Robust and roasty, Beer Braised Beef Stew is fork-tender and full of root vegetables. This stew recipe has some serious depth of rich flavor from the addition of brown ale and beef stock.
Beer Braised Beef Stew
The slow cooking of caramelized beef highlights the layers of flavorful ingredients such as onions, carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash. Savor this hearty meal with some crusty warm bread.
What is braising?
There are several different cooking methods, named for the effect they have on food. Sauteing is a dry heat method that involves cooking food in a pan with a small amount of fat. A moist heat method, braising, requires cooking food in a liquid.
Braising is prepared with a combination of both dry and moist heat. Why? In addition to browning the chunks of meat, this low and slow method of cooking will gently cook tough and inexpensive cuts of meat, turning them into tender and delicious meals.
Here is a recipe for a braised Thick Hearty Chicken Stew - https://tenpoundcakecompany.com/thick-hearty-chicken-stew/
Braised until fork tender!
What type of beef is good for stew?
Many recipes for beef stew use chuck steak. This cut of beef is tough and chewy with a lot of connective tissue. Braising in a liquid helps to break down the collagen which melts into gelatin. The strands of the meat become tender and unctuous from this moist cooking method.
However, before braising, the beef should be seared, a dry heat method, so that each piece has caramelization on the exterior. This is a huge flavor booster. Plus you find gold at the bottom of the pan - fond. It is this fond that adds rich flavor when the pan is deglazed.
Also, there is an ingredient in this stew recipe that will ramp up the beef flavor. A small amount, 2 teaspoons, of cocoa powder, is added to the stew. It accentuates the richness of the chuck steak, providing another boost of flavor.
The combination of dry and moist cooking methods benefits chuck steak so that you have a stew with layers of flavor and tender meat.
What type of beer should be used?
Beer will add color and richness to the stew. Use a beer that will compliment the beef and the root vegetables. Darker, toastier options are the best choices, such as brown ale, porter, or stout. There are many others you can add to the stew but steer away from light beers.
Ingredients
Beef Stew Ingredients
- yellow onions
- carrots
- butternut squash
- red-skinned potatoes
- brown ale
- beef stock
- garlic
- tomato paste
- cocoa powder
- flour
- bay leaves
- rosemary
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- beef chuck, cut into cubes
Beef Chuck
How to make Beer Braised Beef Stew
- Combine ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper in a zip-lock bag.
Lightly flour beef.
- Add ½ of the beef cubes to the bag of seasoned flour and shake, completely coating the meat.
Sear the beef
- Place stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once the olive oil is hot, add the beef in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Make sure the meat is spaced so that it isn't crowded. If the cubes are spaced tightly, the meat will steam and not sear correctly.
Sear the meat well.
- When the first batch of beef cubes is seared, remove them to a plate. Add another batch of floured stew meat to the pan. Continue with the process until all the meat is browned.
Caramelize the onions
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once it is hot, add the sliced onions. Season with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Caramelize the onions
- Frequently stir the onions so that they are caramelizing evenly. If the pan is turning dark brown and there is a lot of fond stuck, deglaze the bottom by adding ¼ cup of water. Scrap the pan with a wooden spoon to release the fond as the water evaporates.
- Continue stirring the onions for about 13 minutes.
Low and Slow Braise
- Add the beef and any accumulated juices back to the pan. Stir in the chopped garlic, cocoa powder, and tomato paste. Stir for 1 - 2 minutes.
Cocoa powder accentuates the beef flavor!
- Pour in the brown ale, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
Add the beer.
- Pour in the beef stock, stirring to completely combine all the ingredients. The beef stock should almost cover the meat. Add the bay leaves. Cover the pan and place it in the preheated oven.
Prep the vegetables
- While the stew is in the oven, cut the vegetables. Peel and chop the potatoes last since they will start to turn brown if left exposed to the air for too long. Try to cut the vegetables in similar sizes so they cook evenly.
Chopped veggies
- After the stew has been braising for 45 minutes, add the chopped carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, and minced rosemary to the pan. It may look like a lot of vegetables but they will cook down. Stir everything so that the beer/stock braising liquid covers all the ingredients.
All the vegetables and chopped rosemary.
- Place the pan back in the oven. Continue cooking for another 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Braise for 3 hours
- Check the stew after it has been cooking for a total of 2 ½ hours to make sure there is still enough liquid. If the braising liquid has reduced and is very thick, add up to 1 additional cup of stock.
- Also, check the meat by piercing it with a sharp knife. The knife will easily go through the meat and the beef will fall apart into shreds when it is fully cooked. However, if the meat is still tough, put the pan back in the oven for up to 30 more minutes. Check the vegetables also for tenderness.
- As an option, you can add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to add a little acid to the sauce. This helps to cut some of the richness.
Old Fashioned Beef Stew
I don't think a good robust beef stew ever goes out of fashion. This low and slow braised beef in beer will be a cold weather favorite.
Beer Braised Beef Stew is my go-to dish for potlucks and get-togethers with friends. Just the smell lets everyone know there is a rich and hearty meal coming their way!
Recipe
Beer Braised Beef Stew
Equipment
- 1 stock pot or dutch oven
- 1 cutting board
- 1 knife
- 1 ziplock bag
- 1 vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef chuck, large cubes (908 grams)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (1.2 ounces/33 grams)
- 2 cups yellow onions, sliced (2 medium onions, 8 ounces/226 grams)
- 1½ cups brown ale
- 2-3 cups beef stock
- 2 cups carrots, sliced (9 ounces/256 grams)
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed (10 ounces/286 grams)
- 2 cups red-skinned potatoes, cubed (10 ounces/280 grams)
- 3 cloves garlic, rough chop (1½ tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 1 ½ teapoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper in a zip-lock bag.
- Place stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan.
- Add ½ of the beef cubes to the bag of seasoned flour and shake, completely coating the meat.
- Once the olive oil is hot, add the beef in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Make sure the meat is spaced so that it isn't crowded. If the cubes are spaced tightly, the meat will steam and not sear correctly.
- Sear both sides of the cubes. Browning the meat adds a lot of flavor to the stew.
- When the first batch of beef cubes is seared, remove them to a plate. Add another batch of floured stew meat to the pan. It is better to sear the beef in batches. Continue with the process until all the meat is browned.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Once it is hot, add the sliced onions. Season with ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Frequently stir the onions so that they are caramelizing evenly. If the pan is turning dark brown and there is a lot of fond stuck, deglaze the bottom by adding ¼ cup of water. Scrap the pan with a wooden spoon to release the fond as the water evaporates.
- Continue stirring the onions for about 13 minutes.
- Add the beef and any accumulated juices back to the pan. Stir in the chopped garlic, cocoa powder, and tomato paste. Stir for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Pour in the brown ale, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- The brown ale may thicken quickly after being added to the pan.
- Pour in the beef stock, stirring to completely combine all the ingredients. The beef stock should almost cover the meat. Add the bay leaves. Cover the pan and place it in the preheated oven.
- While the stew is in the oven, cut the vegetables. Peel and chop the potatoes last since they will start to turn brown if left exposed to the air for too long. Try to cut the vegetables in similar sizes so they cook evenly.
- After the stew has been braising for 45 minutes, add the chopped carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, and minced rosemary to the pan. It may look like a lot of vegetables but they will cook down. Stir everything so that the beer/stock braising liquid covers all the ingredients.
- Place the pan back in the oven. Continue cooking for another 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- Check the stew after it has been cooking for a total of 2 ½ hours to make sure there is still enough liquid. If the braising liquid has reduced and is very thick, add up to 1 additional cup of stock.
- Also, check the meat by piercing it with a sharp knife. The knife will easily go through the meat and the beef will fall apart into shreds when it is fully cooked. However, if the meat is still tough, put the pan back in the oven for up to 30 more minutes. Check the vegetables also for tenderness.
- When the meat is fully cooked, the vegetables should also be tender when pierced with a fork.
- As an option, you can add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to add a little acid to the sauce. This helps to cut some of the richness.
- Serve with noodles or rustic bread.
Notes
- The type of beef is important. Use chuck steak that is cut into large chunks. This cut of beef is flavorful and will benefit from braising in liquid for a couple of hours.
- It is best to use a darker beer for the braise - such as brown ale, porter, or stout
Nutrition
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