Beer and Spiced Braised Beef (Draadjesvlees)

My Oma always told me that all you need is a Dutch oven and you can make a delicious meal. Of course, it’s no surprise the Dutch created the Dutch oven—a staple in most households these days—since they are the kings of slow cooking. Draadjesvlees simply means threaded meat and is typically cooked with various spices such as juniper berries, cloves and cinnamon. I add a bottle of “hoppy” beer to create depth of flavor and let the Dutch oven do the hard work. Serve the stew with Dutch potatoes, rice or pasta.
Yield 4 Servings Prep. Time 15 min Cooking Time 240 min Total Time 255 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • Canola or sunflower oil
  • 1 lb (500 g) Beef Stew Cubes, 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 onions, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 bottle/can (about 355 mL) hoppy beer, such as IPA
  • 2 cups (500 mL) beef broth (approx)
  • 2 sprigs fresh oregano
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp (15 mL) juniper berries

Shopping List

Here are the following shopping items to buy:

Directions

Follow these cooking methods/directions:

  1. Heat a thin layer of oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add beef, season with salt and pepper to your taste, and cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned all over. Add onions and butter; cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes or until onion is soft and begins to caramelize. Stir in garlic.
  2. Pour in beer and beef broth, adding enough broth to cover beef. Add oregano, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon and juniper berries.
  3. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer on the stovetop, stirring occasionally and adding water, if necessary, or bake in preheated 350°F oven, for 3 to3½ hours or until beef is fall-apart tender.
  4. Discard bay leaves, whole spices and oregano stems. There should be enough sauce in the Dutch oven to serve as a gravy for the beef. If sauce is not as thick as desired, transfer beef with a slotted spoon to a bowl (keeping warm), and boil the sauce on the stovetop until reduced to desired thickness.