven proof skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add beef in batches if necessary and brown, turning so that all sides are browned. About 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
4. Turn heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add onion and salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook for an additional minute.
5. Add an additional tablespoon of butter and mushrooms to the skillet and cook until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and peppercorns and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in Guinness, beef broth, and beef and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
6. Biscuits:
In a food processor, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Process until combined. Add cold butter and process until it resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and buttermilk and process just until combined but still shaggy.
7. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a rectangle. Cut into 4ths and stack each 4th on top of each other. Pat into a rectangle and repeat 3 more times.
8. Pat or roll to 1 inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter, cut dough into 8 biscuits without twisting. Place on top of beef mixture.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown and set on the bottom.