Flemish Beef And Beer Recipes

BEER-BRAISED BEEF AND ONIONS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper, bay leaves and paprika. Toss meat to coat, then cover, refrigerate and marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large (8-quart) Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, brown beef on two sides until dark and crusty, transferring to a bowl when browned (reserve bay leaves). As you cook, add more oil and adjust heat if necessary to prevent burning.
• When all the meat is browned, add onions to the empty pot and return the heat to medium-high if you lowered it. Cook, stirring and scraping up the brown coating on the bottom of the pan as the onions release their liquid.
• Continue cooking until onions are deeply golden brown and soft, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, make a bouquet garni by tying thyme, parsley and reserved bay leaves together with kitchen string (or just throw them in the pot and warn your guests not to eat them).
• Push the onions to the sides, then add tomato paste, coriander and cinnamon to the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, until paste is darkened and fragrant. Stir in flour, cook another minute, then add stock, beer, 1 cup water and bouquet garni. Return beef and any juices in the bowl to the pot, bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning it over halfway through.
• If the sauce seems thin, remove the meat with a slotted spoon; cover with foil to keep warm. Return pot with liquid to stove and simmer until thickened to taste, 5 to 10 minutes. Return the meat to pot and stir to heat through. Serve from the pot or a platter. Garnish with chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, pepper and paprika. Serve with mustard on the side.

FLEMISH BEEF AND BEER STEW (CARBONNADE FLAMANDE)

Steps:

• Step 1 - Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towel and season them well with salt and black pepper. Let rest to near room temperature for about 30-45 minutes prior to starting cooking.
• Step 2 - On the stove top over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch-oven. Working in batches, add the beef cubes and brown them, about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcrowd or overlap any meat cubes or they won't brown properly. It should take about 3 to 4 batches to brown 2 ½ lbs of beef. Transfer the browned beef to a separate bowl.
• Pre-heat your oven to 325F (163C) with a rack in the middle.
• Step 3 - Lower the heat to medium, add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the Dutch-oven to melt, and add the sliced onions and garlic. Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized.
• Step 4 - Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes until the onions are evenly coated and the flour starts to brown. This cooks the "rawness" out of the flour.
• Step 5 - Pour in the brown ale and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the beef stock, thyme, bay leaves, brown sugar, browned beef cubes and stir to combine. The liquid should almost cover all the beef cubes.
• Cover with the lid and place in the oven. Let cook for 2 hours, until the beef is fork tender.
• Before serving, adjust seasoning if needed and discard of the thyme and bay leaves.

FLEMISH BEEF AND BEER STEW

Steps:

• Cut beef into 1/2-inch slices; cut slices into 2-inch strips.
• Cut bacon into 1/4-inch pieces; fry in Dutch oven until crisp.
• Remove bacon with slotted spoon; drain.
• Pour off fat and reserve.
• Cook and stir onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat until onion is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Remove onions.
• Cook and stir beef in remaining bacon fat until brown, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in flour to coat beef; gradually stir in water.
• Add onions, beer, bay leaf, brown sugar, salt, thyme and pepper.
• Add just enough water to cover beef if necessary.
• Heat to boiling; reduce heat.
• Cover and simmer until beef is tender-1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove bay leaf.
• Stir in vinegar; sprinkle with bacon and parsley.
• If you prefer, you can brown the beef and cook the bacon first, then put everything in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low and it turns out just about as well!

FLEMISH BEEF AND BEER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325*F.
• Heat half of the oil in an 11-inch saute pan. Add the onion and the garlic and saute over medium heat until transparent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Transfer the sauteed vegetables to a small bowl with a slotted spoot.
• Trim any fat from the meat and cut the meat into cubes; Dredge the meat in the flour mixed with the salt and pepper. Add the remaining oil to the pan (you may need to add a bit more) and brown the meat well on all sides.
• Place the meat on the bottom of an 11x7-inch glass baking dish and spread the sauteed vegetables over the top.
• Sprinkle with the parsley, nutmey, thyme, and bay leaf.
• Pour in the beer and sprinkle brown sugar over all.
• Cover and bake for 2-1/2 - 3 hours or until the meat is tender.