Carbonade Flamande – Flemish Beef and Beer Stew/Casserole

Slow cooked beef with garlic, onions and bacon in Belgian beer – served with Dijon mustard croutons…….absolute bliss! I have...

French

📊 Recipe Overview

⏱️

3 Total Time

👥

4 Servings

⭐⭐

medium Difficulty

📝 Description

Slow cooked beef with garlic, onions and bacon in Belgian beer – served with Dijon mustard croutons…….absolute bliss! I have...

🥘 Ingredients

Servings:

Original: 4

500 g beef (chuck cut into 5mm thick slices)
4 bacon, cut into cubes (thick slices)
3 onions, roughly diced (mirepoix)
3 garlic cloves
1 bouquet garni (bay leaf, parsley, thyme)
1 (1/2 pint) bottle of belgian strong brown ale, Beer
1/2 liter beef stock
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
20 g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 -8 slices French bread, baguette
2 -3 tablespoons brown sugar
Dijon mustard
salt
pepper

📋 Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170C, 340F, gas mark 3.
Make sure the pieces of beef are thoroughly dry, using paper towels.
In a flame-proof casserole, heat the butter and olive oil. Add the bacon cubes and fry them until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon. Reserve.
Make sure your flame-proof casserole is thoroughly heated. Place the pieces of beef and brown them on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. Keep warm.
Place the onions and garlic on the bottom of the casserole dish and cook until transparent (lightly golden). Season well with salt and pepper.
Add the sugar and mix thoroughly. Cook until a light caramelisation appears then add the red wine vinegar. Mix thoroughly then cook for 2 minutes.
Add the cooked beef and bacon to the dish. Mix carefully to make sure there is a full marriage of the flavours of the meat with the onions.
Pour the beer then the beef stock until the meat is entirely covered with liquid. Add the bouquet garni.
Cut the slices of bread then spread Dijon mustard on the bread. Cover the meat with the bread.
Place in the oven. The carbonade should cook slowly between 2 and 3 hours, or in a crockpot for up to 5 hours on high.
When cooked mix the bread thoroughly by breaking it up in the dish, the bread works as a thickener for the sauce. Taste then adjust the seasoning. Serve hot.
In Belgium the carbonade will be served with chips/fries/frites. In Northern France, it will be served with either braised chicory in butter or red cabbage.

👨‍🍳 Chef's Tips

Professional tips to make this recipe perfect every time!

💡 Let beef come to room temperature before cooking for even results.
💡 Don't move the meat too much while cooking to get a good sear.
💡 Let beef rest for 5-10 minutes after cooking before slicing.
💡 Use a meat thermometer for perfect doneness every time.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving

Serving Size: 1 portion (4 servings per recipe)

Calories 714.3

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 36.4g 56%

Saturated Fat 13.5g 68%

Cholesterol 43.4mg 14%

Sodium 1161.9mg 51%

Protein 18.9g 38%

Additional Nutrition

Carbohydrates 78.6

*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.