Carbonade flamande
Carbonade flamande is Belgium's answer to boeuf bourguignon, only instead of wine there is dark beer, and instead of flour a slice of bread spread with mustard, which breaks down as it cooks and thickens the sauce. Add plenty of onions and a spoonful of dark syrup or sugar to balance the beer's bitterness. The sauce comes out dark, thick and sweet-bitter, quite unlike wine-based stews. It is usually served with chips, sometimes with boiled potatoes.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Preparation 15 min
- Browning 25 min
- Stewing 150 min
- Thickening 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the meat
Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes, pat dry with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper. Dry meat browns properly.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Brown the meat
Heat the oil with half the butter in a wide heavy pot (about 26 cm) and fry the meat in batches for 4 minutes, until deep brown all over. Move each batch to a plate — do not crowd the pot or the meat will steam.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Deep browning flavours the whole sauce.Soften the onions
Add the remaining butter and the sliced onions. Fry for 12–15 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Half a kilo of onions — they replace the roux.Add the beer
Pour in the beer and scrape the base of the pot with a wooden spoon — that is where the flavour is. Add the sugar, vinegar, thyme and bay leaves.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Add the bread
Return the meat to the pot. Spread the slice of bread thickly with mustard and lay it on top, mustard side down.
Ingredients: 1 pcs slice of white bread · 2 tbsp strong mustard
The mustard bread dissolves into the sauce.Stew
Cover and stew over low heat for 2.5 hours (or in the oven at 150°C), until the meat falls apart under a fork. Stir after an hour, breaking up the bread; if the meat still resists after 2.5 hours, carry on, checking every 20 minutes.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Thicken the sauce
Remove the thyme and bay leaves. If the sauce is thin, boil it uncovered for 10 minutes until it thickens and coats the meat.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Season and serve
Taste and balance: a pinch of sugar if the beer is too bitter, a few drops of vinegar if the sauce is flat. Serve with chips or potatoes.
Ingredients: 800 g stewing beef (shoulder, chuck) · 30 g butter · 1 tbsp rapeseed oil · 500 g onions · 500 ml dark beer (dubbel, brune, porter) · 1 tbsp dark brown sugar or beet syrup · 1 tbsp red wine vinegar · 3 pcs thyme sprigs · 2 pcs bay leaves · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Before you start
Which beer
Belgian dark abbey beer (dubbel) or brune is best. A Baltic porter works too, but use it half and half with water — on its own it can be too strong and bitter. Avoid heavily hopped beers such as IPA, as the bitterness concentrates.
Better the next day
Like most stews, carbonade improves after a night in the fridge. Reheat slowly, covered, with a splash of water.
Storage
It keeps 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer. Reheat to a simmer so the sauce comes back together.
