With just six ingredients, this hearty Irish Beef Stew packs a ton of flavor. Guinness beef jerky, potatoes, carrots and green beans are coated with a thick sauce. It’s comfort food at its finest while on the trail.
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Creating a dehydrated meal often takes a few iterations to get a good flavor. The first attempt of this Irish Beef Stew ended up bland because I use dehydrated ground beef. I wanted more flavor in the meal. That made me think “Irish” and Guinness beer came to mind.
Similar to the meal, the Guinness beef jerky took several attempts to get the right flavor for the Irish Beef Stew. Some jerky tries were too heavy on Worcestershire sauce, others too heavy on beer flavor. The end result of the jerky in the Irish Beef Stew created a hearty and flavorful meal. Perfect for a cold night at camp. I hope you enjoy the Irish Beef Stew too!
While you’re prepping the jerky and Irish Beef Stew for your next outdoor adventure, make some extra Guinness jerky for snacking on the trail or while at home.
Ingredients and Variations for Irish Beef Stew
- Guinness Beef Jerky: The Guinness jerky brings the flavor to this meal. The jerky can also be made with venison too!
- Dehydrated shredded potatoes: A classic ingredient for Irish stew. Use dehydrated boxed shredded potatoes* for convenience and less prep time.
- Dehydrated carrots: A traditional Irish stew ingredient.
- Dehydrated green beans: While not a traditional Irish stew ingredient, this adds a pop of color and some extra fiber to the dish.
- Brown Gravy Powder*: Adds some flavor and provides the thickening for the sauce.
- Dried Minced Onion*: Adds flavor to the classic Irish stew.
Equipment needed
Measuring cups and spoons: to measure ingredients at home when packing the meal.
Scent proof bags*: Keep your food safe from wild animals with a scent proof bag. If wild animals are not a concern, the meal could be packaged in a zippered sandwich bag.
Vacuum sealer*: This is optional but will help keep the meal fresh longer.
Jetboil*: Used on the trail to cook the meal. Other backpacking stoves would work too.
Silicon spoon*: Use to stir the meal in the Jetboil so the non-stick surface does not get scratched. Can use the same spoon to eat the meal directly from the Jetboil.
Helpful Tips for Packing and Enjoying Irish Beef Stew on the Trail
At home
- Do a test run of the meal at home so you know what to expect on the trail.
- Plan enough time before your backpacking trip to allow the jerky to marinate and dehydrate all the ingredients.
- This meal cooks great in a Jetboil. It was tested in both a Jetboil and a sauce pan on the stove.
- When packaging the meal at home, have someone help hold the scent proof bags open. A canning funnel* also works to open the bag and get the ingredients in the bag without spilling.
- If packaging more than one of the same meal, do it in an assembly line fashion, focusing on one ingredient at a time to make packing the meal go quicker.
- Bring along salt and pepper packages* to season to your tastes because your preferences may be different than the recipe as written.
- Save the salt, pepper, and other seasoning packages that are included in silverware kits when you order out.
On the trail
- Be sure to let the meal sit for about 20 minutes after cooking. This is so the ingredients can rehydrate and absorb the water while creating a thicker sauce.
- Water boils at a lower temperature at a higher altitude so this will affect the rehydration and cooking time of the meal.
- The amount of water used to rehydrate the meal may need to be adjusted, especially if at a higher altitude. More water could create a runnier sauce; less water could cause the ingredients to not rehydrate very well.
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Guinness beef jerky about 1.5 ounces
- 1/4 cup Dehydrated shredded potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Dehydrated carrot slices
- 1 Tbsp Dehydrated green beans
- 1 Tbsp Brown gravy powder
- 1 tsp Dried onion flake
Instructions
Preparation at home
- Prepare the Guinness beef jerky. Cut into bite sized pieces (so it rehydrates better).
- Dehydrate the sliced carrots.
- Dehydrate the green beans.
- If necessary, purchase or acquire dehydrated shredded potatoes, dried onion flakes, and brown gravy powder.
- Package all ingredients in a scent proof bag and vacuum seal, if desired.
On the trail
- Use 1 1/4 cups water.
- Put water and meal in a Jetboil (or other backpacking stove) and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer on a low heat setting, stirring the meal to prevent boiling over.
- Cook for a few minutes, continuing to stir, until bubbles appear and the sauce appears to thicken.
- Turn the Jetboil off and put the cover on it.
- Let the meal sit for 20 minutes to rehydrate and thicken.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- As you make the meal on the trail, you may find that you need more or less water to rehydrate the meal. The suggested 1 1/4 cup was how the meal was tested in a location that is around 600 feet above sea level. This was enough to rehydrate the meal and create some sauce. Extra liquid will make a runnier sauce and too little may not allow all the ingredients to rehydrate as well.
- The longer the meal sits after cooking, the more the ingredients have a chance to rehydrate. Not all ingredients may rehydrate fully.
- Altitude will affect the rehydration time and water needed.
- Do a test run of the meal at home so you know what to expect on the trail.