Excellent NYT recipe. Chunked-up Hay Creek grass-fed beef chuck roast holds it’s own in the intensely flavorful sauce. Fat Tire “Belgian Style Ale ” worked well in the recipe and as an accompaniment. I used dried parsley and thyme and chopped-up bay leaves coarsely with knife and left them in with the beef. Sourdough bread went well with; thinking maybe a sourdough rye would work even better. Dijon good too!
Update: Nice with Artisan Sourdough Rye . Divine with pan-fried garlicky red potato slices.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, more for garnish
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, more for garnish
- 4 pounds boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
- 4 Spanish or very large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 sprigs fresh parsley, plus chopped parsley, for garnish
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef or chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 1 cup beer, preferably Belgian-style or brown ale
- Flaky sea salt, for garnish
- Dijon-style mustard, preferably extra-hot, for serving
PREPARATION
- In a large bowl, combine salt, pepper, bay leaves and paprika. Toss meat to coat, then cover, refrigerate and marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large (8-quart) Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, brown beef on two sides until dark and crusty, transferring to a bowl when browned (reserve bay leaves). As you cook, add more oil and adjust heat if necessary to prevent burning.
- When all the meat is browned, add onions to the empty pot and return the heat to medium-high if you lowered it. Cook, stirring and scraping up the brown coating on the bottom of the pan as the onions release their liquid.
- Continue cooking until onions are deeply golden brown and soft, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, make a bouquet garni by tying thyme, parsley and reserved bay leaves together with kitchen string (or just throw them in the pot and warn your guests not to eat them).
- Push the onions to the sides, then add tomato paste, coriander and cinnamon to the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring, 1 minute, until paste is darkened and fragrant. Stir in flour, cook another minute, then add stock, beer, 1 cup water and bouquet garni. Return beef and any juices in the bowl to the pot, bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Cook until beef is tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning it over halfway through.
- If the sauce seems thin, remove the meat with a slotted spoon; cover with foil to keep warm. Return pot with liquid to stove and simmer until thickened to taste, 5 to 10 minutes. Return the meat to pot and stir to heat through. Serve from the pot or a platter. Garnish with chopped parsley, flaky sea salt, pepper and paprika. Serve with mustard on the side.
Tip
- To make this in an electric pressure cooker, reduce stock to 1 cup and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
