Porter, Caramelized Onion, & Beef Stew

Porter, Caramelized Onion, & Beef Stew | | This delicious, savory beef stew takes a few simple ingredients and let’s them hang out for a few hours to create a fantastic, comforting dish that will get you through the remaining days of winter.




  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Preheat large saute pan for 3-5 minutes, until hot. Then add butter and olive oil, swirling to mix.
  3. When butter is melted, add sliced onions, turning to coat with butter/oil mixture, and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until onions are softened.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring every 8-10 minutes for approximately 30 minutes.
  5. When onions are reduced by about two-thirds and are golden and fragrant, add 1/4 cup of the beer and scrape bottom of pan to pick up any cooked-on bits. Remove from heat.
  6. To the saute pan, add all remaining ingredients, mixing well, and then pour into a prepared casserole dish.
  7. Cover tightly with foil (or lid) and place in oven.
  8. Cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours until sauce is dark-brown and bubbly and beef is fork tender.


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When caramelizing onions, it’s best to slice onions “pole to pole” i.e. from root to stem. See this post on Serious Eats for more info.
The crushed red pepper/cayenne is optional, though I find it adds an extra bit of warmth to the dish. If you’re sensitive to heat, you can reduce it, eliminate it or, perhaps, just save it for one of those really cold evenings!