Name: Beef, Stout, and Barley Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ lb beef blade roast; 1 large onion; 2 cloves garlic; 3-4 sprigs each fresh parsley and thyme; 1 bay leaf; olive oil (as needed); 500 ml can stout beer; 6 cups beef broth; 2-3 carrots; ½ cup pearl barley; ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; kosher salt and pepper

This hearty beef, stout, and barley soup is the perfect comfort food for a hobbit's midday luncheon at the Inn of the Prancing Pony – piping hot, deeply flavoured, and the best fuel for a wandering adventurer. If you love hobbit-inspired comfort food, you may also enjoy our Potato, Leek and White Bean Soup or our Gardener's Pie with Root Vegetable Mash. This soup is part of our complete A Hobbit's Feast menu – seven courses of hobbit-inspired recipes from first breakfast to dessert!

beef stout and barley soup for luncheon, the prancing pony inn

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Hobbit's Luncheon

Every hobbit menu must feature a luncheon to satiate the hungriest of hobbits! It has been a busy morning and as any hobbit knows, it’s a dangerous business going out of your door and into the wild. This piping hot beef, stout, and barley soup is the perfect comfort food after hours of adventuring.

Ingredient Notes

Beef: My favourite cut of beef for any type of braising is blade or chuck roast. This tough cut becomes meltingly tender after low and slow braising. Cut the blade roast into bite-sized pieces. you can use pre-cut stewing beef instead if desired.

Beef broth: Homemade broth is ideal but you can certainly use store-bought instead. I look for a good quality reduced sodium beef broth.

Stout: This dark brown ale has a rich flavour and a velvety mouthfeel. Here I use Guinness, a popular Irish brand of stout. Feel free to use your favourite stout instead.

Bouquet garni: A bouquet garni is a bundle of fresh herbs that is usually added to soups, stews, and braised dishes. Tying the herbs together makes them easier to remove at the end. A typical bouquet garni includes fresh parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.

Barley: I typically use pearl barley which has been polished to remove some of the outer husk and bran. Alternatively, you can use pot barley, which hasn’t been polished as much and retains more of the bran.

How to Make Beef, Stout, and Barley Soup for Luncheon

Prep the ingredients

Dice the onion and mince the fresh garlic. Set aside. Make a bouquet garni by tying together a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and a bay leaf. Cut the blade roast into bite-sized pieces. Place the beef pieces onto a paper towel-lined plate and blot the beef to dry.

Brown the beef

Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil is hot add about a third of the beef pieces, making sure not to crowd them. Let the beef cook until browned on the bottom. If the beef sticks to the pan, let it cook a little longer – the meat will release from the pan once fully browned.

Turn the beef pieces over and brown the other side. Once browned, transfer the beef to a separate bowl. Repeat with the remaining beef until it has all been used.

Braise the beef

After the beef has all been browned and removed, add the diced onion to the pot. If the pan is dry add a bit more olive oil so that the onions don’t stick. Sauté the onion for 3 to 5 minutes until tender. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.

Carefully pour the stout into the pot – it will spatter when it comes in contact with the oil. Cook for a minute, using a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the bouquet garni and a pinch of pepper along with the beef broth.

Return the beef to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring the broth to a simmer then turn down the heat. Cover and cook gently at a simmer over low heat for 1 hour. The beef should be just starting to get tender.

Cook the barley

While the beef is braising, chop the carrots into bite-sized pieces. Finely chop some extra parsley and set aside.

After the beef has cooked for 1 hour, add the barley and carrots. Cover and continue to simmer on low, stirring regularly, until the barley is tender. This will take about 45 minutes.

Finish the soup

When the barley is tender, remove the bouquet garni. If the soup has thickened too much, add a splash more of beef broth. Taste the soup and adjust the salt as needed. Stir in the chopped parsley, and it’s ready to serve. Enjoy!