I recently treated myself to one of the most indispensable kitchen items that is, in my opinion, a must-have for any home cook; a large Dutch oven. Now, I’ve had a solid cast iron Dutch oven for a while that I use for homemade sourdough bread, but that one was quite a bit too small, and requires a lot of care and maintenance in-between uses. The dish I wanted to prepare called for a more user-friendly design, and that’s where the enamel-coated Dutch oven enters the picture – 7 quart capacity to be exact.
Why did I need this does-it-all kitchen behemoth? I had to try out a new steak & ale stew recipe I’m tweaking of course! A quick trip down the street to pick-up my new cast iron and a few bags of ingredients later, I was ready to set-off. The most critical question to answer was obviously which beer to use in my stew. As beef stew is naturally very rich, there was no doubt I needed something malty and roasty that would stand up alongside the rich broth. After much deliberation a settled on not 1, but 2 different beers that I suspected would be up for the task; Guinness – Foreign Extra Stout & Georgetown Brewing Co. – Bob’s Brown Ale. The richly roasted malts of the stout would add a nice depth of flavor to compliment the beef stock, and the brown ale would add more subtle roast with slightly sweeter notes that would go well with the vegetables.
Give-or-take 45 minutes of ingredient preparation, and I was ready to start cooking. This recipe starts with browning the meat in the Dutch oven after dusting the meat lightly with flour (I used King Arthur all-purpose). 2 TBSP of olive oil pre-heated to medium heat was just right to get the meat browning. As I wanted to make a very hearty Winter stew, I used large (1-2 inch) chunks of my beef. Only 5 – 7 minutes later, and the beef was beautifully browned on all sides. Now we grab our beers and pour right into the pot to deglaze and release the glorious fond on the bottom of the Dutch oven pot. Toss in the vegetables and herbs, then fill the pot with beef stock until it covers everything. The last step was to put the Dutch oven in the oven pre-heated to 300 degrees F, with a slight venting of the lid (maybe 1/4 inch – 1/2 inch), and let cook in the oven for 2.5 – 3 hours.
As the stew cooked slowly in the oven, my house filled with absolutely decadent aromas, and I knew I was going to be in for a treat. 3 hours later, I was not disappointed at all, though I did put my pot back on the stovetop with the lid off for a little extra reduction in juice volume (I used low heat for a simmer). For a first attempt at steak & ale stew, it was absolutely incredible! I may tweak the recipe a bit, and add a little of this, or a little of that, but overall, it was a very hearty, flavorful stew that I will indeed be making again.
Cooking with beer is not hard, and shouldn’t scare anybody from trying it. The beer added a depth of flavor to my stew that both elevated and complimented the hearty soup, and it was as easy as cracking the bottle open and pouring it right it. The only hard part is not drinking that beer before you get it into your pot!
I put the full recipe with ingredients I used as well a complete cooking directions below. Cheers!
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb. beef (roast, chuck, brisket, short ribs, etc. – whatever cut you like)
- 1 -2 lb potatoes (a mix of varieties is ideal for varying textures)
- 2 -3 shallots
- 2-4 garlic cloves finely chopped (garlic puree is fine here too)
- .5 – 1 lb. carrots
- 6-12 cups beef stock (depending on size of pot used)
- Fresh flat leaf parsley (or dried is fine too)
- Fresh thyme (or dried is fine too)
- 1 small onion chopped (any variety is fine)
- 1 – 3 mild red peppers (not bell)
- (1) 8 oz. can of tomato puree or paste (I used paste)
Cooking Instructions
- Cut beef into chunks, season, and coat/dust with flour.
- Prepare veg & set aside.
- Add 1-2 TBSP oil to pot, and brown meat over med (ish) heat.
- Add veg. & herbs to pot after meat is browned.
- Add ale to pot (brown ale, porter, stout, etc. work well here). 12 – 24 oz (you can use more if you like).
- Add tomato paste/puree to pot.
- Fill pot with beef stock (however much you’d like – more is better as it will reduce).
- Put stew/pot into oven at 300 F for ca. 2.5 hours (make sure to slightly vent lid/not fully on it).
- Remove pot from oven, remove lid, redress w/ herbs as desired, & serve.
The Craft Beer Corner 