Beef and ale stew
205 min · 34 g protein · 297 cals / serving
Lean braising beef cooked slowly in bitter and beef stock with onions, carrots, swede and mushrooms until it falls apart into a dark, glossy gravy. A proper pub stew for a cold evening, and better still the day after you make it.
Ingredients
- 800 g top round steak, topside or silverside, trimmed, cut into 4 cm chunks
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 large onions, cut into wedges
- 4 large carrots, cut into chunks
- 300 g crimini mushroom, halved
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (440 ml) bitter, bitter or brown ale
- 400 ml beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 leaves bay leaf
- 1/2 (about 400 g) rutabaga, peeled, cut into chunks
To serve
- a handful fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Toss the beef with the flour, half the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a high heat and brown the beef in two or three batches, so it sears rather than steams, 4–5 minutes a batch. Set aside on a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium, add the onions, carrots and mushrooms to the casserole and cook for 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the onions are starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée for a minute.
- Pour in the ale and let it bubble for a minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaves, swede, the rest of the salt and the beef with its juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to the oven.
- Cook for 2½–3 hours, stirring once or twice, until the beef is tender enough to break with a spoon (far beyond the 145°F a whole cut needs to be safe) and the gravy has thickened. If it is still thin, simmer uncovered on the hob for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, taste for salt and scatter with parsley.
Good to know
Which ale?
A bitter, brown ale or mild gives a malty, rounded gravy. Very hoppy IPAs turn bitter over a long cook, and a stout makes a darker, heavier stew.
Why lean topside rather than chuck?
Topside and silverside carry far less fat than chuck. Braised low and slow, fully covered by liquid, they turn tender enough to break with a spoon, though a little firmer and less silky than chuck or shin. Keep the oven low and the lid on; if your oven runs hot, chuck is the more forgiving cut, though richer: about 63 instead of 81.
What to serve it with?
Mash, a jacket potato or crusty bread for the gravy, and steamed cabbage or greens on the side.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 68
- Protein
- (48%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (20%)
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- (32%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 172 mg
About 5% of the alcohol remains after cooking; the label counts only that.
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1781 kcal goes into the pot and 3145 g of ingredients comes out as about 2600 g of food: 68 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.