Slow Cooker Beef and Ale Stew with Dumplings

Slow Cooker Beef and Ale Stew with Dumplings is comfort food at it's best. Here in the U.K the colder weather lasts for much of the year and coming home to a warming stew waiting for you in the slow cooker is pretty much as good as it gets round here. Plus dumplings are the food of rib sticking love.

Dumplings are pretty amazingly wonderful things. I like mine plain and fluffy but you can add cheese, fresh/dried herbs or spices to make them have a vibe all your own.

They are the perfect accompaniment to a traditional beef stew or casserole and really easy to make.

Just mix ingredients together and roll into little balls. Nestle them into the blipping beefy stew and let them cook away. I don't think that you even need to serve with sides but roast potatoes would be a pretty special option as would buttery mashed potatoes. Are you feeling the comfort food love?

What cut of beef should I use?

Stewing beef or braising beef is the most widely used option. It is perfect for long and slow cooking. These tend to be the cheaper cuts of meat. Even better you say.

Beef shin is sold in some supermarkets and that is a really great option because of the gelatin contained in the meat which gives the gravy a real velvety and unctuous quality. A butcher will always have it available.

Brisket or chuck steak would be ideal too.

The biggest tip here though is to get the biggest sized diced beef. The smaller chunks just half melt away at the end of the cooking. They want to be at least an inch square or so. It really makes a difference.

What type of Ale should I use for beef stew?

A fruity ale that is not too bitter is ideal. I use Doom Bar here.

Ruby ales are great. Hobgoblin is another great U.K ale.

Stouts or Guinness have a bitterness that is too strong in my opinion and lend an unpleasant aftertaste to the stew.

*Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a full printable recipe card. Just below here are step by step instructions and photos though to help guide you*

Ingredients

800 grams stewing steak diced

750 mls ale -you can also make it with a non alcoholic ale.

1 large onion chopped into roughly 1 cm pieces

3 large carrots - peeled and chopped into chunks

2 tbsp dijon mustard

200 grams mushrooms de stalked and sliced

2 bay leaves dried

4 beef stock cubes or pots

1 tbsp sugar - to counteract the slight bitterness of the ale

1 tsp dried thyme or a couple of sprigs of fresh

5 tbsp corn flour in 100 mls water - corn flour slurry to thicken the sauce

Dumplings

150 grams self raising flour

75 grams vegetarian suet

large pinch of salt

Recipe Steps

Firstly I put the 750 mls ale, 2 tbsp mustard, 4 stock pots, 5 tbsp cornflour mixed with 100 mls cold water in a separate jug, into a medium size saucepan and bring to a simmer. I use a whisk to mix all the ingredients together and to make sure that the stock cubes disperse completely.

Leave the mixture to bubble away for a few minutes once it is totally all mixed together this removes a lot of the alcohol.

Place the chopped onions and carrots into the bottom of the slow cooker pot.

Place the meat and mushrooms on top.

Sprinkle on the thyme and tuck in the bay leafs. Gently pour the hot ale mixture on to the lot.

Cover and cook On High for 5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours.

Dumplings

You can get ahead and either make your dumplings a before you want to cook them and leave them covered in the fridge or make them just before you cook them.

You simply mix the suet, salt and flour together in a mixing bowl before adding about 120 mls water and stirring with a fork until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough. If you need more water then add extra by the tablespoon.

Roll them into 8 golf ball size balls. 2 each. You're going to be everyone's best friend trust me.

Nestle them in to the stew an hour before the end of cooking time and put the lid on and leave to cook for that last hour so that they end up beautifully fluffy moreish rib stickers.

If you don't have any suet you can make dumplings from butter and flour. Here is a recipe from Jamie Oliver for them.

Remove bay leaves and serve to your group of very lucky people.

Storing and Freezing

Leftovers will keep very well covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Apart from the dumplings the stew will freeze well for up to 3 months. I freeze mine in plastic containers labelled.

Reheat any leftovers thoroughly until piping hot as usual.

Tips and Tricks

Choose diced beef that is cut into large pieces. You could even cut up your own if you buy brisket or braising steak etc.

Use a dark ale with sweet malty tones like Doom Bar or Hobgoblin Ruby Ale(not IPA) are perfect. Some can give a bitter aftertaste to the stew. So you want a dark or amber ale not a pale ale. Guinness is too bitter.

Add any root vegetables that you want to use up. Great if you're a thrifty Sue.

Add flavourings such as cheese, spices, horseradish and herbs to the dumplings.

If you like Slow Cooker Beef and Ale Stew with Dumplings then you may love these recipes too.

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Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole

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Slow Cooker Beef Casserole

Easy Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Savoury Mince

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff