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Halal-conscious recipe

Beef stew with dumplings, without Guinness

Tom Kerridge's beef shin stew with shallots, carrots, celery, thyme and star anise, braised in Halal stock instead of Guinness and topped with Halal beef bacon and suet dumplings.

  • Cuisine British
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Moderate
  • Yield 4 bowls
  • Time 3h 30m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
Irish stew with meat and vegetables
Photograph from our ingredient library: an Irish stew, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Why Halal checks matter here

The published stew is braised in 500 ml of Guinness, the dumplings are made with smoked bacon and beef suet, and the beef and stock need Halal sources too.

This is a deep, dark beef stew: chunks of beef shin braised slowly with shallots, carrots, celery, thyme and a few star anise, then finished under herby dumplings. The source braises the beef in half a litre of Guinness; Guinness is a stout, an intoxicating beer, and this site counts alcohol cooked into food the same way, so here the same volume of extra stock goes in instead. That swap is ours.

It follows Tom Kerridge's beef and Guinness stew with bacon dumplings for BBC Good Food. The dumplings are made with smoked bacon, which is pork, so this version uses Halal-certified beef bacon, and with beef suet, which needs a Halal butcher or a switch to vegetable suet. The stock needs a Halal or vegetable version too (see stock cubes).

The dumplings can be made first and chilled while the stew cooks; they go on for the last 30 minutes, 20 with the lid on and 10 with it off so they brown.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Guinness The published stew is braised in 500 ml of Guinness. Guinness is a stout, an intoxicating beer, and every intoxicant is khamr; this site counts alcohol cooked into food the same way. Leave it out and add the same volume of extra stock, as here. See Guinness.
  • Smoked bacon The dumplings are made with smoked bacon, which is pork. Use Halal-certified beef bacon instead. See Bacon.
  • Beef suet The dumplings use beef suet, which is beef fat; the Atora and Aldi beef suet pack records show no Halal mark. Buy beef suet from a Halal butcher, or use vegetable suet. See Suet.
  • Beef and stock Beef is Halal only from cattle slaughtered the Halal way, and bought beef or chicken stock is a meat product. Buy the beef shin from a Halal butcher and use a Halal-certified stock or a vegan vegetable stock. See Beef and Stock cubes.

Safe substitutes

  • 500 ml Guinness → 500 ml more Halal or vegetable stock (our swap)
  • 100 g smoked bacon → 100 g Halal-certified beef bacon (our swap)
  • 60 g beef suet → 60 g beef suet from a Halal butcher, or vegetable suet

Allergens

celery, egg, gluten (flour)

Ingredients

Dumplings

  • 100 g Halal-certified beef bacon, finely minced (our swap for smoked bacon)
  • ½ tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 125 g self-raising flour
  • 60 g suet: beef suet from a Halal butcher, or vegetable suet
  • 1 egg yolk
  • small pack parsley leaves, finely chopped

Stew

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 kg Halal boneless beef shin, cut into 3 cm chunks
  • 200 g pearl onions or small shallots
  • 4 medium carrots, chopped to the size of the shallots
  • 3 celery sticks, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 500 ml Halal beef or chicken stock, or vegetable stock
  • 500 ml Halal beef or chicken stock, or vegetable stock (our swap for 500 ml Guinness)
  • 1 large thyme sprig
  • 4 star anise

Method

  1. Make the dumplings. Gently fry the beef bacon in the oil in a large lidded casserole until crisp, stir in the thyme leaves, then tip into a bowl and leave to cool slightly. Stir in the flour and suet, make a well and add the egg yolk, parsley, ½ tsp pepper and 2 tbsp very cold water. Mix to a firm but pliable dough, adding more water a little at a time. Divide into eight balls and chill until needed.
  2. Brown the beef and vegetables. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3). Wipe out the casserole with kitchen paper and heat the vegetable oil. Brown the beef well in batches and set aside. Brown the shallots, carrots and celery, then stir in the flour.
  3. Braise. Return the beef and any juices to the dish, stir, then pour in the full litre of stock: the 500 ml from the source and the 500 ml that replaces the Guinness. Season, tuck in the thyme sprig and star anise and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for about 2 hours, until the beef is tender.
  4. Add the dumplings. Take the stew out of the oven and sit the dumplings evenly on top. Put the lid back on and return to the oven for 20 minutes, then cook for a final 10 minutes uncovered to brown the dumplings. Serve with buttered cabbage and mash.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Beef & Guinness stew with bacon dumplings' by Tom Kerridge (serves 4: dumplings of 100 g finely minced smoked bacon fried crisp in ½ tbsp oil with 1 tsp thyme leaves, mixed with 125 g self-raising flour and 60 g beef suet, then an egg yolk, a small pack of chopped parsley, ½ tsp pepper and 2 tbsp very cold water, more as needed, rolled into 8 balls and chilled; 1 kg boneless beef shin in 3 cm chunks browned in batches in 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 200 g pearl onions or small shallots, 4 carrots and 3 celery sticks browned, 3 tbsp plain flour stirred in; 500 ml beef or chicken stock and 500 ml Guinness, a large thyme sprig and 4 star anise; covered and cooked about 2 hours at 160°C (140°C fan, gas 3); dumplings on top, 20 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered; buttered cabbage and mash to serve). We specified Halal beef shin and Halal or vegetable stock, replaced the Guinness with the same volume of extra stock, the smoked bacon with the same weight of Halal-certified beef bacon, and the beef suet with Halal-sourced beef suet or vegetable suet; those swaps are ours. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Beef & Guinness stew with bacon dumplings — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Tom Kerridge. Serves 4, prep 30 minutes, cook 3 hours: 1 kg beef shin browned and braised with shallots, carrots, celery, flour, 500 ml stock, 500 ml Guinness, thyme and star anise for about 2 hours at 160°C, then topped with bacon, suet and parsley dumplings for 30 minutes. We replaced the Guinness with extra stock and the bacon with Halal beef bacon.

  2. Guinness analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Why Guinness is Haram, and why Guinness 0.0 is a separate question.

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