Flemish Beef Stew (Stoofvlees)
This traditional beef stew from Belgium gets straight to the point - all meat and lots of brown beer gravy.
This dish is the purest essence of beef stew. Besides a few caramelised onions, there are no vegetables or gap-fillers in this dish; it’s all meat and plenty of proper gravy. This stew has two names depending where in Belgium you eat it. In the French half, Wollonia, it is known as ‘carbonnade’, and in the Dutch/Flemish half, Flanders, it’s ‘stoofvlees’. Really, it’s a speciality of Flanders and I died and went to heaven when I tried this in Antwerp last year. This recipe uses two rich cuts of beef: shin and short rib. One offers more collagen and gloss, the other offers blood-rich meat and maximises the flavour. A butcher can supply you with what you need. Besides meat, this stew also uses one of Belgium’s finest home products: beer. A ‘dubbel’ or brown beer is best, and the best substitute for this would be Newcastle Brown Ale, which can be found in almost any beer section beyond Belgium. Give it some time to cook low and slowly and you will be rewarded with a chest of fall-apart beef and rich, glossy, onyx-dark gravy. There will never be a better beef stew. Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6x)
500g diced, boneless beef shin
500g beef short rib, bone-in
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons of beef tallow/dripping, lard or oil
2x onions, sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
400ml Belgian brown beer (Newcastle Brown Ale is best substitute)
400ml water
1 tsp vinegar
3x bay leaves
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2x cloves
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsps salt
1 slice of white bread, crusts removed
2 tsps Dijon mustard
WALKTHROUGH
First, let’s flour the beef. Add the 500g diced beef shin and 500g beef short ribs to mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss until lightly coated and set them aside.
Now let’s brown the beef. Place a large pot onto high heat and allow it to heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of beef tallow/lard/oil to the pot and allow it to heat until smoking. Add the floured beef in batches, allowing it to brown for 30 seconds each side before turning and browning another side.
Once browned, place the beef pieces on a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the 2x sliced onions with a pinch of salt and 1/8 tsp of baking soda. Cook the onions slowly for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until soft and lightly browned.
Add the 1 tablespoon of light brown sugar and stir them through the onions. Allow it to deepen in flavour and caramelise for 1-2 minutes before adding the 400ml of brown beer, 400ml of water and 1 tsp of vinegar.
Bring the liquids to a boil and stir any caramelised browning from the bottom of the pot. Add all the browned beef pieces to the pot along with any drippings remaining on the plate. Add the 3x bay leaves, 2x cloves, 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 2 tsps of salt.
Once boiling, spread 2 tsp of Dijon mustard onto a slice of white bread, crusts removed. Place the slice of bread on top of the boiling stew, mustard side-down. Cover the pot with a lid and reduce to low heat. Simmer very gently for 2.5 hours, or transfer to a 140C oven and cook for 2.5 hours, or until the meat is knife-tender. Once tender, remove any rib bones and stir gently until the bread has dissolved.
Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning. The bread should have dissolved and lightly thickened the gravy. The gravy should be savoury with a slight tang. Adjust with more salt, pepper or sugar/vinegar if needed.
Serve your stoofvlees with fries or mashed potatoes. A proper beef stew! Enjoy!
