Also known as Flemish Beef Stew.
Each country has it’s signature stew or dish and, unsurprisingly, this Belgian stew is made with beer.
Notes:
This is a long slow cook and will produce fabulously tender, melt-in-the-mouth meat. This first 4 hour cook can be done in a slow cooker on low and if your slow cooker can manage 2 stage cooking, the entire cook can be done in it.
This stew works really well with the cooking being done over 2 days. Cook for the first 4 hours then cool rapidly in the casserole dish. Place into fridge till the next day then reheat and continue the last 2 hour cook before serving.
The beer will change the characteristic of the stew. Avoid using lager. I would normally use Newcastle Brown Ale, Stout or Guinness but use whatever you have to hand and adjust any additional bitterness by adding a little more sugar at the end of the cooking and just before serving.
You may prefer the stew thicker, in which case, place stew on top of stove & thicken with flour/water mix or alternatively boil on top of stove (without thickening) for an extra 5 minutes but watch this constantly as it catches and burns easily. The problem here is if you keep stirring it, the meat is so tender it may disintegrate – shaking the pot may help it to stop sticking and/or burning.
| 1kg | Beef stewing meat, shin or chuck | |
| Allspice, ground | shake | |
| Salt & pepper | ||
| Carrots, cubes | 2 carrots | |
| Onions, chopped | 2 onions | |
| Flour, plain | 1 tbl | |
| 300gr | Beer | |
| 300gr | Beef stock | |
| Sugar | 1 tsp | |
| Worcestershire sauce | 1 tsp | |
| Thyme, fresh leaves | 1/2 tbl | |
| Bayleaves | 2 leaves |
Heat frying pan and spray with sunflower oil.
Cut stewing steak into large 2” cubes
Sprinkle both sides with salt and one side with a small, light shake of allspice
Fry in oil to brown and fry for 5 minutes and place into casserole dish
Fry onion in frying pan for 5 mins scraping up from bottom. Then add carrots and fry for a further 5 minutes
Add tomato paste and fry gently for another 2 minutes
Sprinkle over flour and fry for 2 minutes
Add beer, stock, sugar, worcestershire sauce, thyme and bayleaves and simmer for 2 minutes
Add beer sauce into meat in casserole dish
Add another sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste
Cover casserole dish and bake at 110degC FAN (120degC conventional) for 4 hours
Increase heat to 150degC and bake for another 2 hours
Serve with buttery mashed potato, buttered noodles or dumplings and boiled peas or steamed brocolli.
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