The recipe is for a chicken stew. I wanted a nice Irish Guinness beef stew. I followed the recipe with a few changes. I used a cubed chuck roast instead of chicken and beef stock instead of chicken. I used fresh time sprigs. I cooked it on low for 8 hours. I cooked some steam in the bag new potatoes, diced them and added them in for the last 30 minutes. What a rich hearty dish. The leftovers will go into ziploc bags to freeze for my sweethearts lunches this winter. Nice to open a thermos full of hot stew on a cold job site. http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/250404/slow-cooker-stout-chicken-stew/