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Beef Carbonnade Stew

Beef carbonnade stew with Belgian beer-braised beef and caramelized onions, simmered until meltingly tender in a deep mahogany sauce. The ale deglazes the fond for rich malty depth, thickened with flour and served with crusty bread.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Belgian
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and aromatics
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck
  • 3 onions
  • 4 garlic
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
Stew base
  • 2 cup dark Belgian ale or stout beer
  • 2 cup beef broth
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 fresh thyme Use leaves from 2 sprigs (or keep sprigs whole).
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
To finish and serve
  • 1 crusty bread For serving.
  • salt and pepper To taste.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sear and brown the beef
  1. Season the beef chuck cubes with salt and pepper, then heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Sear the beef until deeply browned, then remove to a plate.
  2. Keep all the browned bits in the Dutch oven after removing the beef so they can flavor the sauce during deglazing.
Caramelize the onions
  1. Cook the thinly sliced onions in the Dutch oven over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden.
  2. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant but not browned.
Build the sauce and braise
  1. Whisk in the all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
  2. Pour in the dark Belgian ale or stout beer and deglaze, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
  3. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, bay leaves, and the browned beef. Bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and braise for 2 hours until the beef is very tender.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove the bay leaves and thyme, then taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
  2. Serve the beef carbonnade stew hot with crusty bread on the side.

Notes

For the best texture, brown the beef in batches so the pan stays hot and you get deep color; scrape up the fond thoroughly when deglazing. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; reheat gently. Freezing is yes—cool completely before freezing up to 3 months. For a gluten-reduced option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour.