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Beef Carbonnade Stew

Beef carbonnade stew is Belgian comfort food braised until the chuck turns tender and the broth turns deep mahogany from dark beer. You’ll caramelize onions, sear the beef, then simmer low and covered for a rich, hearty stew with a thickened, glossy sauce.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Belgian
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef chuck
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck cut into 2-inch cubes
Onions
  • 3 onions large, thinly sliced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
Dark Belgian ale or stout beer
  • 2 cup dark Belgian ale or stout beer
Beef broth
  • 2 cup beef broth
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
Bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
Vegetable oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
All-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Crusty bread for serving
  • 1 crusty bread for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sear the beef
  1. Season beef with salt and pepper, then add vegetable oil to a Dutch oven and sear over high heat until deeply browned. You should see dark, crisped edges on the cubes before removing them.
Caramelize the onions
  1. Cook onions in the same Dutch oven over medium heat for 20-25 minutes until very soft and golden. Stir until the onions look jammy and deep golden.
Build the stew base
  1. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Keep it moving so it doesn’t brown.
  2. Whisk in all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute. The mixture should look slightly thickened, not raw.
  3. Deglaze with dark Belgian ale or stout beer, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom of the pot. The browned fond should dissolve into the liquid.
Braise until tender
  1. Add beef broth, tomato paste, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, bay leaves, and the beef to the Dutch oven. Stir to coat the meat and onions evenly.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and braise for 2 hours until the beef is very tender. Look for gentle bubbling and meat that breaks apart easily with a spoon.
Finish and serve
  1. Remove bay leaves and fresh thyme, then season the stew to taste with salt and pepper. The final flavor should be balanced and the sauce should cling to the meat.
  2. Serve the beef carbonnade stew with crusty bread for dipping. Serve hot so the bread absorbs the thick, malty broth.

Notes

Pro tip: After searing the beef, let the onions fully caramelize until very golden—this is where much of the stew’s sweet depth comes from. Store in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is yes—freeze cooled stew up to 3 months. For a lighter option, use low-sodium beef broth and reduce the amount of added salt to taste.