Chef-tested recipe
Slow-braised beef with onions, dark beer, mustard and thyme in the Flemish carbonnade tradition.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Prep Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time
- 2 hours 55 minutes
- Cuisine
- Belgian / Flemish
- Course
- Main Dish
- Cooking Method
- Braising
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Belgian fries, boiled potatoes or bread
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Ingredients
- 1,000 g beef chuck, cut into 4 cm pieces
- 500 g onions, sliced
- 35 g unsalted butter
- 20 ml neutral oil paid link
- 660 ml dark Belgian ale
- 300 ml beef stock
- 70 g rustic bread
- 25 g Dijon mustard
- 15 g brown sugar paid link
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 3 g dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 g fine salt paid link
- 3 g black pepper
Method
Season the beef. Brown it in batches in the butter and oil, then remove.
Lower the heat and cook the onions for 12–15 minutes until soft and well coloured.
Return the beef. Add beer, stock, sugar, vinegar, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a gentle simmer.
Spread the bread with mustard and place it mustard-side down on the stew. Cover and braise gently for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally as the bread dissolves.
Uncover for the final 20–30 minutes if the sauce needs reducing. Adjust seasoning and acidity before serving.
Beginner Technique Notes
- Use a dark, malty beer rather than an aggressively bitter one.
- Brown beef in batches so it sears rather than steams.
- The sauce should coat the meat without becoming pasty.
Substitutions
- A Belgian-style dubbel or another dark malty ale works well.
- Unsalted chicken stock can replace beef stock if needed.
Storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently until piping hot throughout. The flavour often deepens overnight.
Allergen Notes
Contains gluten, mustard and milk. Beer contains alcohol and gluten unless specifically labelled otherwise.
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