I love making this Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast; it's a St. Patrick's Day dinner and weekend supper everyone loves! The rich pot roast and gravy are delicious served over oven-roasted potato and cabbage Colcannon.
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While looking through recipes for traditional Irish dishes as well as American-Irish dishes, I find that what stands out immediately is that many of the recipes go really well together. Like these two—a slow-cooker beef roast and a side of classic Irish colcannon.
Tender roast beef, rich gravy, buttery mashed potatoes with cabbage—it's like a comfort food symphony.
To really tie the two together, I created this Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast, with beef braised in Guinness stout. Once finished, there's plenty of rich gravy to serve over mounds of Colcannon. This is a recipe that my family and I love to have for dinner, and of course, it's also a fantastic recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: A cozy supper that brings together tender beef braised in dark Guinness stout and traditional Irish colcannon. It's a family favorite to make on St. Patrick's Day, or anytime I want to bring New England-inspired warmth to a weekend supper.
- You'll love this part: This slow cooker meal includes a rich gravy to pour over the mounds of mashed potato and cabbage.
- How it's made: Slow-cook the beef with Guinness stout and aromatics until it's meltingly tender. Serve it with mashed oven-roasted potatoes and cabbage, with a whisked together gravy.
Jump to:
What is colcannon?
A traditional Irish dish that goes back almost three centuries, the name colcannon means "white-headed cabbage" in Gaelic. It consists of mashed potatoes combined with chopped cabbage or kale.
Some Colcannon recipes also call for leeks, green onions, and meats. In its simplest form, colcannon is just mashed potatoes with cabbage. It's delicious comfort food.
Colcannon is often confused with another mashed potato dish called champ. While colcannon is made with cabbage or kale, champ is made with sliced green onions. Older champ recipes may include wild nettles instead of onions.
Fun fact: Americans may associate colcannon with St. Patrick's Day, but in Ireland, it's a dish made for Halloween. The tradition includes hiding charms in the colcannon—such as coins for children or a ring to predict marriage for the single woman who finds it.
What does Guinness stout taste like?
Guinness describes their black-as-midnight, extra stout beer as having a balance of bitter and sweet flavors, as well as notes of roasted coffee and a hint of fruit.
Though some Guinness aficionados claim the stout is best enjoyed warm (one reason why many folks are reluctant to try it) the Guinness website says their bottled stout should be chilled before serving.
Braising a pot roast in Guinness gives the beef a deep flavor and contributes to the tenderness of the finished roast. The gravy made from the Irish beef braising liquid has the same blend of bitter and sweet notes as the stout.
Make a Guinness loaf!
Guinness Bread with Cheddar
Save a bottle of that stout to make this savory, delicious quick bread.
Why you'll love Guinness Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast
This Crock Pot roast with gravy is hearty like a beef stew—only without the veggies and WITH plenty of Guinness stout beer. It's full of robust flavor.
The colcannon mashed potatoes come together in the last hour of cooking time for the pot roast. Instead of boiling, the potatoes and cabbage are oven-roasted for extra flavor.
The Guinness stout beef pot roast and gravy are spooned over fluffy mounds of colcannon, to make a sumptuous meal that all will love. Serve it with slices of Irish Brown Bread to sop up the gravy.
It's my take on an Irish roast dinner, a meal that's perfect to make on St. Patrick's Day or for a weekend supper.
🔪 How to make the best Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Guinness Stout
Ingredients:
- Cubed chuck beef: It may also be packaged as stew beef. You can also purchase a chuck roast and slice it yourself.
- Oil: Use a vegetable oil such as sunflower or soybean to sear the beef.
- Guinness Extra Stout Beer: You'll need two bottles for the recipe; the rest are for you.
- Onion: I use a yellow onion here; Spanish or white onions will also work.
- Beef Stock: The beef is also braised in beef stock to make it extra flavorful.
- Garlic: Minced garlic helps flavor the meat. Use a ribbon grater to mince fresh cloves quickly.
- Thyme: I use dried thyme. For fresh thyme, use double the amount.
- Brown Sugar: A little adds just a touch of sweetness plus caramel notes.
- Salt: A dash of salt brings out all of the flavors in this slow cooker dish.
- Black Pepper: A beef dish just isn't the same without a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Potatoes: I use Yukon Gold potatoes here, but russets will also work well.
- Green Cabbage: This is a key ingredient of colcannon! Shred your own or buy bagged shredded cabbage.
- Butter: Use good-quality unsalted butter, such as Kerrygold.
- Half-and-Half: This blend of cream and milk makes the mashed potatoes rich.
- Scallions: The green onions are chopped and added to the mashed potatoes.
Prepare the meat
Add beef chuck roast or pre-cut stew beef, onions, stock, and seasonings to a slow cooker. Pour in the Guinness beer. Cook everything on low.
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Roast the potatoes and cabbage
Slice up the cabbage and potatoes and arrange them on a baking sheet, tossed with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast everything until the potatoes are soft.
Make the colcannon
Mash the roasted potatoes with butter and milk to a smooth consistency. Mix the roasted cabbage throughout the mashed potatoes.
Serve it up
Place a mound of colcannon on a dinner plate, topped with chopped scallion. Spoon the pot roast and Guinness gravy over the colcannon and enjoy!
Leftovers idea!
Save any leftover Guinness beef pot roast and use it to make some Who Hash (roast beef and potato hash) for breakfast!
Guinness Pot Roast FAQs
A starchy potato is the best choice because it breaks down once cooked for smooth mashed potatoes. I use Russet potatoes—yellow potatoes or an all-purpose type like Yukon gold will work, too.
Choose tough cuts of beef for slow cooker pot roast recipes—they hold up the best to the long, slow braising and become flavorful and tender. I use a boneless chuck roast for this recipe, or you can also use round roasts. Stew beef, which is a chuck roast cut into cubes, can also be used.
This is certainly an option. The meat can be seared on all sides over medium-high heat before it goes into the slow cooker. This step creates a browned crust on the surface that's very flavorful. However, it's not a necessary step and there are plenty of other flavorful ingredients in this slow cooker beef pot roast.
Irish Brown Bread goes with any meal but is especially tasty with this one because you can use it to sop up the meat drippings on your plate.
Start the meal with a course of creamy and spicy Parsnip Soup.
Finish the evening with a mug of Irish coffee or a warming cup of Maple Gin Hot Toddy.
This recipe works beautifully in an Instant Pot! You just need to adjust the amount of liquid and add it to the pot with the beef and seasonings. The cook time for Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot is about 50-60 minutes, and you can prepare the colcannon while it cooks. See the recipe card for the Instant Pot option.
The secret for a really delicious pot roast is to let the meat cook low and slow until it's really tender. The slow cooker is the perfect method to achieve this. It's also important to cook the pot roast with a good blend of spices, aromatics, and braising liquids to infuse the meat with a lot of flavor. That's why I use ingredients like Guinness stout beer, garlic, thyme, and onion.
Tip:
- Roast the potatoes just until they're fork-tender and still moist. If they're roasted too long they will end up too dry.
Whenever I make this hearty meal of mashed potatoes and slow cooker beef and stout, we eat it up fast—frighteningly fast, because it is so savory and satisfying. No good would come from hiding charms in the colcannon when we're this hungry!
Find the recipe for the Best Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Guinness stout and Colcannon below. Here are more Irish recipes to try, too:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast with Guinness Stout and Colcannon
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Ingredients
Ingredients:
For the Pot Roast:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 23 ounces Guinness Extra Stout Beer (2 11.5-ounce bottles)
- ½ cup beef stock
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Colcannon:
- ½ head green cabbage (about 10 ounces once shredded)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 pounds yellow potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces
- ½-1 cup half and half
For the Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 scallions, tops and ends removed, chopped
Instructions
Prepare the pot roast:
- Have ready a slow cooker. Place 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of the slow cooker and spread to coat the bottom. Place the 2 to 3 pounds boneless chuck roast in the pan.
- Peel 1 medium yellow onion, slice it into chunks, and then separate the pieces. Scatter the onion pieces around the chuck roast in the slow cooker pan.
- Pour the 23 ounces Guinness Extra Stout Beer and the ½ cup beef stock over the beef.
- Sprinkle in the 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt and the 1 teaspoon ground black pepper.
- Cover the slow cooker and set the heat to low. Cook the pot roast for about 8 hours until the beef is very tender. A few times during the cooking, scoop cooking liquid over the top of the roast.
45 minutes before the beef is done, prepare the veggies:
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with foil or with parchment paper.
- Slice the ½ head green cabbage into strips and place them on half of the baking sheet.
- Pour some of the olive oil over the cabbage; use your fingers to stir and coat the cabbage with oil. (Or you can combine them in a bowl with a spoon, if you'd rather.)
- Scrub and peel the 3 pounds yellow potatoes, and cut them into chunks about 1½ inches big.
- Place the cut potatoes on the other half of the baking sheet. Pour the rest of the olive oil over the potatoes and use your fingers to stir and coat them in oil. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon salt and the ½ teaspoon black pepper over the potatoes and cabbage.
Roast and mash:
- Place the baking sheet in the oven to roast the potatoes and cabbage until they're tender: about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the oven when the potatoes are tender and the cabbage is wilted and lightly browned.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl. Add the 4 tablespoons butter, unsalted, cut into small pieces and ½-1 cup half and half to the warm potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes until they are relatively smooth—add more half-and-half if the potatoes seem dry.
- Add the roasted cabbage into the potatoes. Mix the cabbage throughout the mashed potatoes.
Make the gravy:
- When the roast is finished, remove it and the onions from the slow cooker to a cutting board. Transfer the cooking liquid to a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.
- Mash the 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour together in a small bowl using a fork or your fingers.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, whisk in the flour-butter paste. Reduce the heat to medium; whisk the gravy constantly as it simmers until it has thickened, 3-4 minutes.
Serve:
- Use a sharp knife to slice the pot roast into thin slices.
- Put a serving of colcannon, about 1½ cups, into the center of each dinner plate. Sprinkle a few pieces of chopped scallions over the colcannon.
- Add slices of pot roast and sliced onions to each plate, then ladle gravy over the meat and colcannon. Serve your Guinness pot roast with colcannon immediately.
To make the Guinness Pot Roast in an Instant Pot:
- Put the oil, chuck roast, and sliced onions into the Instant pot. Reduce the Guinness Stout to ½ cup and the beef stock to ¼ cup. Add in the garlic, spices, and brown sugar.
- Secure the lid, and program the pot to cook for 50-60 minutes. Release the steam. The beef should be fall apart tender, and ready to serve.
Notes
- Roast the potatoes just until they're fork-tender and still moist. If roasted too long they will be too dry.
- This recipe works beautifully in an Instant Pot. Adjust the amount of liquid and add it to the pot with the beef and seasonings. The cooking time in an Instant Pot is about 50-60 minutes, and you can prepare the colcannon while it cooks. See the recipe card for the Instant Pot option.
Nutrition
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