isithalal.food · Recipes

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.

Irish · Main · Easy · 6 bowls · 150 min

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.

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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.

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.

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

Method

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Allergens

gluten (barley), milk (butter)

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.

Photograph from our ingredient library: an Irish stew, not the finished dish.