This British-style beef hot pot recipe uses dark stout beer to deepen the flavor of the Lancashire-inspired beef hot pot. It's finished off with a layer of sliced potatoes, making it a hearty, comforting winter meal.
This dish is essentially a beef stew made with stout instead of broth, finished with a layer of sliced potatoes. That potato topping is what makes it a hot pot, a nod to the classic Lancashire hot pot from northern England.
I first had hot pot while studying in Lancashire during college. Not long after arriving, I was invited to a community dinner nearby, where it wasbeing served. I had never heard of hot pot before, but I was very happy to be fed while settling into a new place for the semester. It was simple, hearty, and exactly the kind of comfort food that made me feel welcome and at home.
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Traditional Lancashire hot pot is usually made with lamb and cooked with broth. This version takes a few liberties. I use beef instead of lamb and stout and crushed tomatoes in place of stock. But the structure stays the same: meat and vegetables topped with sliced potatoes and baked in the oven. The result is still firmly in hot pot territory if you ask me.
In a slow-cooked stew like this, stout turns something familiar into something just a bit more interesting - which is exactly what I want from cold-weather cooking. Stout is a wonderful ingredient for winter cooking because as it simmers, the alcohol reduces and the roasted, earthy flavors deepen, adding complexity without overpowering the dish.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's cold weather comfort food. This is the kind of oven-baked, one-pot meal that makes sense on a cold winter day.
- The potato topping sets it apart. Finishing the stew with sliced potatoes turns it into a hot pot, not just another beef stew.
- Stout adds depth without sweetness. As it cooks, the beer mellows and becomes earthy and savory, adding richness rather than beer flavor.
For more British-inspired dishes, check out my recipes for Stuffed Yorkshire Pudding, Baked Scotch Eggs, Coronation Chicken Salad, and Plum Fool.
🍺 Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this beef hot pot recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Chuck or other stew beef: I like to use beef chuck for this, since it holds up well and becomes tender as it cooks.
- Stout beer: A dry stout works best. Avoid milk stouts or flavored stouts, which can make the dish overly sweet. A locally brewed stout is a great choice and that's why I used Swamp Donkey Stout from Rutland Beer Works located right here in my town in Vermont.
- Crushed tomatoes: One large tin of crushed tomatoes combines with the beer for the liquid component of this stew. You can use diced or whole tomatoes and crush them yourself before adding to the pot.
- Potatoes: You'll need one pound of any kind of white or yellow fleshed potato.
Check out the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Short on time? Skip browning the beef and add it to the pot with the tomatoes and broth.
- Mushrooms: Sliced mushrooms would make a nice addition. Add them when sauteeing the other vegetables.
🔪 Instructions
- Step 1: Brown the cubed beef in a heavy pot in two batches. Remove and set aside.
- Step 2: Chop the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic.
- Step 3: Saute the vegetables in butter until tender.
- Step 4: Coat the vegetables with flour and salt. Cook another minute.
- Step 5: Pour in the stout.
- Step 6: Stir in the tomatoes.
- Step 7: Return the beef to the pot.
- Step 8: Simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occassionally.
- Step 9: Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes.
- Step 10: Arrange the potatoes over the stew. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and a little olive oil. Transfer the hot pot to a 425 degree oven and cook for 35-40 minutes.
✨ Top Tips
- When it comes to cooking with alcohol, whether beer, wine, or liquor, the most essential rule is only using what you want to drink. You want to like the flavor because the flavor intensifies as it cooks and reduces.
🍳 Equipment
Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed oven-safe pot. This allows you to cook the hot pot on the stove top and in the oven.
🥡 Storage
Store leftover beef hot pot in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
🙋🏻♂️ FAQ
Traditionally, the stew or casserole is made with lamb, onions, and a top layer of sliced potatoes that is slowly cooked in the oven. But there are variations. This dish is inspired by the original and is not traditional.
A hotpot is a type of stew with a potato topping that's cooked slowly in the oven. The potatoes are not mixed into the dish like typical stews.
British hot pot refers to an oven-baked stew topped with sliced potatoes, most often associated with Lancashire, a county in Northwest England. This is different from Chinese or other Asian hot pots, which are broth-based meals cooked at the table with raw ingredients added as you eat.
A drier stout is best. Avoid sweet or milk stouts.
The stout provides key flavor to the hot pot and omitting it will significantly alter the dish. That said, you could reduce the amount of beer and use one cup stout and one cup beef broth.
🍞 Pairing
A few ideas for pairing with this beef and stout stew:
📖 Recipe
Beef and Stout Hot Pot
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This British-style beef hot pot recipe is inspired by Lancashire hot pot, with dark stout beer adding depth and richness to a hearty winter meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more for drizzling
- 2 pounds stew beef
- 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 onions
- 4 carrots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups stout beer
- 1 (32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- Brown the beef. If your beef isn't already, cut it into roughly 1-inch pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the cubed beef in a single layer, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and cook undisturbed until browned on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes. Turn and brown the other side for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef. Set the beef aside for now.
- Prep the vegetables. Strip the rosemary leaves from the stem and roughly chop. Peel the onion, carrots, and garlic, then roughly chop them, along with the celery.
- Cook the vegetables. In the now-empty pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and rosemary and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Build and simmer the stew. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of the salt and the flour over the vegetables, then stir to coat for about 1 minute. Pour in the stout and tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the beef to the pot along with the bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until slightly thickened. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Add the potatoes. Remove the pot from the heat. Arrange the sliced potatoes evenly over the stew. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and the dried thyme, then drizzle lightly with about a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Bake. Transfer the pot to the oven and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until the potatoes are golden and the stew is bubbling around the edges. Remove from the oven, let cool briefly, then serve.
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Stew
- Method: Oven Baked
- Cuisine: English
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Susan Smith says
Thankyou Steve for this yummy hotpot recipe 😋
We both loved it…so rich and flavoursome especially on a cold winter day..
I only had 450g of beef so just halved recipe except tomatoes 🍅 and carrots 🥕..
I made in my round casserole dish ..fed hubby and me and had leftovers..
I added basil 🌿 parsley 🌿 and some rosemary… ( I grow herbs 🌿 so I’m a lover of adding to any dish )..
I also added chopped rosemary on top of potatoes as I didn’t have any thyme..
Thanks again this is a keeper.. 🥘 🧡
Steve says
Happy to hear your enjoyed this, Susan! Can't go wrong with more herbs! Thanks for sharing.