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–+ servings
Browned meat chunks in thick gravy with white potatoes, butter, and parsley.

Flemish Stew: Beef And Beer Stew or Beef Carbonnade

Judith Coates
Flemish Stew or 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.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine French
Servings 6

Equipment

  • Dutch oven heavy-bottomed pot
  • crockpot

Ingredients

  • 2½ lb beef skirt steak flank steak, stewing meat (which is often already cut up into pieces, or any cheap cut)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 oz onions roughly chopped
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup dark beer Guinness is good.
  • 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

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

For Thickening Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon plain flour
  • 1 tablespoon butter

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. Then add them to the pot you will use to cook the stew further.
  • Brown the meat in the pan next, to sear the edges.
  • Add the beef to the pot and deglaze the pan with water, then add to the pot.
  • 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 and stir into the stew, which will make it smooth.

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 mixture of fat (often butter) and flour that begin the cooking. 
  • This is a good recipe to use cheaper cuts of beef as the beer and cooking time will make the meat tender.

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Nutrition

Calories: 467kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 39gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 352mgPotassium: 579mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 98IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 3mg
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