Flemish beef stew braised in dark Belgian abbey ale and finished with mustard-spread bread that dissolves into the sauce. Served with crisp double-fried frites in beef fat. The everyday Antwerp meal in every brown cafe.

Belgian beef stew traces to medieval Flanders, where dark abbey ale was used to braise tough cuts. The dish became the standard pub plate across Antwerp and Ghent. The pairing with frites cooked in beef fat is the canonical Antwerp combination, served at brown cafes from Elfde Gebod beside the cathedral to Den Engel on Grote Markt. Fritkot Max on Groenplaats sells the saucy ladle to top a frites cone for under five euros.

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Make it at home

Serves 43 hr 30 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1kg beef chuck or shin, cut into 4cm cubes
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 33cl dark Belgian ale (abbey style)
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 slices of bread spread with Dijon mustard
  • Salt, black pepper, beef dripping or vegetable oil

Method

  1. Pat the beef dry, season heavily with salt and pepper.
  2. Brown the beef in batches in a heavy pan with beef dripping, about 4 minutes per side.
  3. Remove the beef. Soften the onions in the same pan over 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
  5. Return the beef to the pan with the ale, vinegar, sugar, bay, thyme, and enough water to cover.
  6. Lay the mustard-bread on top, crust-down, to dissolve and thicken the sauce.
  7. Cover and braise at 150C for 2.5 to 3 hours until the beef shreds with a fork.
  8. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a splash more vinegar if needed.

Editor tip. Belgian frites are best double-fried in beef fat: blanch at 140C, rest 30 minutes, then crisp at 180C until golden.

Common allergens: Gluten.