When you think of beef stew, your mind probably goes first to a French-style stew cooked with red wine, like boeuf bourguignon. A carbonnade is similar, but instead of red wine, the meaty broth is fortified with beer or ale. This soup recipe marries tender chunks of beef chuck with a rich broth flavored with onions, garlic, Dijon mustard, and, of course, beer.
Since there’s beer in the soup, it follows that beer is the perfect beverage to offer to wash it down. A Belgian-style ale would be ideal — both in the broth and as an accompanying drink — but any sturdy, dark ale will do. And don’t forget the crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.
Slow Cooker Chunky Beef Carbonnade Soup
8
10 minutes
8 hours and 6 minutes
8 hours and 16 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ pounds beef chuck, cubed
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 12-ounce dark beer
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season the beef with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and add the broth, onions, garlic, beer, mustard, thyme and bay leaves.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the beef is very tender. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Serve hot.