Carbonnade à la Flamande (Flemish Beer Beef Stew)

  • Yield:6 servings
  • Time:
    2 hrs, 27 mins show details

The secret weapon to this version of Carbonnade a la Flamande is the bread smeared with mustard, which is added to the stew and let to dissolve slowly to both thicken and flavor. No need to go fancy on the bread, anything crusty and delicious will do. (Wonderbread will not.)

This can be made in the slow-cooker, dutch oven, or instapot, depending on how much time you have.

A word about the beer to use. This is a beer stew. The beer you'll use will determine 90% of the flavors. Traditionally you should be using a red Flemish beer. I used Chimay Premium. Let me warn you: it is expensive. But this is a beer flavored stew, and if you are saving money on the beer, I suggest you go and cook something else.

Surprisingly, I have also had good success with the 2012 Vintage Ale by Trader Joe's, made by Unibrue. The flavors come out really authentic - don't ask me why. It costs $4.99 for a large bottle, so you should try it.

If you can't find either, ask your beer vendor if he/she can suggest a red Flemish ale for a Belgian stew. If he/she is any good, he/she should pick one for you that is sweet enough to help the caramelization that needs to take place in the stew, but not sweet enough to turn this dish into a dessert.

Concept adapted from reddit.com/r/recipes/comm... techniques supplemented by cooking.nytimes.com/recip...

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons
    unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces
    lardons, pancetta, or bacon, diced tiny. If you already have bacon drippings skip this step, and just use the bacon fat
  • 1½
    medium white onions, Diced tiny
  • 1
    clove garlic, Finely minced
  • 3 tablespoons
    flour
  • ¼ teaspoon
    salt
  • ¼ teaspoon
    pepper
  • 3 pounds
    of beef (chuck steak or round steak), fat removed, cut into pieces 2-3 inches/4-7cm wide
  • 2 cups
    dark/red Belgian beer, such as Gueze or Douchesse de Bourgogne. don't skimp on quality, You can use 2-3 cups, depending on preference
  • 2 cups
    beef stock
  • 1 teaspoon
    dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon
    dried parsley
  • 1
    bay leaf
  • 1
    Slice of good, crusty bread
  • 1 teaspoon
    Good mustard, Dijon or whole grain ideally
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Equipment

  • 1 instapot, Can use slow cooker or Dutch oven instead

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Preparation

  1. 8 mins

    In a large, heavy-bottomed pan melt the butter over medium-low. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, stirring often. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and reserve for a different recipe, such as tartiflette.

  2. 32 mins

    Reduce heat to low and caramelize the onions, stirring often. The time this takes will vary depending on the type of onions you used.

    Once onions are caramelized add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.

    Remove onion/garlic mix with a slotted spoon and place into the instapot/slowcooker/Dutch oven. There should be enough fat left to cook the beef. If not, add more butter or bacon fat.

  3. 40 mins

    Cube the beef and coat in the mix of flour, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium/medium high and brown the meat until richly caramelized on each side, adding more butter as needed. Don’t crowd the pan. This will likely need to be done in batches, and should take about 10-20 minutes per batch.

    Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and place in the instapot/slow cooker/Dutch oven.

  4. 5 mins

    Deglaze the pan with the beer, scraping carefully with a wooden spoon to get up all the cooked-in flavor. Cook and stir till the beer boils.

  5. 1 hr

    Add the beer to the instapot . Add the beef stock and herbs. Top with the bread smeared with mustard. Cook using the instapot stew setting.

    -Dutch oven on the stove-top: cook covered for three hours, on very low fire. Stir now and then, to make sure to dissolve the bread.
    -Slow cooker: cook covered 6-7 hours on low. Stir towards the end to make sure to dissolve the bread.

  6. 2 mins

    Stir to incorporate the bread, adjust for salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Comments

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  • picklesmcgee1 year, 3 months ago

    notes to self:

    if using the instapot or slower cooker then use the biggest cast-iron pan to cook the onions and brown the beef. you'll need the space to have reasonably sized batches come beef browning time

    3 T flour isn't quite enough. Try prepping 1/2 cup with the appropriate extra salt and pepper.

    Reply