Rich and Hearty Beef Stew with Dark Beer

On a chilly Sunday a rich and hearty beef stew with dark beer is just what you need!

When the cold wind blows outside and you have some leisure time, this is the perfect dish that barely costs you any effort. You want to read a book simultaneously, chat to your friend or anything else that keeps you sane? I got you!

It’s a one pot dish that you only need to give a quick stir every 30 minutes and let that sucker simmer for 3 to 4 hours to get a thick rich beef stew.

Your first question will probably be, which dark beer do I need to buy? Any dark beer of your preference will do! I went for Brand Dubbel Bock, but if you’d like to go for a Guinness, or a gluten-free dark beer, your stew will be always be delicious and have that rich flavour.

Let’s take a look at what you need to get from the store and get you on this ‘stew rodeo’.

Ingredients that serve 4:

• 600 grams of chuck beef (Riblappen for the Dutchies out here)
• 300ml of your favourite dark beer
• Salt & freshly ground pepper
• a dust of flour (or cornstarch if you go gluten-free)
• 2 bayleaves
• 3 cloves
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 125 grams of mushrooms
• 2 medium sized carrots
• 200 ml of water
• Parsley for garnish optional

Directions:

1. Grab a pot of your choice to make this stew in, make sure it is a heavy pot, so nothing will burn. Put a good piece of margarine butter in there and dice your onion.

2. When the butter is melted, toss in the bayleaves, 3 cloves and your diced onion. Yes, the bayleaf will turn brown and the cloves will puff up. Why? Maximum flavour thats why! You’re creating a base for your stew right now and this is how that is done. Period.

3. While you have your melting pot going on there, you dice your meat into cubes and get some flavour in by rubbing some salt and pepper in your beef. Dust it with some flour or cornstarch to get a light coating. When you have done this, add the meat to the pot.

4. Chop your cloves of garlic and add them. Give it a nice stir and let the flavours combine. If the bottom of the pan gets sticky, you might want to add a tiny bit of water and stir again.

5. Now this is what you have been waiting for, adding dark beer! Open that bottle and pour all of it in your pot. See that foam? Yes!!! You’re doing it right!

6. Add the 2 beef stock cubes, thyme sprigs and 200ml of water and bring it to a boil. While everything is coming to a boil, quarter your mushrooms and add them to the pot. When it has come to a boil, put it on a low flame and let it simmer for 3-4 hours, depending on how you like your stew meat to be cooked.

7. Stir every 30 minutes, just to make sure nothing will stick to the bottom of the pan. Meanwhile, relax and do your thing!

8. Scrape and slice your carrots 30 minutes before your stew is done and add them. Carrots will add a little sweetness to your stew and will take away the heaviness of the dark beer, levelling all flavours to perfection!

Serve with this amazing garlic potato mash and a salad or vegetables of your choice!