Happy St. Patrick's Day to the lot of ye! Today, I have a recipe for Beef and Guinness stew for you, so if you are tired of the traditional corned beef dish, try something a little different!

Beef and Guinness Stew

by The Pirate Chef

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs Stew meat (I like to use a nice beef roast)

3 Tbls Oil

2 Tbls Flour

Salt and black pepper

1/2 Cup Flour

4 oz Butter

1 Large onion, chopped

1 Clove garlic, crushed

2 Tbls Tomato paste, mixed with 4 T water

1 Bottle Guinness Draught

1 lb Baby carrots

1 lb Small red potatoes, halved and then quartered

Sprig of thyme or 1/3 tsp dried

Sprig of rosemary or 1/3 tsp dried

2 Bay leaves

4 Cups Beef broth

Directions:

1) Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, and cut into 2-inch cubes.

2) Toss beef with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

3) In a small bowl, season the 2 Tbls flour with salt and pepper.

4) Toss meat with seasoned flour.

5) Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium-large pot over high heat.

6) Brown the meat on all sides in small batches.

7) Remove the meat and set aside.

8) Add the onion and crushed garlic to the pot and saute until tender.

9) Add the butter and melt.

10) Whisk in the 1/2 cup of flour to make a roux.

11) Turn the heat down to low and cook the roux until it is brown, do not let it get to a brick color, that's too long!

12) Whisk in the beef broth, Guinness, and tomato paste.

13) Bring the stew to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low.

14) Add the aromatics and beef, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is starting to get tender and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 1 1/2 hours.

15) Add the carrots and potatoes and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 1 more hour.

16) Remove the bay leaf and the thyme and rosemary stems before serving.

17) ENJOY!

If the stew gets too thick, you might not have browned the beef enough or cooked the roux long enough. This is a simple fix, just heat up some more beef broth or some water in another pot and mix it in, just a little at a time, to reach the desired consistency. This is not a perfect fix but it keeps the stew from overcooking while not taking much away from the flavor.

Burger Review - Hurricane Grill and Wings

     This past weekend, I went to Hurricane Grill & Wings (Saint Augustine) for a burger. I know I said I was thinking about heading to Surfer Joe's, but they closed down after only being open a few months. I have never been to Hurricane before and figured I would try it for my next burger review. I did not know that it is actually a chain with over 50 locations throughout Florida and other states! It sure didn't seem like it with the decor or the food.

     Hurricane is open from 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and they are open till 11pm on Friday and Saturday. I went around 1pm last Sunday, it was pretty slow and that's what I was hoping for.

     I ordered a 1/2lb steakburger with cheddar jack cheese, medium-rare, with homemade kettle chips for $9.98. The burger itself was $8.99 and the cheese was $.99 extra.

 

     The size after cooking was still about 1/2lb so they didn't lose much to shrinking through cooking, always a big plus in my book, and it came out as a medium. Getting a medium burger when ordering a medium-rare isn't a big deal as it can happen pretty easily, as long as it doesn't come out well done!

     As far as being juicy, this burger was on spot! I would give it a 4 out of 5! The juices were dripping down my hand and onto the plate, but it wasn't so much that I felt like I needed a bib or gloves.

     You have a choice of lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and mayo as your "freebies" for you burger. I asked for lettuce and pickle only and they gave me a good amount of both, but not too much either. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, making a slight crunching sound as I bit into it. They had a good amount of pickles on there, so that every bite had a bite of pickle, and they also had a good little crunch to them, as well as a nice flavor.

     The bun was your traditional burger bun, but they did toast the bun, which I like. The bun was toasted perfectly and did a great job of not getting too soggy with juices from the burger itself.

     They have an impressive selection of sides for your ordering pleasure. You have a choice of a signature side, or you can upgrade to a premium side for $1. The signature sides are housemade kettle chips, natural-cut fries, classic coleslaw, garlic n' parm broccoli, Caribbean yellow rice, or fresh cilantro tomatoes. The premium sides are garlic n' parm fries, crispy sweet potato straws, or jumbo onion rings. I went with the housemade kettle fries, which are just potato chips that they make themselves but they do tend to be a little thicker than your traditional chip and they also have a bit more of a crunch when you bite into them. The kettle chips were good, the only complaint I have about them is that they come out unseasoned so I did have to add salt. This can be an easy fix for them, they just need to be tossed lightly in some salt soon after coming out of the fryer, this way the salt sticks to the chip.

     Overall, the burger was enjoyable and I would order it again. They don't season the meat but it still has a good flavor and was cooked well. They also have quite in interesting menu with lots of different options so I think I will have to go back there and try out some other dishes, you know, for "research."

     I'm not sure where I'm going to go for my next burger, there are so many place here to try! I will eventually go to every restaurant that I know is not a big box chain restaurant and try their burgers and let you know what I think of it. Until then eat well, cook or die!