Start by preparing the meat and vegetables. Placing the meat in the freezer for 10-15 minutes will make it easier to cut. Chop the onions into a large dice, mince the garlic, and the other vegetables can be rough chopped into 1-2” chunks. Set the uncut potatoes aside until later. Cut and trim the beef into roughly 2” pieces, some will naturally end up smaller, but try to keep bigger than an inch.

Heat some oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add some salt and pepper to the meat and sear it on all sides in batches and set aside.

Turn the heat down a little and add the onion and a little more oil if needed. Sauté about 5 minutes, then add the carrots and celery, some salt and pepper, and sauté for another 5-7 minutes longer. Make a small well and add the garlic, cooking and stirring for about 1 minute until fragrant. Now add the 4 tablespoons of tomato paste and fry it off for another minute or two, stirring frequently.

Once the tomato paste has had a chance to cook up, add 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and stir frequently until there’s no pockets of dry flour visible. Turn the heat back up and add the can/bottle of Guinness, deglazing the bottom of the pot until the beer begins to boil. Now add in the seared beef, 3 cups of beef broth, 3 sprigs of thyme and 2 bay leaves, and a teaspoon of table salt and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.