What’s Better Than Beef Stew? This Carbonnade Beef Stew Recipe With Belgian Beer, Beef, and Onions (2024)

FAQs

What is the best Belgian beer for beef carbonnade? ›

The beer for Carbonnade is important, but there are a number of beers you can use. The classic choice of beer for Carbonnade is a Flanders Brown ale such as Liefmans Goudenband or Vander Ghinste Oud Bruin. It can also be made with a Flanders Red ale like Rodenbach or duch*esse De Bourgogne.

Cooking with beer gives your food a deeper and earthier flavor. It is perfect for dishes like soup, stew, chili, and even baked goods. You can use it in just about any cooking technique like braising, deglazing, marinating, simmering, baking, and more.

Vegetables: small chopped carrots, celery, and onion or shallot practically melt into the sauce. Mushrooms: button mushrooms are a nod to the quartered mushrooms many classic beef stew recipes call for, but are thinly sliced instead of being left in bigger pieces. Garlic: minced garlic brings lots of cozy flavor.

For beef stews, we really like using porters. These beers tend to have a lot of caramelized and toasted malt flavors that work very well with slow-cooked meat, but without going into the coffee-like bitterness of many stouts.

The great thing with Belgian Ales is that most of them have some level of sweetness, which will pair great with the sweetness in this dish. I tried both Red Chimay (Dubbel) and Blue Chimay (Belgian Dark Strong) with the Carbonnade and, although both were good in their own way, Andrew and I both preferred the blue.

Belgian beer is generally yeastier and higher in alcohol content than beers in other countries. Belgians take their beers as seriously as the French do their wines. You'll find beers corked and wired like a bottle of Champagne, and some beers will mature in the bottle up to six years.

One of the most effective ways to cook with beer, however, is to use it as a tenderizing marinade. Beer contains enzymes that help break down tough fibers in meat, making it more tender and flavorful at the same time.

All beers have certain enzymes that have the potential to tenderize a tough cut of meat. However, not all beers are created equal, Light beer does not add a lot of flavor to the meat. Heavy, dark beers add a little too much, often bitter.

The Basics

Beer adds a rich, earthy flavor to soups and stews that makes them taste like they've been simmering for hours. Beers with a sweet or nutty taste can add depth to desserts. And don't worry about getting drunk – virtually all of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.

After you brown the meat and cook your aromatics, simply stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste and heat it gently to amplify its flavors before continuing with your recipe—it's a budget-friendly, simple trick that makes all the difference.

What gives beef stew depth of flavor? ›

Aromatics. Like rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. The base of the stew also uses onion and garlic for the best depth of flavor. I prefer to use fresh herbs when I can (though I haven't been able to find a fresh bay leaf in years), but include notes in the recipe to substitute dried herbs.

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

Belgian Ale for Carbonnade Beef Stew

Belgium produces great ales, and for this recipe, a Belgian dubbel — one that's dark with a malty sweetness — works really well. It's the style typically used in a carbonnade.

Stews tend to be intensely flavoured with a rich thick sauce so you could argue that you need a big wine to hold its own. But that can be overwhelming. I prefer a slightly lighter more rustic red - grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Malbec and Tempranillo hit the spot for me.

Porter: Another type of ale, porters are medium-bodied with a cocoa-like sweetness. They're also medium hoppy, so less bitter than a pale ale and less sweet than a brown ale. They are very dark-colored and often look black. Use porter in recipes that feature pork, beef, chili or stew, and for baking and batters.

Ale: Red ales (something like Smithwicks; Killian's is actually a stateside invention) are malty and mildly sweet — a good pair for corned beef or shepherd's pie (or, frankly, a full Irish breakfast, but we won't encourage that).

Duvel. This strong, golden ale is brewed with a unique yeast strain that gives it a distinctive flavor. It's been brewed since 1923 and is now popular worldwide. Duvel is a highly acclaimed Belgian strong golden ale known for its exceptional taste and complexity.

However, not all beers are created equal, Light beer does not add a lot of flavor to the meat. Heavy, dark beers add a little too much, often bitter. The best sort of beer to soak your meat in would be an amber or nut brown ale, not too light and tasteless but not too dark and bitter.