Description
This Guinness Braised Beef Pot Pie is the ultimate comfort food featuring rich, tender beef brisket braised in a flavorful Guinness stout sauce with mushrooms, carrots, and onions. Topped with a flaky sour cream pie crust, the individual mini pot pies or a single large pie are perfect for cozy cold-weather meals. The recipe involves braising the beef slowly in the oven, chilling the filling, and then baking under a crisp golden crust, making it a deeply satisfying Irish-American dinner classic.
Ingredients
For the Sour Cream Pie Crust:
- 1-1/4 cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) cold salted butter, diced
- 1/3 cup (80 grams) sour cream
For Guinness and Beef Filling:
- 1 tablespoon high-heat oil
- 2 pounds beef brisket or boneless chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces button or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
- 4 medium to large carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-½ teaspoons (5 grams) coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth
- 11 ounces stout beer (such as Guinness)
- 1 tablespoon turbinado or brown sugar
- Egg wash (for brushing)
Instructions
- Make the Pie Crust: In a large bowl, combine the flour and diced cold butter. Toss to coat the butter with flour. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture looks shaggy and some butter pieces are marble-sized. Make a well in the center and add sour cream. Mix with a spatula, then knead gently by hand until the dough comes together as one ball. Shape into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Braise the Beef: Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in the middle. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef pieces in batches on all sides, then remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add mushrooms, cook 8 minutes until softened and liquid evaporates. Add carrots and onions, cook 8 minutes until slightly softened. Stir in flour, tomato paste, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook 30 seconds until tomato paste darkens. Deglaze with beef broth, stout, and sugar, scraping browned bits. Nestle beef into liquid, bring to boil, cover with lid, and transfer to oven. Braise 1½ to 2 hours until meat is tender and sauce thickened.
- Cool and Chill Filling: Remove pot from oven, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add water if sauce too salty. Transfer filling to a shallow container, let cool at room temperature about 1 hour, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Assemble and Bake Pies: Preheat oven to 400°F and place rack in lowest position. Place six 8-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet. Roll out chilled pastry thinly on plastic wrap, cut out circles to cover ramekin tops. Divide chilled filling evenly among ramekins, cover with pastry circles, brush with egg wash, and cut slits in crust to vent steam.
- Bake: Bake pies on lowest rack for 30-35 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Weighing flour is most accurate; spoon and level if not weighing.
- Recipe tested with Diamond Crystal kosher salt; reduce volume if using Morton’s or fine salt.
- Store-bought puff pastry can substitute homemade pie crust for convenience.
- For a single large pie, use a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, top with crust, and bake a few extra minutes until crust is fully baked.
- Ensure airtight wrapping and chilling of dough prevents shrinkage and tough crust.
- Prep Time: 00:25
- Cook Time: 02:30
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish-American
