Why do you put beer in stew?

Beer adds a rich caramel flavor to stewed meat and soups. It also aids in tenderizing the meat without the need to cook it a long time.

Does the alcohol in the beer cook off?

It is a myth that the alcohol will all cook out. It has been studied and depending on the food in the dish, the total cooking time, and the amount of alcohol added will still leave anywhere from 4 to 85% of the alcohol in the food.

Will the stew have a strong beer taste?

The longer the stew is cooked with the beer in it the stronger the flavor of the beer will be. So, if you are not fond of the taste of beer start with a smaller amount and increase it as you taste. I have never noticed the taste of beer or wine in a dish as it just blends into the wonderful overall taste.

🍲Best Beef And Beer Stew - Love French Food

Name: Beef And Beer Stew or Beef Carbonnade
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: PT-480064H55M46S
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2½ pounds (1.3kg) beef skirt steak, flank steak, stewing meat (which is often already cut up into pieces, or any cheap cut; 2 tablespoon olive oil; 8 ounce onions, roughly chopped; 1 clove of garlic; half a pint dark beer, a Guinness is good, I ran out so in the ingredient photo I show a light beer 🤭; bouquet garni, usually of parsley, bay leaf, thyme, but we are adding celery to this one; ½ teaspoon salt and pepper add more if you like; 2 tablespoon sugar; 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon plain flour; 1 tablespoon butter

Description

Beef carbonnade as it is sometimes called, is a delicious dish of beef steak cooked in beer which gives it a very tasty sauce or gravy.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 1/2 pounds (1.3kg) beef skirt steak, flank steak, stewing meat (which is often already cut up into pieces, or any cheap cut
2 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounce onions, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic
half a pint dark beer, a Guinness is good, I ran out so in the ingredient photo I show a light beer 🤭
bouquet garni, usually of parsley, bay leaf, thyme, but we are adding celery to this one
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper add more if you like

Sauce

2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

For Thickening Sauce (Optional)

1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon butter

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Instructions

Cut the beef into thick strips about 1½ to 2 inches long.
Heat the oil or fat in a heavy bottomed pan and seal the beef strips by searing for a few minutes on each side.
When all are sealed, place on a warm plate.
Soften the onions in a pan for a few minutes without browning them.
At this point you can switch to a Dutch oven or a slow cooker or crock pot, by moving the onions and fat over.
Put the meat in.
Add the beer and, if needed, add some water to cover the meat.
Season with salt and black pepper and add the bouquet garni. (See notes.)
Cover with a lid and bring to boiling point. At this stage you can either reduce the heat and simmer for an hour on top of the stove (cooker) or place in a moderate oven for an hour until cooked.

How To Make The Sauce

Ten minutes before serving time, heat the vinegar with the sugar in a small saucepan until it bubbles and forms a dark caramel.
Stir in two tablespoons of boiling water.
Remove bouquet garni from stew.
Then add sauce to the pan, this gives it a good color and taste.
Add the butter to the stew and stir well.
If you want the stew thicker, massage the flour and butter together to make a roux by stirring into the stew, which will make it smoother.

Notes

What Is A Bouquet garni? Traditionally made of parsley, bay leaf, and thyme, but we are adding celery to this one, then tied or as I always do place in a nylon net bag (I save my onion or garlic bags from the grocery store) to keep the contents contained and easier to remove.

What Is A Roux? It is a combined ball of fat (often butter) and flour that will be added to the liquid of a recipe that is hot. Adding flour to thicken sauce on its own would result in lumpy results which would be difficult to smooth out. But, the fat combined with the flour to form a roux will prevent the starch in the flour from lumping and produce a lovely smooth sauce.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 hours
Category: dinner
Method: stove top
Cuisine: French