This slow cooker beef stew is made with Belgian beer and served over buttery egg noodles or mashed potatoes! The ultimate comfort food!
Perfect for a chilly night, this slow cooker beef stew is actually a crockpot version of a Belgian classic, beef carbonnade! All the flavors, a fraction of the work, and the result is an incredibly tender beef stew with a silky sauce that will have you coming back for more!
For my last post of the year, I wanted to go out with a bang, and this is a recipe I’ve been super excited to share with you guys for a while now. Beef carbonnade.
Have you heard of it? It’s a Belgian stew, traditionally NOT cooked in a slow cooker, but rather slow simmered for hours on the stovetop.
It’s full of a myriad of flavors… savory, sweet, a touch sour, and the texture is so silky and tender.
I love to serve this beef carbonnade with egg noodles or some mashed potatoes, to really up the comfort food factor. But I heard that in Belgium it’s also served with fries… how awesome is that?!
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THIS SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW:
- Brown your beef. I know it’s an extra step, and probably another pan to wash… but it’s SO worth it. I’ve made it without browning the beef before, and it’s still good, but the version with the browned beef is amazing! If you have a slow cooker with a cast aluminum insert (I’ll link to mine at the end of this post), go ahead and brown the beef right in that insert, so you don’t lose any flavor from those browned bits, PLUS, no extra pan to wash!
- Use the beef base if you can. It adds such an amazing extra boost of flavor!
- This recipe makes a lot, and the leftovers are even more amazing, so definitely save what you don’t eat the first night!
This version of beef carbonnade uses some shortcuts, in that even though the beef is browned, the onions aren’t caramelized.
Of course that would add some incredible flavor, so if you feel like it, go right ahead!
But the onions cook all day in the slow cooker, so they get plenty tender this way, and it saves you a good 40 minutes of cooking time.
OTHER SLOW COOKER FAVORITES:
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder
- Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
The next time you’re in the mood for a stunning comfort food meal, try this Drunken Slow Cooker Beef Stew (Beef Carbonnade)!
HELPFUL TOOLS:
- Slow Cooker with Aluminum Insert – this is an awesome slow cooker that lets you actually brown the beef right in the unit! No extra pot to wash!!
- Beef Base – you’ll be amazed at how much flavor this adds to the dish… and it’s great for making beef stock when you don’t have any on hand!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3-4 lbs boneless beef chuck roast (I usually use the English cut that's flat), cut into 1-2" pieces
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cup beef broth
- 2 large yellow onions, sliced in half, then sliced into thin strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 Tbsp beef base
- 12 oz dark beer (brown ale is best)
- 1 Tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme (can substitute with 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour + 3-4 Tbsp beef broth
- 12 oz extra wide egg noodles
- minced fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Season beef pieces with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Heat a large skillet (cast iron works super well here - or heat your cast aluminum slow cooker insert if you have one) over MED HIGH heat with olive oil. Shake off excess flour and brown beef in batches (don't overcrowd the pan) for several minutes, until you get a golden brown crust on all sides. Remove beef to plate, and continue with all batches.
- When all beef is browned, add beef broth to skillet and use a wooden spoon to gently loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
- To bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker, add sliced onions, minced garlic, beef base, beer, and mustard. Stir together, then pour in beef broth from skillet. Top that with browned beef, thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
- About 20-30 minutes before serving, bring a big pot of water to a boil for the egg noodles. Mix 2 Tbsp flour and 3-4 Tbsp beef broth until no lumps remain. Stir into beef stew in slow cooker. Increase heat to HIGH and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
- Add egg noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain and toss with a bit of olive oil or butter to prevent sticking, and a pinch of minced parsley.
- To serve, add some egg noodles to bowl or plate. Top with a few ladles of beef carbonnade and sprinkle with some more minced parsley. Alternatively, add egg noodles to slow cooker and stir it all together, then ladle the egg noodle/beef stew mixture into bowls or onto plates.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Casey Jakes says
This was amazing! My husband doesn’t like beef. He ate 2 big helpings of it! He asked that I include it in our regular rotation too.
Amanda says
I NEVER leave reviews on recipes, usually because I tweak them in some way. But I would be doing the world a disservice by not saying how stupid good this recipe is. The beer and the beef base takes it from your typical stewed beef-type recipe to a heavenly, rich, holy cow this is good-type recipe. The gravy! My goodness! Everyone in my family loved it. I think it’s my new Sunday dinner recipe. We did it over mashed taters and I can’t wait to try it over egg noodles. Thank you for sharing this with the world!
Emilyrady says
I made this recipe and it’s now my daughters’s favorite! Thank you!
Zeita says
Trying this recipe . Only had sliced eye of round in the freezer . I use eye of round for stewing meat normally . I did not add the beer . Didn’t have any in the house . But followed the rest of. The recipe . It smells so yummy I can not wait for supper time
Lorrie says
Turned out yummy,! I will make it again.
Dawn Schultz says
What is beef base and can anything else be used I place of it?
The Chunky Chef says
This is what I use https://amzn.to/3d0vUH8 and you could try using a cube of beef bouillon, but it hasn’t been tested.
Fran says
Can you use any other type of beer?
The Chunky Chef says
I prefer the taste with darker beer, and that’s all we’ve used.
Pam says
Made as written and it was amazing! DH says it’s a keeper! So easy and delicious! First time using beef base!
Mary Kulak says
Hello, I wanted to tell you that this recipe is amazing, my husband loved it, so so good, I made egg noodles and added peas and butter and parsley and put beef on top, gravy is so good, Thankyou for this awesome recipe, can’t wait to make it again!!💜
Jen Carey says
WHAT is beef base please?
The Chunky Chef says
I linked it in the post… https://amzn.to/3012TVV
Matthew says
Made it without adding the noodles, but was an absolute hit at the Belgian themed party that I made it for. Intense “meaty” flavors, and very rich and enjoyable.
Jana says
Unbelievably good! I make a lot of stew, all different variations, and this is by far the best. Smells amazing and tastes OMG delicious. I made it in an Instant Pot and used the browning and stew settings and it turned out great. Would definitely recommend this recipe!
Penny says
Did you change any of the liquids to do it in pressure cooker?
Minnesota MOM says
Perfect comfort food! I used a pale ale because that’s all I had and it was wonderful.
Bob K says
Hi, I started this on the slow cooker this morning. Do I just place the steak on the top of onions or should I stir it all together? Thanks for a great recipe.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, I just add it on top 🙂
Geri says
Yummy! I browned the meat on my lunch hour. I had onions from my garden, in my freezer that I had already browned (saving for onion soup) and I used guinness beer. I started the crock pot and arrived home about 6:30- my husband had already been into the crock pot eating the meat talking about how good it was. I then cooked the noodles and we are now eating (late for us) but I cooked it for about 5 hours on low and the last 30 minutes on high. It is so yummy! My husband is ecstatic. Thank you!!
Sonia says
So I browned the meat as directed and it’s been in the slow cooker now for 4 hrs and the meat is so tough. Will it become more tender by the end of the 8 hrs? Did I over brown the meat making it tough?
The Chunky Chef says
Generally, stew meat (like the chuck roast) will always be tough until it’s cooked to completion. The connective tissue has to have time to get broken down and then it will be nice and tender 🙂
LuAnn says
Absolutely love, love, love this recipe! I’ve made it twice and am fix’n to make it again! Thanx for posting this recipe!
Carla Jacobsen says
Would beef stew meat work? Think am gonna try it.
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, that meat should work well.
Heddylyn says
Dose this freeze well?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but I think it would freeze just fine 🙂
Ellen Soehngen says
For the pressure cooker, it should be 35 minutes plus 10 minutes natural release.
Charlotte says
Oh. My. Gosh.
This was AMAZING! I only had a Yuengling beer on hand and by George, it turned out fantastic!
I also used my cast iron for browning the meat which i think added tons of flavor.
I had guests over last night and they all had seconds and asked to take home leftovers! Next time I’m going to add carrots and potatoes. This will be a staple in our house thank you!!!!