Pork, beef & lamb

Beef and Ale Stew

Name: Beef and Ale Stew
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 55 min
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 750g beef braising or chuck steak, fat trimmed; 3 (330g) onions; 4 (300g) carrots; 2 sticks (80g) celery; 1 bottle (330ml) brown ale or stout; 30g tomato purée; 25g plain flour; 2 beef stock cubes; 15g black treacle; 15ml worcestershire sauce; 10g wholegrain mustard; 20g butter or rapeseed oil; 3 cloves garlic; 2g thyme; 2 bay leaves; 1g black pepper; 350ml water

Chuck steak braised in malty ale with carrots and onions cooked down into a thick, savoury gravy.

makes 20 blocks, about 53p each

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BatchJoy

batchjoy.com/recipes/beef-and-ale-stew/

Illustration of a bowl of Beef and Ale Stew

Time: 3 hr 15 min20 min prep · 2 hr 55 min cook
Makes: 20 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 53p
Calories per blockCalories: 91 kcal
Spice: 1 of 5

You’ll need

Batch size

blocks

750gbeef braising or chuck steak, fat trimmed
3 (330g)onions
4 (300g)carrots
2 sticks (80g)celery
1 bottle (330ml)brown ale or stout
30gtomato purée
25gplain flour
2beef stock cubes
15gblack treacle
15mlworcestershire sauce
10gwholegrain mustard
20gbutter or rapeseed oil
3 clovesgarlic
2gthyme
2bay leaves
1gblack pepper
350mlwater

Allergens: Celery, Gluten, Fish, Milk, Mustard, Sulphites. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Serve it

Buttery mash (made fresh) with greens · A pie filling under a puff pastry lid · Buttered egg noodles

Method

Step 1: Cut the beef into 3cm pieces, toss in the flour and brown in the butter in a casserole in two batches. Lift out. (12 min)
Step 2: Cook the finely diced onion, carrot and celery in the same pan, scraping up the bits, until soft and starting to colour. (12 min)
Step 3: Add the garlic and purée for 2 minutes, then pour in the ale and bubble for 3 minutes.
Step 4: Return the beef with the stock cubes, water, treacle, Worcestershire, mustard, thyme and bay. Cover and braise at 150°C fan or on a low hob until falling apart. (2 hours)
Step 5: Shred the beef in the pot, discard the bay and simmer uncovered until the gravy is thick and glossy, mashing the vegetables down as you stir. (35 min)
Step 6: Season well, cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Hotter: stir English mustard or hot horseradish through at reheating.

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	91	8.3g	5.4g	3.8g	1g	0.55g
Per 3 blocks	273	24.9g	16.2g	11.4g	3g	1.65g

Cook’s notes

Dice the veg small; they melt into the gravy and give each block body.
When reheating: add a splash of water and a little redcurrant jelly or a drop of vinegar, then chopped parsley.
Slow cooker: 7 hours on Low, then reduce uncovered.
Stout gives a darker, more bitter gravy; brown ale is sweeter.

Serve it

Buttery mash (made fresh) with greens · A pie filling under a puff pastry lid · Buttered egg noodles.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 273 kcal and 24.9g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Beef and Ale Stew questions

Which cut of beef works best?

Chuck or braising steak is ideal because it has enough connective tissue to turn tender in a long braise. Beef shin works too and gives a silkier gravy, though it may need a little longer before it falls apart.

Can I make it without alcohol?

Swap the ale for the same amount of extra beef stock. The gravy will be less malty, so a small splash of vinegar at the end helps balance the sweetness of the treacle.

Why toss the beef in flour?

The flour helps the beef brown and then thickens the gravy as it braises, so it turns glossy without needing a separate thickener at the end.