Carbonade Flamande (Traditional Flemish beef stew)

This one is a delicious slow cooked beef stewed in beer. The smoked bacon is not in the traditional recipe but it’s good. Don’t add it if you want the real deal.

• 🍳 Cook time: 4-8 hours
• 🍽️ Servings: 4

Ingredients

• beef (chuck, brisket, oxtail…): 1kg | 2 1/4lb
• gingerbread: 5 slices
• brown sugar: 1tbsp
• brown beer (try to get a strong, tasty one): 1L | 4 cups
• onions: 400g | 1lb
• diced smoked bacon: 250g | 1/2lb (optional)
• mustard
• butter
• olive oil
• thyme
• cloves (not garlic cloves, just cloves): 5
• juniper berries: 5
• bay leaves: 2

Directions

1. Cut meat into big chunks
2. Dice onions
3. Sear the meat on high heat in a large stainless or cast iron pot until golden brown, using olive oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot. Meanwhile, start sweating the onions in a pan, with the butter, and the smoked bacon.
4. Set meat aside, deglaze the pot with a bit of beer, put in the onions, bacons and the brown sugar.
5. Once the sugar is melted and the pot is deglazed properly, put the meat back in.
6. Pour the rest of the beer into the pot.
7. Toast the slices of gingerbread with a bit of mustard, put in the pot.
8. Add thyme, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries
9. Add salt.
10. Let it simmer for 4 to 8 hours. Check on it regularly and add water if you feel like the sauce is too thick and you need to cook it longer.
11. Serve with a nice mashed potato.