Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Beef & Guinness Filling
- 1000 g beef shin, cut into 3cm chunks
- 500 ml guinness extra stout
- 30 g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 carrots, thickly sliced
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 15 g tomato paste
- 15 g dark muscovado sugar
- 250 ml beef stock
- 2 fresh rosemary, whole sprigs
Stilton Pastry Crust
- 250 g plain flour
- 125 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 120 g stilton cheese, crumbled
- 1 egg yolk
- 45 ml cold water
- 1 egg, beaten
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 774 kcal
- Protein
- 50 g
- Carbohydrates
- 62 g
- Fat
- 36 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 15 g
- Sodium
- 605 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 17 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 13 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 214 mg
- Potassium
- 994 mg
- Calcium
- 177 mg
- Iron
- 6.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 67 mg
- Phosphorus
- 506 mg
- Zinc
- 8.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 536 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 8 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 13 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.53 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.63 mg
- Niacin
- 9.3 mg
- Folate
- 128 mcg
- Water
- 284 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Toss the beef shin chunks in the seasoned flour until well coated, shaking off excess.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until deeply browned on all sides. Remove beef and set aside.
Lower heat to medium. Add onions, carrots, and celery to the pot. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 1 minute.
Pour in the Guinness. Scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze fond. Add beef stock, muscovado sugar, and rosemary sprigs. Return beef to the pot.
Cover tightly and place in the oven. Braise for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the beef falls apart under fork pressure and the sauce has thickened significantly.
While beef cooks, make the pastry. In a bowl, rub cold butter into flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Gently stir in the crumbled Stilton.
Mix egg yolk with 2-3 tablespoons of cold water. Add to flour mixture and bring together gently with hands until a dough forms. Do not overwork. Wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Once beef is tender, remove from oven and increase temperature to 200°C (400°F). Transfer filling to a pie dish (discard rosemary stems). Allow filling to cool slightly for 20 minutes to prevent steaming the pastry bottom.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to 5mm thickness. drape over the pie dish. Trim edges and crimp. Brush the top with beaten egg. Cut a steam vent in the center.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
Chef's Notes
- Beef shin contains a lot of connective tissue. It requires the full cooking time to transform into gelatin, which naturally thickens the sauce without needing excessive flour.
- If you cannot find Muscovado sugar, dark brown soft sugar is the next best alternative. Do not use white sugar as it lacks the molasses depth.
- The Stilton in the crust will brown faster than regular pastry, so keep an eye on it during the last 10 minutes of baking.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store pastry and filling separately if possible to maintain texture, or reheat fully assembled pie.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze unbaked pie for best results. Bake from frozen adding 15-20 minutes.
Reheating: Reheat in oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes to re-crisp pastry. Microwave will ruin the crust.
Troubleshooting
Sauce tastes too bitter
Cause: The hops in the stout concentrated too much or not enough sugar was used
Fix: Stir in a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly or extra pinch of sugar before topping with pastry
Prevention: Ensure the muscovado sugar is added; use a milder stout if sensitive to bitterness
Pastry is tough rather than crumbly
Cause: Overworking the dough developed too much gluten
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Handle as little as possible once liquid is added
Pie filling is runny
Cause: Shin did not release enough gelatin or liquid didn't reduce enough
Fix: Remove some liquid, boil it rapidly in a separate pan to reduce, then mix back in
Prevention: Ensure cooking time is sufficient for collagen breakdown
Cultural Context
This dish bridges the gap between a traditional Irish stew and a British savory pie. The use of Stilton (a protected designation of origin cheese from England) provides a sharp counterpoint to the deep, malty sweetness of the Irish Guinness.
