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Meat, Northern, Eastern and Western France

Flemish beef carbonade with oven fries

Flemish beef carbonade is a beef stew slow cooked in dark beer, served with oven baked fries, for 4 people, in 3 hours, at an easy skill level, for €3.90 per serving. The secret is gingerbread spread with mustard, which melts into the sauce and gives it a sweet and savory depth.

Tonight we're heading to Flanders, with a carbonade simmering gently in dark beer and golden fries baking in the oven.

Flemish beef carbonade with oven fries
Total time
3 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.90
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Flemish carbonade is the kind of dish that fills the whole house with its smell while it simmers away. The beef turns fork tender, and the sauce deepens into a rich brown thanks to the dark beer and the gingerbread that melts right into it without any extra work. The result tastes rich, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, with a sauce that clings to the meat.

It's a dish for a slow winter Sunday, the kind you start early and leave on the stove while you get on with your day. Kids tend to love the sauce soaked into the fries, and adults recognize that simple, generous taste of northern French and Belgian cooking. It also works well made a day ahead for a dinner with friends, since it only gets better reheated.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 3
  • Thyme 3 sprigs
  • Potatoes 1 kg

Pantry

  • Dark beer 50 cl
  • Gingerbread 2 slices
  • Mustardoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Brown sugaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Flouroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Bay leavesoften in the pantry 2
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Dairy

  • Butter 30 g

Allergens Gluten, Mustard

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the beef into large cubes, slice the onions thinly, and lightly dust the meat with flour.

    Pat the meat dry with paper towels before flouring it, it will brown better.

  2. Brown the meat in small batches in hot butter, then set it aside. 15 min

    Don't crowd the pot, otherwise the meat releases water and boils instead of browning.

  3. Soften the onions in the same pot, sprinkle with brown sugar, then add the meat back in and pour in the beer.

    Scrape the bottom well as you deglaze, the caramelized bits give the sauce its color.

  4. Spread the gingerbread with mustard, lay it on top of the meat with the thyme and bay leaves, cover, and simmer over very low heat. 2 h 30

    Stir occasionally, the gingerbread melts into the sauce and thickens it on its own.

  5. Cut the potatoes into sticks, toss with oil, season with salt, and bake at 220°C, flipping halfway through. 35 min

    Rinse and dry the potato sticks before oiling them, they'll turn out crispier.

  6. Adjust the seasoning of the carbonade and serve it with the fries.

    A spoonful of cider vinegar at the end of cooking wakes up the sauce.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a dark beer that's malty rather than too bitter, it will give you a rounder sauce by the end of cooking.
  • Let it simmer gently and covered for the full time, the meat only falls apart with a fork once it's had enough time.
  • If the sauce is still too thin at the end, take the lid off for the last fifteen minutes so it can reduce.

The variations

  • Swap the chuck for blade steak or beef shin, both hold up well to long cooking.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the beef with button mushrooms and carrots, and simmer for a shorter time.
  • To speed things up for hungry kids, cut the meat into smaller pieces and cut the simmering time down to one hour.

What to serve it with

  • Homemade oven fries
  • Green salad with sharp vinaigrette
  • Dark beer to drink alongside

Storage

The carbonade keeps for 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container, and it's often even better reheated the next day. It freezes well for up to 2 months, just thaw it in the fridge and warm it gently in a pot. The fries are best eaten fresh and don't freeze well.

Questions about this dish

Can you replace the gingerbread with something else?

You can use a slice of white bread spread with mustard, but gingerbread adds a spiced sweetness that really makes the dish. If you skip it, add an extra spoonful of brown sugar to make up for it.

Can you make the carbonade ahead of time?

Yes, it's actually recommended, the sauce and meat improve after resting overnight in the fridge. Just reheat it gently in a pot before serving.

What cut of beef works if I don't have chuck?

Blade steak, beef shin, or cheek all work just as well, since they're cuts that break down with long cooking. Avoid already tender cuts like tenderloin, they would turn out dry.

How do you know when the carbonade is cooked enough?

The meat should shred easily with a fork without any resistance. If it's still firm after 2.5 hours, let it simmer another 20 to 30 minutes on low heat.

How long does it take to make a Flemish beef carbonade with oven fries?

Count 3 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Flemish beef carbonade with oven fries?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Flemish beef carbonade with oven fries cost?

About €3.90 per serving, or €15.60 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, mustard. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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