Belgium Beef, Beer and Onion Stew - Restuarant Quality Food at Home

Growing up in Belgium about 15 minutes outside of Brussels in famous Waterloo, I was given the opportunity to experience all of the beauty and food that Belgium had to offer. Belgium is a country with beautiful cities that are filled with great restaurants and bars, serving country comfort food that has expansive and deep flavors.

Probably my favorite dish of all and now of my younger son, is Carbonnade à la flamande; or what we call Belgium Beef, Beer and Onion Stew. I don’t want to scare the young lad with a crazy name and drive him from not trying it.

One of the great things about this dish is that each restaurant or bar puts their own spin on this dish. I as well in the non-purist form of the dish, have made my own changes to increase the depth of the flavor and taste. Lets take a look at how to put this easy dish together that will blow your family and friends away.

• 3 1/2 - 4 lbs Chuck Roast
• 1 lb Sliced Bacon
• 2 Large Yellow Onions Sliced
• 1/4 lbs of Bella Mushrooms
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• 3-4 Fresh sprigs of Thyme
• 4 Tbsp of butter
• 1 1/2 cups of Beef Broth
• 12 oz of Belgium Beer (Recommend - The Chimay Blue Cap)
• 1 Tbsp of Dijon
• 1 Tbs of Brown Sugar

Take chuck roast and cut into 1-inch cubes, pat the pieces dry with a paper towel and season the meat well with salt and pepper. Next take bacon slices and cut into 1-inch strips. Heat your Dutch oven or large pan and add the bacon to the pan. Cook the bacon until it is cooked but not crisp and then remove it.

Now you are ready to add your meat. If you dont have a large enough cooking surface, cook the meat in batches to ensure you get a nice sear on the meat and then remove it once it is cooked. While cooking the meat use tongs instead of a spatula to move the meat around. Repeat this until all of your meat is browned. Leave all of your scrapings and burnt remnants on the bottom of the pan.

Now with an empty pot, add your butter, onions and mushrooms to the pan and cook until the onions are slightly browned. Once the onions are browned, sprinkle the onions and mushrooms with flour and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Now come the liquids. Add your Chimay (or other beer) to the pot and scrape the bottom and sides, add beef broth, thyme, bay leafs, bacon and meat back to the pot. Stir well and taste at this point to see how your dish is seasoned. Add salt and pepper as necessary for taste.

At this point, you can either finish your dish on simmer over the stove for a few hours or move to the oven at 325 degrees F. Every 30 miniutes or so, give it a stir to ensure the food is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After your house has been filled with an amazing aroma over the last few hours, we are ready to finish this dish up! Prior to serving add brown sugar and Dijon to the dish, stir well and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes. We are now ready to serve the dish up.

This would go well with my Perfect French Fries, mash potatoes or even over egg noodles. Each combination provides a different taste and finish to the meal. Personally, make those french fries and give me a large scoop of Beef, Beer and Onion Stew. I hope you all enjoy this one. Absolutely one of my favorite dishes, and my young lad too!