Chef John's Irish Stew

Another hit for a Chef John recipe! I LOVE lamb. I also buy the shoulder chops often because of their price. I do, however, buy leg, breast, racks (OMG yummm) and ground. It is probably my favorite meat ever. I also love Irish stew. This recipe is perfection! As you will probably notice, I had to substitute frozen vegetables for soup in this dish today as I didn't have any carrots. I actually found the variety of vegetables delicious. I do, however, feel like the way Chef John wrote it is the way to go. I just didn't feel like going to the grocery store just for carrots! So I improvised with what I did have on hand :-) I also made the colcannon from AR and OMG, you couldn't ask for a better meal! Give this recipe a try. I know you are going to enjoy it as much as I am (I'm eating it as I'm writing this! )Thanks Chef John :-)

This was the first time I made Chef John's Irish Stew. I followed the recipe exactly. I thought it was really good, but wanted a friend of mine, who is a very good cook to have some and tell me what she thought. She said it was excellent and will be making it herself. I will surely be making this again ! Thanks Chef John

Absolutely delicious.. Couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out. I all-way like to made the recipe once as written, the way the chef did it. But I love it wend someone do the recipe with alterations, I too can't leave anything alone! I have to play with my food. You did adjusted it to your personal taste that what I like, to see what others have did to any improvements and/or variations you make to this simple recipe. I use 3 pounds lamb shoulder chops a little extra garlic but otherwise made as-is. I did read one review that gave this recipe a lower rating because it contained alcohol, You can substitute 1-1/2 cups chicken stock. YES I DO SEE this is on the radar too. Going to be tough to top this one though. I did adjusted to my personal taste. Your way is very delicious. The next time I did it and I add it to my recipe box and to My Note: My family loved bouth ways, and I'll be making this a lot more. Both are delicious, it's a matter of what your taste is....I now have two ways to this. YOU HAVE SUCCESS!! with me. Now I can do my happy food dance!! Thank you!!! Happy Cooking to you and y'all! Grpa

Made this with pork stew meat. (Lamb wasn't available at the time). I made it in a crockpot, cooking it for about 6 hours. It turned out fantastic!

Well, as it were Saint Paddy's day today, I thought I'd give this recipe a wee bit of a go. Honestly, I'd rate it 5 stars for the smell it gives off in the house alone. My husband kept saying "Sure smells good," and I think we were all drooling heavily by the time the first 1 1/2 hours was up! I made it exactly as written and had the Amazingly Easy Irish Soda Bread to go with. Unfortunately I added too much water, so it was a bit like a chunky soup, but still incredibly flavourful and the lamb was amazing! My husband said "this is good," three times! Thanks, Chef John! Now I'm going to curl up with a small glass of Irish whiskey and watch my kids clean the kitchen! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This was incredible! Made better by using local Ontario lamb.

I used sweet potatoes instead of Dutch yellow. Best lamb stew EVER!!!

I have never before attempted cooking lamb but when I ran across this recipe I had to try it. Two nights ago I made this exactly as directed except I used a whole small bag of baby carrots. Divine! I think next time I will double the vegetables because the lamb is so rich and we are big veggie lovers here.

The entire family loved this stew! First time we have ever eaten lamb, too! Thanks, Chef John!

I did not use Celery and chicken broth, I also leave the bone on as I like chewing bones.

This was just ok. Not a lot of flavor. Probably will not make it again

Used lamb stew meat because I had it instead of lamb chops. Did the longer term portion of the cooking in a slow cooker. Came out beautifully. Meat was fork-tender. Flavor was out-of-this-world.

I've made this a couple times with little variations here and there and it has been a hit every time! Fantastic recipe!

doubled the garlic, fresh sage instead of parsley... Go heavily on salt and pepper in the beginning step. Nom.

This was amazing! I made it in my insta-pot and shaved off 2 hours of cook time. I had lamb stew meat on hand, which simplified the prep work. I added leeks instead of green onion, only because that's what I had on hand, and used ground rosemary. My husband loved it and asked me to make sure to save it to my personal favorites. We'll definitely make it again.

Great recipe. I made it and will make again many times. I followed Chef John's recipe and procedure but I did blend in a few ideas from JG's Irish Lamb Stew (also on this website) and together I'd give it 5 stars. I added bacon and browned the chops in bacon fat and I added Guinness, Pearl Barley, Rutabaga and sliced fresh mushrooms. I cooked it all in the stock pot instead of using a skillet to make sure I got all the flavor. A real 'stick-to-the-ribs' home-style stew. Highly recommended. Using shoulder chops and leaving them whole with the bone in is a great idea, lots of flavor at minimum cost. One warning - adding pearl barley means you'll have to add more chicken stock.

I made this for company who didn't like lamb, multiple servings were eaten that night!

This easy recipe proves how delicious affordable cuts of lamb can turn out. I made this with the cheapest lamb meat I could find at the grocery store and it turned out great. The meat was tender, and the seasoning was limited so that you can taste the flavor of the meat. In addition the house smelled great :-)

Delicious lamb stew. Growing up, my mom made lamb, in stews or grilled, at least couple of the times a week. Now a day, although I cut down the red meat from my family's diet, we still have lamb few times a month. This recipe stands out with its clean lamb flavor. Not many spices or herbs here. I didn't use shoulder chops, just some bones in pieces I had. Make sure to remove as much fat from the stew as possible or the stew will be too greasy. We served this with some diner rolls.

I used fresh thyme in addition to the dried rosemary. So delicious! My whole family loved this dish!

We will cut the potatoes into smaller chunks next time and put more carrots in it.

This recipe makes a wonderful winter Sunday night meal. We had it on Valentine's Day with a rustic loaf of Foccacia. I followed the recipe as printed, but next time I'm going to use Guinness for some of the broth.

I followed the video. The result was wonderful! My boyfriend loved it! Thank you Chef John. Adding Chopped green onions before serving makes the soup flavourful.

I never believed something with this few spices could be so good! I can't remember cooking a stew without garlic, but was awesome and soooo rich even with no garlic! Followed the recipe as written and it was perfect with no adjustments.

First thing I made on here and it came out wonderful. Love the video and help!!!

This was delicious . I will definatly make this again. It is very simple but also time consuming. It was worth it.

We will definitely be making this dish again. Will add more herbs next time (bay leaf and thyme). Will also increase amount of carrots since the broth compliments them so well. Broth is delicious, very lamby. May also consider a splash of white wine.

The lamb was cooked perfectly! It was a little plain, but as sated in the movie, that is kind of the point :) Goes well with bread.

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I've been making an Irish stew about twice a year for many years now. Everyone that has a try, loves it. I thought that it could not be improved on, WRONG. John's recipe is better and so simple. The only thing I changed was the addition of some parsnips. Great recipe and keep them coming CJ!

Love the idea of cooking meat on the bone to add more flavour. Tasty, but recipe seemed to be lacking something.

Will make it again and again

I do love all things Chef John so I may be biased, but this is a fabulous Irish stew recipe. I do sub the pint of Guinness for about a half a liter of chicken stock but everything else I do exactly as it reads. It’s great all winter long, not just for St. Patrick’s Day!

Really good. I didn't use any water, instead I used 900 ml of chicken broth and 900 ml mushroom broth. I also added 2 parsnips. It was delicious.

Great recipe! Simple to make, great taste, very hearty.

This is the fourth year in a row that I’ve made this stew for St. Patrick’s Day and my dinner guests (and I) love it! There’s never any leftovers! It’s is surprisingly easy to do and stick with the recommendation to use shoulder cut lamb chops as they are much more affordable than other cuts and loaded with flavor!

Was out of celery. Didn’t want potatoes since I was serving with colcannon. Added a cut up corn on the cob since I needed to use it. The stew was delicious. Probably could have used a little less water on my end but it was surprisingly very flavorful.

Really good, made a few adjustments. Used 4 cup of chicken stock, 1 whole green bell pepper instead of celery. Used marjoram instead of rosemary, seasoned meat with powdered garlic, onion,curry powder and salt and pepper before searing. Used plenty of olive oil to saute vegetables and that's about it. Used only one pot. Will be making again.

I really like this "stew" (mine turned out more like a soup), but I can't afford to take this much time to put out for dinner. I'd give it a '5-star' if it could be made into a 'fix it & forget it' slow-cooker version. I'll recommend it to friends with advisement about the processing time (took me almost an extra hour from start to finish). Thanks.

I love Chef John’s recipes. The videos are easy to follow.

It was delicious! added a few more carrots and less potatoes as a personal preference and 1/2 cup white wine. The flavor was magnificent. Enjoy

Fabulous just as is, except added twice the brussies.

This was excellent. I did make a few substitutions, apple cider vinegar, bone in pork chops, I didn’t have caraway seeds or parsley so left it out. Was still excellent.

Definitely get the chuck roast. The flavor is so much better! And don't add any salt unless you taste first because the meat salted in the onions are salted just as he says. Definitely try it today. I've got some in the freezer and can't wait until the next storm to eat it!

My husband said this is the best stew he's ever had. He loved it! I used pork shoulder because I read the recipe wrong and just assumed pork for some reason. Next time I’ll try it with lamb instead of pork. I added extra chicken broth because I like my stews a little more soupy. The first time I made it I skipped the potatoes, the second time I added small fingerling potatoes to the stew. It’s delicious any way you do it!

I thought this was good. Though, the liquid remained relatively broth like. I like stew a little thicker. I subed the lamb with cubed sirloin beef and beef broth for the chicken. I also realized I didnt have near the 3lbs listed, of meat, so I added a little extra potatoes. I used a container of pre-chopped onion, celery, and carrots. It made for an easy to throw together meal on a Sunday.

I have made this twice and love the flavors! I use a dutch oven the entire time, and remove the lamb to a bowl covered with a plate. I replace the lamb, cut into bites, when it is time to add the carrots and celery. Instead of adding water, I added chicken stock. I did not add any extra salt to this recipe as the chicken stock added the necessary flavor.

Test Review

FAMILY LOVED IT Used Beef stew meat. and InstaPot as time was short Instant Pot Guinness Beef Stew BY Coco Morant 4 strips bacon Leek thin sliced Red potatoes, carrots, onions, celery BEEF broth not chicken 14oz 1 bottle Guinness stout Rosemary 2T, Thyme 1T, Tom Paste 1/4 c, B pepper 1/2 t, Sugar 1t, Garlic 4clove, Bay leaves 4, thickened w/ 2t cornstarch +2t water

This stew is amazing. I basically made exactly as written except I did it over 2 days. I cooked it up to the point of the meat falling off the bones, leaving out the carrots and celery. I then strained the liquid into a bowl, cooled it and left it in the fridge overnight for the grease to solidify, and there is a lot of grease. I also took all the fat off the meat, got it cut to size and replaced it into the pot it was cooked in. Next day, I continued the recipe. Everybody raved about the flavour in the stew. The best ever. I also made the Irish soda bread in a skillet by Canadian Girl to go with it. I also recommend the bread.

I couldn't find Lamb anywhere so I used Pork Shoulder it was fabulous I cant wait to make it with the Lamb.

This stew is hearty and very filling. The only change I made was to cook the whole thing in my dutch oven. I browned the meat in the dutch oven, set aside on a plate and followed the directions but in the d.o. instead. This came out excellent and only had the one pot to wash!

I've done this recipe several times; it always works wonders. Although it takes a long time to prepare, the whole family loves the end result! Thank you for a great recipe!

I’m part Irish and this is legit! Do add some Guinness to the mix! Thanks, Chef John!

My family always makes fun of me because I will make something and then declare "I can make it better by..." Well, this is one I can't make better. I had lamb stew meat on hand, so that's what I used. The flavor was amazing. The recipe was very easy to follow. I did add extra carrots because my husband always eats them and doesn't leave me any. lol.

Turned out great. Followed directions to the letter.

Very good, I love lamb in a stew. I used a boneless leg, increases the amount of rosemary ( about 2 Tbsp of fresh finely) and I cooked the vegetables in a light rue. The Chx stock I used was home made. Results were delicious and because of the rough, a little thicker gravy. Great on a cold Chicago day.

Absolutely incredible as is. My wife balks at all my different versions of beef stews, chicken stews etc.....said this was the best stew she ever ate and I agree. I added a little more of everything proportionately for a larger stockpile....there is a great butcher shop nearby where lamb shoulders go on sale once a month for $3.99 lb. which is also sweet !!

Everyone loved it.

Great recipe. I try to make it every time lamb is on sale. One note: for those put off by the gamey taste of lamb, skim the fat as recommended. This is where a lot of it comes from.

This is delicious! I am a fan of Chef John's recipes and this is another winner. I made it as written. Its only downside is that it only makes 6 servings.

Today I made the lamb stew for the first time... I just moved to "lamb country" in Chile so I am trying cooking it different ways. I used potatoes from my garden and fresh rosemary instead of dry. It turned out delicious!!!

I would make this again. My kids who do not like stews and soups loved it!

DELICIOUS !

I followed the recipe as presented and served the dish over Irish Apple Mash. Absolutely awesome. (Even better the second night.) The only change I might suggest is to add more carrot and more celery. We had some left over and tossed it in on the second night.

This turned out so good, I used all the ingredients listed but just added 2 cloves of garlic to enhance the taste. I ended up using the ninja foodie to sear the meat and then sauté the onions. I added all the ingredients together and pressure cooked them for 30 minutes. The meat was falling off the bone.

No changes needed

I made this today for St Patrick's Day. I used the beer sub and put it over heaping rice. Excellent. I added a lot of pepper to taste also. Will make it again.

I used a shoulder boneless cut. I cut the meat in chunks, and placed all ingredients into a slow cooker. Easy and very good.

This was very good, but as a "lazy" cook, I would call this an "effort" recipe. There are many steps, and takes a lot of time. There is another recipe on this site called "Irish Style Lamb stew" that is much easier and just as delicious. You merely combine the ingredients and bake for two hours. Much more style!

Nice alternative to shanks which have become impossible to find! Have also made this in stages, letting the meat & vegs. cool in the fridge. Easier to remove the fat that way, then added potatoes and meat back in. Thanks, Chef John!

As usual Chef John came up with a winner, a big winner. Just so happened I had 4 big shoulder lamb chops in the freezer that really needed to be cooked, they were getting old. This was perfect and we have leftover for another dinner in a couple of days. I followed the recipe and only thing I would say is to be sure to salt and pepper at the end, it needed it otherwise very good.

How could something taste THIS good?!!! Oh my goodness....we've just finished eating and I think every one of us wishes I'd doubled this dish. It took me to a "happy" place....I darn near licked my bowl clean! Lol. No, really!

As usual, a great recipe.

I made this for the first time and loved it, some stews I find can be too heavy and too acidy, this one isn't and has a delicate flavour. I added an extra carrot & celery and used a boned leg of lamb instead of chops but I didn't have spring onions at the time. My husband & our boys loved it.

Made according to recipe. Will make again. Won't make any changes. Amazing

I absolutely love this recipe!!! The family agrees!! We are lamb lovers and this fits the bill perfectly!!!

Good stew! I'm too cheap to buy all that lamb so I used a mix of lamb, pork and beef. I cut the meat off the bone before browning but then tossed the empty bones into the pot to cook. I also used about 10oz of Guinness but kept the same amount of chicken stock. The stew was thin but It'll go farther. I increased the carrots and celery by one stick each and probably had 2 1/2 lbs of potatoes. Which was just enough. Excellent recipe. Thanks Chef John.

Used beef instead of lamb. Beef was seared first. It was super tender & lv that. Not as thick as I would like it. Time consuming meal but good.

I added garlic to the ingredients - fried it with the onions - it was the best of all my attempts.

Soooo yummy! I had to use cassava flour because of gluten issues and it was amazing! I used one pot and red potatoes cut up.