Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade Flamande)

This Flemish Beef and Beer Stew, most commonly shortened as “Carbonnade”, is the stew of choice in Belgium as well as the North of France. With plenty of beef chunks, caramelized onions, brown ale and the inclusion of brown sugar, this dish has a distinct sweet and salty taste that makes it stand out from the crowd. Its rich glistening gravy and fork-tender beef chunks are pure comfort food, and makes it a perfect dish to indulge in during the cold season.

The Origin of the dish.

You can assuredly feel the strong influence of Belgian Flanders in this dish, with the brown ale being used to braise the meat, instead of wine, as is usually done in the rest of French Cuisine, in the famous Beef Bourguignon for instance. The Flemish region – straddling the Franco-Belgian border – is worldwide famous for its breweries and ales – which are very often used in the local cooking repertoire.

Just like in Belgium, the Carbonnade is a very popular dish in French Flanders and you can find it served in most “Estaminets” – the name given to the local bistros that serve typical regional food and drink, in the North of France. A traditional Carbonnade is made with brown ale, beef and brown sugar. But you can find different local twists on it – like rabbit replacing beef, and local speculoos cookies being crumbled into the sauce, as a substitute for traditional brown sugar. In fact, you can find a version of a Rabbit and Speculoos Carbonnade recipe in my cookbook, “Rustic French Cooking Made Easy”.

Tips for Success:

The Beef

As with any beef stew, perhaps the most important step is to start with the right cut of beef. For a Carbonnade, choose collagen-rich cuts (known as “stewing beef”) such as shank, sirloin tip, chuck roast, and blade.

Stay away from pre-packaged chunks, which tend to turn chewy once cooked. Instead, choose one or a few large pieces (2 1/2 pounds total), and then cut them into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes. Try to stay true to this cut size, as the cubes will shrink slightly as they cook. Go any smaller and they won’t hold up to the hours of stewing.

The Maillard Reaction

Another key to a great Carbonnade is the proper browning of the beef. Browning occurs over medium-high heat, where the beef proteins melt with sugar to create new molecules responsible for roasted aromas and flavors. This process, called the Maillard reaction, is essential to build flavor in a stew. Do not rush this step – it is well worth it. Work in several smallish batches. Do not overcrowd the pan, and ensure the beef cubes bear a brown crust on both sides before starting another batch.

The beef pieces will render juice as they cook, but if there is enough space between the them, the juice will evaporate correctly. If the pieces are too close together, the juice will surround and boil them, resulting in greyish and rubbery beef cubes. Also, always resist the urge to stir the meat as it cooks. The piece will likely stick at first and come off once browned.

What beer to choose for a Carbonnade?

A Fleminsh Carbonnade relies on brown ale to build a rich, sweet and salty gravy. Traditional recipes call for a deep Belgian Trappist Ale, such as a Dubbel or a stronger Tripel, if you want to build a darker, more intense gravy. 

These Belgian Trappist ales are dark brown in colour, with subtle bitterness and fairly heavy, round bodies which makes them perfect for cooking rich, earthy stews. They have a great cereal character and sweet, caramel-like malty notes which will show well in the Carbonnade – giving it that distinct sweet and salty appeal.

My suggestions are:

• Dubbels: Westmalle Dubbel, Chimay Premiere , La Trappe Dubbel, Rochefort 6.
• Tripels: Westmalle Tripel, Chimay White, La Trappe Tripel, Achel 8.

Belgian Trappist ales are usually fairly strong (6%-8% ABV), but don’t worry – most of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.

The pot

To achieve this stew, you will need a heavy bottomed Dutch-oven (about 6-quartz) that can go from the stove top to the oven.

The timing

A Carbonnade is a big dish best suited for weekends, when you can devote a few hours to being home. This is a simple recipe that requires minimal effort and prepping, but the stew cooks for 2 1/2 hours, so plan accordingly.

But do know it is even better when reheated the next day, as the flavors meld and improve overnight in the fridge.

Serving

In Flanders, a Carbonnade will typically be served with French fries on the side. I personally love to serve it with boiled baby carrots, and/or boiled potatoes or egg noodles.

Summary of cooking tips:

• Use a heavy bottomed Dutch-oven (about 6-quartz). 
• For the beef, choose a collagen-rich cut such as shank, sirloin tip, chuck roast, and blade. Cut it into 1 1/2 to 2-inch cubes. Do not rush the browning of the beef. 
• For the beer, choose a Belgian Trappist ale, such as a Dubbel or a Trippel. 

I hope you’ll love this Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade Flamande) recipe as much as I do! If you have any questions, please leave a comment. 

More French Stews & Braised Meats to enjoy:

• Creamy French Tarragon Chicken
• Beer-braised Spiced Pork Shanks
• Shallots and Bacon Chicken Fricassee
• Classic French Beef Bourguignon
• Classic French Coq Au Vin  Rouge
• Classic French Coq Au Vin Blanc
• Chicken Chasseur (Classic French Hunter’s Chicken) 
• Braised Rabbit with Prunes (Lapin aux Pruneaux) 

Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade Flamande)

Print Recipe

Serves: 6-8 people Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs (1.14kg) chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces (or other stewing beef cut - see above notes)
Salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste
4 tbsp (56g) butter, divided
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch thick half rounds
3 garlic cloves, peeled, left whole but lightly crushed 
3 tbsp (23g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (12 oz bottle) Belgian Trappist Ale
1 (250ml) cup beef stock
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 ½  tbsp (18.75g) dark brown sugar

Instructions

Step 1 - Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towel and season them well with salt and black pepper. Let rest to near room temperature for about 30-45 minutes prior to starting cooking. 

Step 2 - On the stove top over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch-oven. Working in batches, add the beef cubes and brown them, about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcrowd or overlap any meat cubes or they won’t brown properly. It should take about 3 to 4 batches to brown 2 ½ lbs of beef.  Transfer the browned beef to a separate bowl. 

Pre-heat your oven to 325F (163C) with a rack in the middle.

Step 3 - Lower the heat to medium, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the Dutch-oven to melt, and add the sliced onions and garlic. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. 

Step 4 - Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes until the onions are evenly coated and the flour starts to brown. This cooks the "rawness" out of the flour.

Step 5 - Pour in the brown ale and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, brown sugar, browned beef cubes and stir to combine. The liquid should almost cover all the beef cubes. 

Cover with the lid and place in the oven. Let cook for 2 hours, until the beef is fork tender. 

Before serving, adjust seasoning if needed and discard of the thyme and bay leaves.