Slow-braised beef with onions, dark beer, mustard and thyme in the Flemish carbonnade tradition.
Carbonnade flamande is a Belgian beef stew built around deeply browned onions and beer rather than wine. The finished sauce should be glossy, savory and gently sweet-sour.
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- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total
- 2 hours 55 minutes
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Cuisine
- Belgian / Flemish
The recipe
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Ingredients
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
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 colored.
-
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.
Chef’s 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.
Serve with
Belgian fries, boiled potatoes or bread
Storage
Cool quickly and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently until piping hot throughout. The flavor often deepens overnight.
Allergens
Contains gluten, mustard and milk. Beer contains alcohol and gluten unless specifically labeled otherwise.
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