Halal-conscious recipe
Irish stew without bacon
Lamb, barley and potato Irish stew braised in the oven, made with Halal lamb and no bacon, with stock from Halal bones or plain water.
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.
Why Halal checks matter here
Many Irish stew recipes start by frying smoked streaky bacon, pub versions may add stout, and the lamb and stock are only Halal if the lamb was slaughtered the Halal way.
Irish stew is lamb, onions and potatoes, braised slowly until the potatoes collapse into the sauce. Many modern recipes, including BBC Good Food's, start by frying smoked streaky bacon so its fat seasons everything else, and some pub versions braise the meat in stout. Neither is needed for the dish to taste right.
This version keeps the method and leaves the pork out. The lamb needs to be Halal (see lamb), and so does the stock: use stock from Halal lamb bones, a certified cube, or plain water, since the barley and potatoes thicken it anyway (see stock cubes). If you miss the smoky note, Halal beef bacon does the same job.
Brown the lamb well and don't stir once the potatoes go on top: they steam in the lid and soak up the stock from below. The Irish stew page covers what to ask for in a pub.
Halal-critical ingredients
- Smoked streaky bacon It is pork, and many recipes fry it first so its fat flavours the whole stew. Leave it out, or use Halal beef bacon. See Bacon.
- Lamb and stock Lamb is Halal only from Halal slaughter, and shop stock can be made from non-Halal meat. Buy from a Halal butcher or a certified pack; use stock from those bones, a certified cube, or water. See Lamb and Stock cubes.
- Stout Some pub versions braise in stout, which is alcohol. This recipe uses none; ask in a pub. See Irish stew.
Safe substitutes
- Smoked streaky bacon → Nothing, or Halal beef bacon
- Lamb stock of unknown source → Stock from Halal lamb bones, a certified cube, or water
- Stout → More stock
Allergens
gluten (barley), milk (butter)
Ingredients
Stew
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) sunflower oil
- 900 g (2 lb) Halal stewing lamb, such as shoulder, in large chunks
- 750 g (5 medium) onions, sliced
- 300 g (5 medium) carrots, in chunks
- 0.6 g (3 leaves) bay leaves
- 10 g (small bunch) thyme sprigs
- 100 g (½ cup) pearl barley
- 850 ml (3½ cups) stock from Halal lamb bones, a certified stock cube, or water
- 1200 g (6 medium) potatoes, in chunks
To finish
- 15 g (1 tbsp) butter
- 45 g (3) spring onions, finely sliced
- 200 g (7 oz) optional Halal beef bacon, if you want the smoky note
Nutrition per serving
Estimated for 1 of 6 bowls.
| Calories | 730 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 37 g |
| of which saturates | 16 g |
| Carbohydrate | 65 g |
| of which sugars | 10 g |
| Fibre | 11 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Sodium | 680 mg |
Calculated from the metric quantities in the ingredient list, divided by 6, using USDA FoodData Central values for each raw ingredient. Cooking losses aren't modelled and brands differ, so these are estimates, not a lab analysis.
Not counted: optional Halal beef bacon (optional).
Where the list offers a choice, the first option is counted.
Stock is counted as USDA ready-to-serve broth.
How each ingredient was counted
| Ingredient | USDA food | Counted |
|---|---|---|
| sunflower oil | Oil, sunflower, linoleic, (approx. 65%) | 13.8 g |
| Halal stewing lamb | Lamb, domestic, shoulder, whole (arm and blade), separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, raw | 900 g |
| onions | Onions, raw | 750 g |
| carrots | Carrots, raw | 300 g |
| bay leaves | Spices, bay leaf | 0.6 g |
| thyme sprigs | Thyme, fresh | 10 g |
| pearl barley | Barley, pearled, raw | 100 g |
| stock from Halal lamb bones | Soup, beef broth or bouillon canned, ready-to-serve | 862.3 g |
| potatoes | Potatoes, flesh and skin, raw | 1200 g |
| butter | Butter, without salt | 15 g |
| spring onions | Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw | 45 g |
Method
- Brown the lamb. Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the lamb over a high heat for about 6 minutes, then lift it out. If you want a smoky note, fry Halal beef bacon first instead of the usual pork bacon.
- Soften the vegetables. Add the onions, carrots, bay and thyme to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Return the lamb, stir in the pearl barley, pour over the stock and bring to a simmer.
- Braise. Sit the potato chunks on top, cover and braise in the oven, undisturbed, for about 1½ hours until the potatoes are soft and the lamb is tender.
- Finish. Dot the potatoes with butter, scatter over the spring onions and serve from the dish. The stew keeps in the fridge for 2 days and reheats in a low oven.
How this recipe was researched
Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Irish stew' (fry the meat, soften onions, carrots and herbs, add pearl barley and stock, top with potatoes and braise for about 1½ hours at 160°C). We dropped its 200 g of smoked streaky bacon and specified Halal lamb and Halal or water-based stock. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.
Technique and ingredient sources
-
Irish stew — BBC Good Food
Retrieved:
Serves 6: sunflower oil, 200 g smoked streaky bacon, 900 g stewing lamb, onions, carrots, bay, thyme, 100 g pearl barley, 850 ml lamb stock, potatoes, butter, spring onions; braised about 1½ hours at 160°C. We removed the bacon.
-
Irish stew analysis — isithalal.food
Retrieved:
Lamb, stout and bacon checks for Irish stew.