Belgian beef stew {stoofvlees, carbonnade Flamande}

Slowly baking in the oven or crockpot, and it smells great in the house. Tender meat stewed in beer that melts on your tongue. A delicious flavor combination with salty fries.

I understand why this Belgian beef stew with fries is so tasty. At my house, the last bit was scraped off the pan. The recipe is fully approved!

Two titles, one recipe

In Belgium, you've got two regions: Flemish and Walloon. In the first region, they speak Flemish (which sounds like Dutch), and in Walloon, they speak French.

And therefore this recipe is pronounced in two different ways: stoofvlees (as called in the Flemish region) and Carbonnade Flamande (the French part). But they've got one thing in common. This Belgian beef stew is served in restaurants and friteries in the whole of Belgium.

🥘 Ingredients

A full list of ingredients can be found at the bottom of this post in the recipe card.

• Onions: Use two large onions, they give a lot of flavor to the dish. Cut them finely.
• Chuck roast: It's got a great balance of meat and fat and is therefore delicious to use in a stew. Slice the chuck roast in 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm) cubes.
• Dark beer: If you can lay your hand on it use a Belgium Ale or a Belgian style Ale (as it is a Belgian beef stew). If you can't find them you can substitute it with Newcastle Brown Ale or Anchor steam).
• Bay leaves, thyme, mustard, and cloves. Spices for extra flavor.
• Apple butter: This makes the dish sweet. If you don't have apple butter you can substitute it with red currant jelly.
• Bread: The bread will soak all the flavors and fall apart. This will thicken the sauce.
• Vinegar: The sour will make the meat more tender and it gives a little bit of flavor to the sauce (because otherwise, it would be too sweet).

🔪 How to prepare a Belgian beef stew

The full recipe in easy steps can be found down below in the recipe card.

Step 1 Start with the preparations. Slice the onions finely. Cut the roast in 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm) cubes. Smear mustard on the slices of bread. If you prepare this dish in the oven, preheat it to 285 degrees Fahrenheit (140 degrees Celsius).

Step 2 Bake some of the ingredients for more flavor. To enhance the flavors we bake the ingredients in a pan. First, melt the butter and add the onions. Bake for 3 minutes. Take them out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the cubes of meat and bake them until they're brown on all sides. Also, take them out of the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the beer to the pan and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon, so you get all scraps and flavors. Turn of the heat.

Step 3 Load the crockpot (or casserole dish). Put the onions on the bottom and then add the meat. Pour the beer juice into the dish. Then add the apple butter, water, sprigs of thyme, clove, and bay leaves.

Take the slices of bread and put them on top of the meat (mustard side down). Put a lid on the casserole and bake in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the lid and bake for another hour.

When preparing in the slowcooker turn on on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.

FAQ

• To get the most flavor fry the onions and meat in a pan. Then add some beer to soak all the flavors that are left behind. Put all of that in the dish.
• Use Belgian Ale or Belgian style Ale if you can buy it. Substitute with a dark beer if you can't. But to keep it close to the original Belgian beef stew recipe a Belgian Ale is the best.
• You can use red currant jelly instead of apple butter.
• The vinegar is used to tender the meat and give just a tiny bit of sour flavor to the sauce.
• You can substitute the butter with oil, but the butter will give a more creamy texture.
• The stew is topped with slices of bread. They will soak all the flavors and then fall apart. This will thicken the sauce.

• Leftover Belgian beef stew can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
• You can freeze this stew in an airtight container for up to two months.

🥘  Other delicious recipes

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Belgian beef stew {stoofvlees, carbonnade Flamande}

For this Belgian beef stew (stoofvlees) you'll only need a few simple ingredients. But they do give such a lot of flavor! The roast, which is stewed in beer, melts on your tongue. And you serve this recipe with the traditional Flemish fries. This stew is one of the traditional snack bar recipes in Belgium.

5 of 17 votes

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Servings 4 persons

Course: dinner

Cuisine Belgium

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Stew: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• 750 gram chuck roast
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• 50 grams butter
• 2 onions
• 500 ml dark beer
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons apple butter
• 1 clove
• 2 slices bread

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preparation

• Slice the onion finely.
• Cut the chuck roast into cubes 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm).
• Smear the slices of bread with the mustard (one side)
• When preparing in the oven: Preheat the oven to 285 degrees Fahrenheit (140 degrees Celsius).
• Put a frying pan on low heat and melt the butter.
• Bake the onions for 3 minutes. Take them out of the pan with a slotted spoon
• Put an ovenproof Dutch oven on the stove over low heat and melt the butter.
• Add the chopped onion to the pan juices and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
• Fry the meat on all sides brown and remove it with a slotted spoon.
• Pour the beer into the pan and use a wooden spatula to scrape all the burnt-offs from the pan.

Preparation in the oven

• Put the onions in the casserole and top with the meat.
• Mix the beer with apple butter and vinegar and pour that over the meat.
• Add sprigs of thyme, clove, and bay leaves.
• Top with the slices of bread (mustard side down).
• Put the lid on the dish (or cover with aluminum foil) and put it in the oven.
• Allow the meat to stew for three hours.
• Remove the cover and stir well.
• Leave the lid of the pan (so the sauce thickens) and put it back into the oven for an hour. Check in between it it ain't thicken to much. Otherwise put the lid back on the pan.

Slowcooker recipe

• Add the onions to the slow cooker and top with the meat.
• Pour the beer and vinegar with the meat. Add the apple butter, thyme, and clove. Mix everything well.
• Put the bay leaves on top.
• Top with the slices of bread (mustard side down).
• Put the lid on the crockpot and turn on low heat and let it stew for 6 to 8 hours.
• Mix everything and serve.

Serving

• In meanwhile deep fry the fries according to the instructions (or use an air fryer).
• Serve the stew with French fries and a delicious salad.

Notes

• To get the most flavor fry the onions and meat in a pan. Then add some beer to soak all the flavors that are left behind. Put all of that in the dish.
• Use Belgian Ale or Belgian style Ale if you can buy it. Substitute with a dark beer if you can't.
• You can use red currant jelly instead of apple butter.
• The vinegar is used to tender the meat and give just a tiny bit of sour flavor to the sauce.
• You can substitute the butter with oil, but the butter will give a more creamy texture.
• The stew is topped with slices of bread. They will soak all the flavors and then fall apart. This will thicken the sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 408mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 372IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Iron: 5mg

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Keyword: a slow cooker recipe with beef