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Belgian Beef Carbonnade

Prep Time:  45-60 mins.

     Cook Time:  2 hours

     Serves:  8

Back in the 1980s, it wasn’t easy finding a good dark beer to set off the dish’s sweet-sour character. These days we have the opposite problem—how to decide which one to choose!

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon
  • 3 lbs. beef chuck roast, cut into very large chunks
  • 6 cups sliced onions
  • 1½ Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 2 cups stout, porter or bock beer*
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
  • Hot buttered noodles
  • Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

  1. Fry bacon in large, heavy skillet. Drain on paper towels; coarsely chop it. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from pan; set aside.
  2. Dry beef with paper towels; season with salt and pepper. Heat skillet again over medium-high flame then deep-brown the beef chunks in batches, removing each batch to a heavy, oven-safe pot. Use additional fat as required for each batch.
  3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Heat a little more fat in skillet over medium-low flame. Add onions and cook slowly, stirring often, until limp and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in garlic during last 5 minutes. Add mixture to the beef in pot.
  4. Raise heat under skillet, stir in beer and bring to simmer, scraping bits from bottom. Stir in brown sugar, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to low simmer then stir into beef-onion mixture.
  5. Cover tightly, place in oven and bake until meat is very tender, 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours.
  6. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes (or cool and refrigerate overnight). Skim fat from surface. Return to simmer on top of stove. Combine cornstarch and vinegar; stir into stew to thicken it. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over noodles, garnished with parsley and reserved bacon.

Notes

Suggestions Not sure which beer to choose? Check out "Embrace the Darkness: Pair Up with Porter" to learn more about the range of flavor profiles found in this one type of beer.