Tag: recipe

Cast Iron Cream and Beer Cornbread Recipe

Cast Iron Cream and Beer Cornbread Recipe

Cornbread cooked in cast iron recipe. There’s really no other way to cook cornbread, is there? Buttery; soft-centered and crunchy-crusted, no-stick corn bread.

Beer Bread Cooked in a Cast Iron Loaf Pan Recipe

Beer Bread Cooked in a Cast Iron Loaf Pan Recipe

Beer Bread Recipe very simple and easy recipe to create a loaf of beer bread and bake that loaf of beer bread in cast iron.

Beer and Chicken Bone Broth

Beer and Chicken Bone Broth

Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with soup still in them or already licked squeaky clean?

This broth recipe is one of the base recipes that will be referred to over and over in recipe after recipe here on beerandiron.com.

The backbone of any soup, stew, and chili is the broth you use. If the broth is flavorful, the soup, stew, or chili will be flavorful. Let’s make this!

NOTE: You may have noticed the stainless steel pot used in the image above. Using stainless steel for this is A-OK. In the video, I used my 9-quart cast iron Dutch oven to make the broth. Use what you want.

I’m gonna tell you it’s the broth that will “make” that meal, and the only way to make a good broth is to make it yourself.

There is one reason I make my own broth: Flavor. And the flavor comes from two sources: The Beer and from the parts and pieces that are generated during meal preparation that are normally thrown away. 

Will we end up throwing these parts and pieces away? Sure, but not until we’ve rendered their flavor. It’s almost like tea; we simmer the tea in the water until we have changed the water into tea. Then, we toss the tea. 

A good broth jells (like Jell-O / Gelatin) when cooled. This is due to the structural protein found in the connective tissue: collagen. Collagen breaks down with prolonged simmering and cooking and dissolves in the liquid (the beer). A true bone broth…a good broth in general has some bouncy, wiggly, gelatin-like consistency when cool. Shelf-stable bone broths usually do not gel because the collagen has been removed or never was there in the first place. Not only are you missing the nutritional benefits of the broth, the way the final recipe will “feel” is not as pleasing…a different mouth-feel, if you will.

Think about it for a bit. Why does boneless chicken cost more per pound than whole chicken? There’s weight to the “trash” that the whole chicken has that boneless chicken does not. When preparing bell peppers or tomatoes, do you use the whole vegetable/fruit or do you throw away some parts as you prepare them? Potato peel, carrot tops, bell pepper placenta, and meat bone/fat/joints…this is usually tossed during the cooking process. Even that large base of celery; it usually hits the garbage can with a heavy “thud.” There’s flavor in that root end. Every bit of that has flavor…some of it has more flavor than the actual “good” parts themselves; it’s just trapped in an area of the food that is either not editable as is (bones and ligaments) or has a terrible mouth feel like chunks of fat, potato peels, and pepper placenta. 

I am not making it to reduce the salt/sodium or any other reason that is found on every single make-your-own broth blog. My reasons are dual and simple: Flavor and FLAVOR!

This recipe is easy. It’s so very easy. We create our broths from four sources:

  1. Using the bones, skin, and edible innards parts of chickens we’ve roasted or baked. We debone the chicken and gather the bones and parts into a container for future broth-making or we make it right away.
  2. Using the scraps from meal preparation. When you cut the core from a tomato, the bell pepper placenta, potato peel, onion skin and ends, and a whole array of other parts and pieces.
  3. When cooking a roast or chicken in a Dutch oven and the “juices” remaining in the pot. This is ALWAYS saved.
  4. We obtain some bones and scraps that are, more or less, edible but would never be considered something to sit and create a meal from. Bones, ligaments, and other parts from butchering. 

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

Ever heard of Corona or Modelo? Sure, you have. Start with this easy-drinking beer. If you are a craft beer purist, no worries. Find one of your craft beers that are easy to drink like a lager or an ale. Here at first, avoid IPAs, seasonals, porters, and the others that may add a level of flavor you will experiment with later. Right now, let’s just create something amazing. Experiment later.

The Supplies 

  • Stainless Steel Pot for the Parts and Pieces like THIS ONE.
  • Bowl or other receptacle to hold the “good” parts that you will keep for another recipe.
  • Stirring Spoon or Spatula (to both stir the broth during the creation process and to “press” out the broth from the scraps in the strainer). This one is what I suggest: HERE.
  • Metal Strainer 
  • Bowl to catch the final broth
  • Jars to store the broth (if you are planning to store for later). I suggest wide-mouth Mason or Ball-type jars.  There will be a bit of fat that will solidify at the top of your refrigerated broth that will be easier to remove and use (yes…we do use that) from a wide-mouth jar.
  • Jar funnel – Trust me on this.
  • Affiliate Links Above

Ingredients

  • Bones, parts, and pieces from one whole deboned chicken – More if you have them.

  • 2-8 12oz Beers (Room Temperature)…or more.

Ready to Cook

All you need for this recipe are the bones from one chicken. If you have more, add more. If you have some vegetable scraps, add them too. 

Step 1: Start with a cast iron Dutch oven or another pot that will hold all of your ingredients

It’s okay if the ingredients are piled out and above the top of that Dutch oven. They will break down and render their flavor into that broth. The broth will simmer down a bit and become more concentrated. Just pile it in!

 

Step 2: The Beer. Add a lager or light, not-too-bitter ale to the pot. You’re going to need to add as many as it takes or supplement with water or broth-from-a-box.

The amount of beer to add is up to you. 

First and foremost…NO! You will not get drunk on this broth. Alcohol has a much lower gas point that water does. If you are adding a 6% ABV (alcohol by volume) beer to this pot, then long before that broth starts to steam, that alcohol will gas off. 

You’ve heard the statement regarding alcohol in food, “It’ll cook out.” And it does. There is no “away” in the world; the alcohol does leave the meal just like water does: as a gas. A 6% ABV beer will lose about 6% of the volume pretty quickly. 

Note: Alcohol “cooks out” at about 173.1°F (78.37°C). The liquid will not even be bubbling yet by the time the Ethanol (https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/types/) starts to steam out. When your liquid reaches 212°F (100°C), you’ll notice a nice boil start (the boiling point of water).

What I am looking for in my broth is some body. I want the broth to have a heavier and fuller flavor and mouthfeel than broth-in-a-box or water has. That beer will add that body and those real ingredients will add that flavor. 

The broth will NOT taste like beer. But, use caution with a beer that has a distinctive flavor ingredient. You can bet your witches and warlocks that the fall pumpkin ale you add to this broth will give you a pumpkin-ey broth. And, you can bet Santa’s beer belly that if you use a winter spruce tip lager in that broth, you’ll have a bit of a spruce-ey broth. That may be okay. Maybe you are going to use the pumpkin broth for a pumpkin chili base. And spruce tip flavor sure does complement chicken, just like rosemary does. 

For the most part, use an easy-drinking lager for this recipe. And, if you find that you have a lot of ingredient scraps and not quite enough beer to bring the liquid volume up to the point you need, you can add a bit of water or even one of those boxes of store-bought “broth.” 

Add the beer to the pot and just up to where the ingredients move freely in the liquid. You do not need to cover the ingredients with the liquid. The ingredients will cook down and will be under that liquid soon.

 

Step 3: Heat the pot on medium heat until the liquid starts to simmer.

Then turn everything about in that pot to get the ingredients to settle a bit. 

 

Step 4: Once the simmering starts, turn the heat down to low or medium low. Cover the pot with the lid.

Let things settle for a while and stir the pot about once every 20-30 minutes for the first hour. Put the lid on the pot but leave an edge open to allow the steam to escape. We want the pot to simmer and not become a rolling boil. The lid over the pot will help hold the heat to allow for simmering. The opened edge at the top will keep the pot from boiling too hard. 

 

Step 5: Keep stirring the broth about every 20-30 minutes until things start to break down. 

You’ve heard of bone broth, right? We are making a mini pot of bone broth right here. Most bone broths take hours and hours to create and are made in some considerable volumes. 

I have a recipe for beef bone broth that takes an entire day. Here’s the link: https://beerandiron.com/beer-beef-bone-broth-recipe-in-a-cast-iron-dutch-oven

This is not really a recipe. It’s a process. We will often spend the week cutting and chopping and roasting and skillet-ing. And, as we create our dinners, there are things that are often tossed. We’ll hang onto those trimmings, peelings, parts, bones, and pieces until we are ready to make a broth.

A long simmering time will allow all these parts and pieces to break down…ESPECIALLY the chicken bones and connective tissues. Eventually you will notice as you are turning and rotating the pot of “stuff” that the bone ends are bare and without any cartilage. The joints that were connected even after roasting the chicken are now broken apart and separated.

This is EXACTLY what we are looking for. And, we’ll let it simmer even longer.

Most of the ingredients are below the liquid level now. They are soft and fragile and some are almost liquified. We’ll call it broth-ified. The collagen from the chicken bones and the broken-down parts and pieces of meat and vegetables are creating a nice and heavy broth full of nutrients. 

As you cook, and if you notice the liquid level is getting too low, add more beer, water, or boxed broth. 

 

Step 6: Once the broth is “done,” take the pot off the heat and let things cool a bit.

I set things aside and let them cool down but don’t let things cool down to room temperature. I let the liquid cool to about the temperature of a cup of coffee. 

 

Step 7: Have your jars ready to be filled with the broth.

We are going to put the broth in the canning jars for refrigerator storage. THIS IS NOT A CANNING RECIPE. The broth created by following this recipe will have to be refrigerated. It will spoil at room temperature. With that being said, you can pressure can this broth following a canning recipe.

You will see in the video that I make a huge freakin’ mess while I pour the broth over to the jars. Even with the canning funnel. It is what it is. It’s likely because I am a male and prone to making messes (my wife has me convinced that I am handicapped because of a genetic issue: my Y-Chromosome). 

My suggestion is to use wide-mouth jars. This broth will jell-up and it’s easier to get out of the jars with the wide mouth. 

Step 8: Set a bowl with a metal strainer near the pot of broth and parts and pieces. 

Place a metal strainer in the bowl to catch the solids. Using a ladle, we scoop up the solids and pour them over to the strainer. Then we stir the mash around and try to get as much of the liquid from that mushy stuff as we can. 

Like in my beef bone broth recipe, you can “wash” the used material by placing it back in the pot and adding some fresh beer over the mushy stuff and spent bones. There will be enough of the broth and collagen left to actually jellify the beer when cooled. Message me if you need more explanation.

You can then use the drained solids for compost (except the bones), feed them to a worm bin, or throw them away. 

 

Step 9: Ladle the broth into the metal strainer and separate the broth from the liquid.

Scoop up the liquid and solids and ladle them over into the strainer over the bowl. We are actually focused on the solids here. We want to get as much of the solids out as we can, so we are able to pour the pot over the strainer and get all the broth out and free of the solids. 

 

Step 10: Pour the broth into a storage container like Mason or Ball jars.

If you don’t have any quart-size canning jars, you should get a set. They are so very helpful and handy. They can handle the extreme temperature changes like Pyrex glass can. And they are not too spendy. If they break or crack, we just recycle them (they take our glass here!).

Place a canning funnel over the mouth of the canning jar and pour the broth into the jars. The sad thing is: you’ll get far less broth than you think you’ll be getting. It is what it is.

 

Step 11: Put a lid over the jars of broth and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

The jars of broth will not last indefinitely. My suggestion is to use the broth in a soup, stew, chili, or something else before you start wondering, “is this okay to eat?” How long will that take? I don’t know the answer to that question. But, when I have broth like this available, I plan on a meal that will allow me to use the broth within a week. 

And there you go! You did it! How did it turn out?

Chef Tip #1: Don’t Burn Yourself

When pouring in Step #10, you’ll note the chicken parts are “sunken” to the bottom of the pot and will remain at the bottom of the pot until the angle of the pot during the pouring has reached a certain point. THEN the parts and pieces will “fall” to the side of the pot you are pouring toward. 

It’s hard to pour this “away” from you and you will likely be inclined to pour “towards” you. When these ingredients “fall,” that liquid will splash. There are hot oils in that broth and the hot broth itself that will burn you or, in the least, make a mess on your counter or floor. 

When about half of the liquid has poured into the colander, stop and “help” the chicken parts to gather on the side of the pot that you are pouring from. Then slowly continue pouring and let the parts and pieces slide into the colander to continue draining.

Chef Tip #2: It’s Okay to Use Stainless…or Cast Iron

We use a copper-bottomed stainless 6-quart pot for making broth from one or two chickens. We use stainless because the simmer time is so long. Beer and anything that contains alcohol is going to be acidic. And, truth be known, I’ll cook up a tomato dish in any of my non-enamled, well-seasoned cast iron pots and will not lose a wink of sleep over it…and…I create broth in my cast iron too…just like in the video.

Though the likelihood of metal molecules leaching into my food likely happens every single meal, we’re not cooking in lead or aluminum; we’re cooking in cast iron. Iron is both a material and a mineral. We need iron to have good health (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-Consumer/). I don’t worry about my cast iron dissolving or becoming damaged by the acid foods and liquids I cook in them. I worry about the possibility of a metallic taste that may form with foods that need to simmer for longer periods of time like broths.

Some of my broths will cook for 24 hours (not this recipe). And, from what I understand, 2-8mg of iron will leach per cup of acid food/liquid per 30 minutes of cooking time. My 12-inch skillet is about 3,628,736mg of iron; 2-8mg is not a big deal even every 30 minutes for 24 hours…that broth would need to cook for something like 25 YEARS to melt my pan (LOL)!  But, if off-flavors are a concern, then use a stainless pot…we have that one and only and use it for broth-making and noodle cooking.

With that being said, I use my 9-quart cast iron pot to create a beef broth (https://beerandiron.com/beer-beef-bone-broth-recipe-in-a-cast-iron-dutch-oven) that has a 24-hour cook time. It’s always been a great recipe and I have never had a metallic taste to my meals. So, if you are a purist cast-iron person, rock on with a cast iron Dutch oven to create your broth.

Chef Tip #3: Note on Storage

Storing in canning jars is not “canning” per se’. We are using the jars because of their convenience. Don’t store this broth in plastic. You can use something like Pyrex if you like. You will NEED to refrigerate this broth after you “jar” it and after it’s cooled a bit. You can “can” the broth but this canning process is beyond the scope of this recipe. 

Note: canning jars are commonly made of annealed glass. Pyrex glass is made of borosilicate glass, which is more resistant to thermal shock than annealed glass. We let the broth cool a bit before pouring over into the container we are planning to store the broth in. 

And, it’s okay if that “skin” forms on the broth’s surface before storing; it’ll “dissolve” into the broth once the broth is in the jar.

Chef Tip #4: Do You Have Dogs?

When you are done with your broth creation, you’ll have your broth and your meat parts separated. Depending on how long you simmered your broth will affect the present “durability” of the connective tissue. Many times I am surprised as to how much “meat” is left after I de-bone the chicken and create my broth. 

We have pups in our home; two hair and poop factories on four legs. I will take some time and remove all the big, little, and even TINY bones from the “trash” that’s left in the colander and pull out some meat to use as “treats” for the dogs. My suggestion is to only give them a little at a time. You will likely get anywhere from ½ to a full cup (or more) of meat parts that are not bone.

I have a recipe on how to create dog cookies using scraps of meat. Check it out here: 

Throw the bones away; don’t feed them to your dogs. Also, consider the other ingredients in your broth creation. Did you use any garlic, onions, or other ingredients that are not OK for dogs? Use your good judgment when feeding your dogs from this recipe.

Chef Tip #5: Time Saver

Broth-making is more passive than active. Once you put those ingredients into that pot for simmering, you’re pretty well free to create another meal or prep for the meal you are going to use that broth with. 

Sometimes I will save the parts and pieces from many different cooks. They may be frozen or refrigerated. A nice rainy or snowy day makes a good day to create broth for the future. Once you put it on the heat, there’s little to do but wait and stir things once in a while.

You better have something planned for dinner later that will taste as good as that simmering broth will smell. Once that aroma permeates the home, your family will definitely ask, “what’s for dinner?” That anticipation doesn’t need to be disappointed by, “What’s this? What was that you were cooking earlier?” 

Chef Tip #6: My Broth Didn’t Gel!

A good broth jells (like Jell-O / Gelatin) when cooled. But, if yours does not, it’s likely one of two reasons: 1) You didn’t simmer it long enough for the connective tissues to dissolve into the broth (this is a molecule-by-molecule process and takes time). 2) There just wasn’t enough connective tissues in the scraps themselves to dissolve (common with small broth batches).

If your broth does not gel; then no worries! Just cook with it; it’ll be A-OK!

If you’ve got minutes, then cook for minutes. But, if you have hours…simmer it for hours and add more beer as it reduces to keep the liquid level up.

WAIT! You forgot the Salt!

Actually, I did not. Salting a dish is a tricky deal to say the least. I don’t know what your “salty” tastes like. So, I wrote an article on how to salt a soup, stew, chili, or bisque. It’s a how-to-salt-just-about-anything-perfectly article. READ IT HERE.

So, no. I don’t add salt to this broth recipe. I add salt to the recipe I am going to cook with this broth but not during the broth creating process.

One of the reasons I don’t add salt is that I am usually using a brined chicken…and the amount of saltiness depends on so many factors that occurred from when you first put that raw chicken in that beer brine. Read my article on “Salt” to learn how I perfectly salt a recipe.

You’ve had those thin, watery soups before. You’ve struggled to bring body to your stews. We’ve added this and that and still feel, “it’s missing something.” What your soup, stew, or chili is missing is body and the core flavor. It’s the broth that will make or break a pot of soup, stew, or chili.

Take the time and save the week’s trimmings, bones, and scraps. Keep them refrigerated until you have enough to make your broth. Give this a try and let me know what you think.

ENJOY!

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

Beer and Chicken Bone Broth

Using left over parts and pieces of chicken and even vegetable parts to create a truly awesome broth for amazing soups, stews, chili, and bisque.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Soup

Equipment

  • Stainless Steel Pot Use Cast Iron if You Prefer
  • Bowl For placing the "good" meat as you debone.
  • Stirring Spoon or Spatula
  • Metal Strainer
  • Bowl To catch the final broth
  • Jars To store the broth
  • Jar Funnel

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Chicken Bones Bones and parts from one or more de-boned chicken
  • 4 12 Ounce Beer 4 or More Mild Lagers or Ales – More ingredients means more beer.

Instructions
 

  • Roast the Chicken to 165°F / 75°C
  • Let the Chicken Cool
  • Debone the Chicken
  • Place all the bones and scraps from the chicken in a cooking pot.
  • Pour over 4 or More Beers to cover by 1-2 inches of liquid
  • Place the pot with the lid on over a medium low heat and bring to a simmering boil. Then, reduce the heat to low.
  • Stir the pot every once in a while. The time to cook should be at least 30 minutes. But, we usually go over an hour or two (or longer)
  • As the liquid reduces, add more room-temperature beer to the broth-in-the-making.
  • After 30 minutes to many hours, place the metal strainer / colander over the bowl you are planning to drain the broth into. Pour the liquid over into the colander with all the meat scraps left in the colander.
  • Use the broth immediately or save in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Notes

A good broth gels (like Jell-O / Gelatin) when cooled. But, if yours does not, it’s likely one of two reasons: 1) You didn’t simmer it long enough for the connective tissues to dissolve into the broth (this is a molecule by molecule process and takes time). 2) There just wasn’t enough connective tissues in the scraps themselves to dissolve (common with small broth batches).
If your broth does not gel; then no worries! Just cook with it; it’ll be A-OK!
If you’ve got minutes, then cook for minutes. But, if you have hours…simmer it for hours and add more beer as it reduces to keep the liquid level up.
Keyword bisque, bone, bone broth, broth, chicken, chili, soup base, stew
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Beer and Iron’s Simple Roasted Chicken

Beer and Iron’s Simple Roasted Chicken

How I create the perfect roasted chicken each and every time. It’s going to be crispy, it’s going to be juicy, and it’s going to be evenly roasted.

The Basic Beer Brine Template Recipe

The Basic Beer Brine Template Recipe

How to beer brine meat chicken beef pork

Now We’re Cooking With Grass

Now We’re Cooking With Grass

Now We’re Cooking With Grass

BEER-BRINED, Roasted CHICKEN COOKED IN A CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN ON AN “ORGANIC” TRIVET

It’s likely that the title first caught your eye. Cooking chicken on grass. Then came the “What tha’s!” What tha tarnation! What tha deuce! And finally, what tha hay!

And “what the hay” indeed. We’re going to take a beer-brined whole chicken and roast it on a bed of grass, straw, or hay as an organic…meaning derived from something once living…trivet. We’re looking for a flavor that only cooking with grass, straw, or hay can give. A nice, earthy and nutty flavor. 

It’s funny how we sometimes say that it’s “Earthy.” That’s like saying it smells like dirt, musty, or like mushrooms picked fresh from the worm bin. But, no…not at all. “Earthy” is the only way I know how to describe it. What do you think? Comment below if you have a flavor profile for this chicken using this cooked-on-grass method.

Folks are going to have mixed messages when I say “organic.” No, not you; but folks I know. During my lifetime of almost 53 years, the word “organic” has all but changed in regard to its definition.

My suggestion is to make sure your grass is organic in both ways…that it’s really derived from something living (Easter basket grass is probably not a good substitute) and that it’s organic meaning that there’s no chemicals on the grass (and we ain’t about to venture into that territory). Basically, get some hay, straw, or grass that hasn’t been sprayed with anything you wouldn’t want to eat.

Plan Ahead

Plan a bit ahead with this recipe. As always, we brine our chicken before roasting. There’s an article on Beer and Iron as well as a video that shows you how to brine a whole chicken: WATCH IT HERE 

Let’s Get Started

First of all, let me tell you a quick story. I was cooking some gumbo for a few friends. I’m at the pot and am focused on moving that wooden spatula this way and that…when I heard my name in a question tone,

“Sulae?”

“Yeah, what it is?” Roux-making is a quick task but one I prefer to do without another thing to think about.

“Can you not put the bay leaves in the gumbo? I don’t like the bay leaf.”

“But, why don’t you like the bay leaf?” I asked.

“Dey too hard to chew.” My friend said.

Poor fella. Later, I gave him a couple of nickels for that dime he’d been carrying around; and he’d thought he done won the lottery.

So, I am going to say, don’t eat the grass or the bay leaves, and don’t eat the grass you use in this recipe. It’s not food; it’s a way to add flavor (and a bit of culinary intrigue) to our chicken. There are a lot of things we use in our recipes that are only for adding flavor or extracting flavor from.

Afterwards, we remove it before serving. 

But, you know that. We’ll leave that there. Let’s get started.

But don’t YOU eat the grass.

If you can find an organic straw or hay in bales then you can use that! But, you’ll likely do better with a smaller bag of rabbit feed alfalfa or hay (note: some feed varieties have marigolds as an additive…I am not sure what “flavor” that would render).

You will start this recipe 3-5 days before you are ready to cook your chicken by starting the brining process. We have two ways we create our brine:

  1. The Hot Method – This is where we take beer and add salt in a ratio of 1 tablespoon of salt to 12 ounces of beer. We add spices and herbs and heat the solution for a bit. After letting it cool completely, we add the meat to the brine and let it “brine” for a period of time.
  2. The Cold Method – This method is much more simple. 1 tablespoon of salt to 12 ounces of beer. Mix them together and put the meat in the brine to let it “brine” for a period of time.

The cold method seems easier. However, the hot method works best for more complicated brines with more than just the salt and beer. The heat will allow the flavors and essences of the herbs and spices to blend better with the brine liquid and thereby promote their flavors into the depths of the meat along with the beer and salt. 

Maybe a Southwestern Motif is what you’re shooting for by adding peppers in the chicken’s cavity rather than the lemon (see this recipe). Throw in some chili powder, cumin, and sage in the brine. 

A nice Indian dinner-flavor is what you are craving? Add a bit of coriander, cumin, and turmeric. If you really want to live on the edge, add a small amount of cardamom to that brine as well.

The beer brine template is 1 Tablespoon of Salt to 12-Ounces of Beer. From this ratio, you can add herbs and spices to give the brine different flavors.

Here’s the link to the cold brine recipe: https://beerandiron.com/2023/01/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken

Here’s the link to the hot brine recipe: COMING SOON.

For reference only, whole chicken cooking time is 20 minutes per Pound (or 450 grams). This is only a guide. Your meat thermometer needs to read 165°F / 74°C before it’s considered done. With that being said, the chicken will continue to cook once you pull it from the oven and while it “rests.” The best places on the chicken to check for doneness is the inner thigh area near the joint and the breast (but don’t push the thermometer probe down to the breast bone).

Most all resources, including FoodSafety.gov say that chicken is safe to eat at 165°F / 74°C. (LINK: https://www.foodsafety.gov/food-safety-charts/safe-minimum-cooking-temperature). Some resources say the whole chicken should be at 185°F / 85°C and only the pieces when cooked should be 165°F / 74°C. We shoot for 165°F / 74°C.

For those of y’all that ain’t cooked too many whole chickens in your lives, it’s a really tricky thing. You’ll read 165°F / 74°C at both the breast and the thigh joint. Then, while deboning the chicken, you realize how difficult it is to remove the meat from the bone. Then…you’ll see that bright white joint and that redness! It ain’t done! Expletives follow. 

Worse is when you serve a whole chicken at the table and after serving the carved meat and everyone has enjoyed about half their meal, there’s a red tinge to the settling broth in the bottom of the serving tray. Again, expletives follow.

A whole chicken has so many different parts of thicknesses that it’s really hard to tell what the actual internal temperature is. By the time you get finished sticking the thermometer probe into the chicken, it’ll end up with more holes than Lead Cenobite’s face. 

What are you preparing this chicken for? Answering that question will determine how done you really need it to be.

If you are using the meat in another recipe that you will be cooking, then the temperature is not a crucial issue. As a matter of fact, an under-done chicken is best for soups and stews where it will “finish” cooking.

If you are planning to eat the chicken fresh and hot from the oven, then the temperature is more crucial and reaching that 165°F / 74°C is essential.

The often-used phrase, “cook until the juices flow clear” is not a real good way to determine doneness…just sayin’.

Beer Pairing

With this light-colored meat should come a light-colored beer. Nope, not making that up. You’ll be amazed how well a nice golden or pale lager or maybe even blonds will go with a meal of roasted chicken. That crisp, dry, clean flavor will really complement the meal. 

Golden Lagers (bottom fermented at cooler temperatures) and Golden Ales have similar characteristics (with lagers always being clear). Golden lagers will be a bit bitter but not too much. There’s a tad bit of sweetness that definitely will not overwhelm nor will it linger. 

And if a not-too-bitter golden ale “calls” you from your beer fridge, then a golden ale will not disappoint with this meal. If a Pilsner is all you have, it will not disappoint either.

Chilled and right out of the refrigerator golden and even pale lagers pair with roasted chicken very well as it does with many other light-colored foods like seafood.

A bit of trivia: Where did lagers get their name? Going back to the 1600’s, lagers were brewed during the colder months and lagered for the summer months. Lager beers were lagered…meaning stored.

It’s BOTH! An entrée and an ingredient

This recipe will produce a nice, juicy, roasted chicken that can either be served whole or can be deboned and used in different recipes. The flavor it takes from that grass is very subtle and yet distinctive. It will add so much to any chicken-as-an-ingredient recipe.

There’s not much that will not pair well with whole, roasted chicken. 

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

Carrots

Brussel Sprouts

Broccoli

Asparagus

Cauliflower

Consider getting creative with these sides. Cauliflower, yeah! But what about Roasted Herb & Lemon Cauliflower or Garlic and Rosemary Brussels Sprouts?

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

Beer To Use In This Recipe

The beer ingredient in this recipe is added during the brine. Most any light-colored, easy-on-the-bitterness beer will work. When you start out brining for this recipe, or any chicken that you plan to brine, use a lighter-colored, easy-to-drink beer and then experiment from there. 

I often use a nice citrusy beer with this recipe. 

I love craft beer and appreciate the craft beer’s value. They are more expensive than big-brewery beers. And, truth be known, many of them big-brewery beers ain’t too bad to drink. If that’s all I have or have been offered, I’ll enjoy that big-brewery beer and the friends I am enjoying it with. 

Less expensive, easy-to-drink beer works very, very well for brining chicken. Consider Corona, Modelo, or even a DosXX. You will not be disappointed in how this chicken will turn out. Not to mention, that brine will not deplete your craft beer stock nor break the bank. 

24 12-ounce Coronas at my local market right now costs about $26.88. I venture to say that 24 12-ounce craft beers would be 3 times that much. 

Lastly, don’t think that using a beer that you consider inferior as a drinking beer will be a bad brining beer. Not in the least. They actually make for BETTER brining beers. Craft beer takes brewing to new flavor heights and we love craft beer and the brewers who toil over perfection.

However, these delicious flavor notes may cause the chicken to taste a bit off. Stick with a plain-Jane brew (sorry you Janes…I ain’t talking about you but other Janes).

Avoid dark beers, sweet beers, and beers with a high IBU. The IBU is the International Bitters Unit which is a measurement of how bitter or hoppy the beer will taste.

The Cast Iron

5 or 7-Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven (a 5-quart will work for most every chicken you pick up from the market).

The size of the Dutch oven depends on the size of your chicken. I have a Vintage Cast Iron 10-quart Sportsman Fish Fryer with the Griddle cast iron lid that I use when I want to roast two chickens at the same time. After all, the energy and time it takes to cook one chicken in the oven is the same if you put two in the oven.

Most ovens will accommodate two 5-quart cast iron Dutch ovens and even a 5-quart and a 7-quart at the same time.

The Supplies

I have included some affiliate links:

Larger Zipper Storage Bag: https://amzn.to/3wCz6Ek

Bowl to hold the brining chicken while it’s in the refrigerator.

Knife to poke holes in the Lemon

Meat Thermometer (Optional): https://amzn.to/3wCnS2o

Butcher’s Twine (Optional if you plan to truss): https://amzn.to/3HDjJBw

Ingredients:

36 Ounces of Beer (for the brine)

3 Tablespoons of Salt (for the brine)

NOTE: This is the basic brine. You can create a brine either using the cold method or the hot method. Yes! I do have a how-to article and video for both!

4 Pound Whole Chicken give or take a few ounces (or even a pound).

2-3 Tablespoons of Oil to Coat the Chicken Before Roasting

1-3 Handfuls of Organic, Non-Sprayed Timothy Hay, Straw, Alfalfa, or another Straw or Hay

1 Lemon Whole and Uncut

Ready to Cook

To brine or not to brine; that’s the first question to ask yourself. Me? Oh, it’s hands down; I’m brining every time. And, I will present this recipe with the brine time built in.

Like any recipe you follow, modify as per your preferences. This recipe, like any recipe you get from any book, Internet site, or even from Aunt Annie at the church potluck, is a template. A little bit more of this and a little bit less of that is how you and I roll when we are following recipes. This recipe is presented as a template; a place to start. 

The flavor is what we are looking for and the two places in this recipe that flavor will come from are the grass we use as the trivet and the details we put into our brine.

The brine we’ll use for this recipe can be as simple as just salt and beer or it can be as elaborate as your flavor chasing journey takes you. I will present this recipe as a template and a place to get started. 

 

The Brine

Two or three days before you are ready to cook this recipe. Prepare your brine. The Beer and Iron Beer Brine ratio is: 

1 Tablespoon of Salt to 12-Ounces of Beer. 

A chicken takes up a lot of space and will need to remain submerged in and under the brine. 36-Ounces should do the trick (you may need more for larger chickens and larger chickens usually need more brine time).

We have a recipe / article on how to brine a whole chicken here: https://beerandiron.com/2023/01/how-to-beer-brine-whole-chicken

Step 1: Create your brine.

Step 2: Remove the chicken from the market packaging and remember to remove anything from the cavity of the chicken.

Step 3: Place the chicken in the brine. Do not truss your chicken yet. Just the whole, raw chicken into the beer brine. 

Step 4: Store the brining chicken in the refrigerator for two or three days. I sometimes will go a bit longer.

Chef Tip: Keep notes on how long the chicken brined for. Was it two, three, or even five days? The time in the brine will influence the saltiness of the meat. If you have notes that remind you that a 2-day brine worked very good and you let the next chicken go for 3-days and it turned out GREAT, those notes will keep you on track. But, if you let it go for 6-days and the chicken tasted like it’d just walked out of the ocean, then you’ll have those notes to remind you as well.

Things that influence the saltiness in brined meat:

  1. The amount of salt to liquid ratio (and the kind of salt you used)
  2. The thickness of the meat.
  3. The time the meat spent in the brine.
  4. The temperature while brining

I can’t taste what too-salty or not-salty-enough tastes like to you. Salting is a very subjective process. Will you get it right following this recipe? I hope so. If something is not perfect, then you’ll have your notes to adjust the process by.

To learn more about salting: https://beerandiron.com/2022/11/salt-to-taste

 

Time to Cook

After a few days, we’ll remove the chicken from the brine and place it to drain; there’s all kinds of brine hiding spots in the cavity of that chicken. Set the chicken on a small stack of paper towels.

Step 5: Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C.

Step 6: Pat dry the chicken’s outside. We often will pat dry the inside as well. It only needs to be pat dry and not made bone-dry. A little moisture is okay. We just don’t want brine dripping out of it if we hold it up.

Step 7: Take the knife and the lemon and poke many small slits in the lemon’s skin. Then shove the lemon into the cavity of the chicken. 

You’ll notice how the lemon will “lift up” the chicken breast and give it a “plump” look. The lemon will add flavor to the chicken and also keep the chicken’s shape during cooking. 

Step 8: Truss the chicken. We use the butcher’s twine. Cut a section from the butcher’s twine about an arm’s length (we’ll snip off the excess)

  1. Have the chicken legs facing you.
  2. Take the ends of the twine in each hand.
  3. With the middle of the twine, make a figure eight around the chicken legs with the loop of the eight around each end of each leg. 
  4. Turn the bird around to where the neck end is facing you.
  5. Make a half-knot at the neck end and cinch the string to bring the legs together on the other side of the chicken. 
  6. Have someone help you finish off the knot with their finger like when tying a bow on a Christmas gift.
  7. Snip off the loose ends of the twine

Step 9: Use the oil to coat the outside of the chicken. This will help crisp up the chicken and the crispy skin will hold in that moisture.

Step 10: Take your 5-quart Dutch oven and place a bit of grass, straw, or hay into the bottom of the Dutch oven. Use just enough to cover the bottom of the Dutch oven (only about 1/4th full). Here are some pointers:

  1. The chicken will be resting on the surface of the grass, hay, or straw and off the bottom of the pot. 
  2. Don’t use grass clippings from your yard. Only use the kinds of grass, hay, or straw that is sold in bales or as feed for animals. 

Step 11: If you are using a skewer thermometer, place the probe into the chicken breast at the thickest part and not all the way to the bone. 

Step 12: Make sure there are no tips or ends of the grass, hay, or straw sticking out above or over the edge of the cast iron Dutch oven’s rim or brim. If so, snip them off. Everything should be snug and on the inside of that Dutch oven.

Step 13: Place the Dutch oven with the chicken and the grass into the preheated oven. The chicken will cook for a bit of time (sometimes an hour or longer). Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C. 

Step 14: When the thermometer reads 165°F / 74°C, remove the chicken from the oven and check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.

Chef Tip 1: Don’t eat the hay, straw, or grass when you are done with cooking the chicken.

Chef Tip 2: Don’t let your animals eat the straw, grass, or hay when you are done with it. Dogs will think it’s a treat; it’s not. We always remove the used grass right away and tie it up in the garbage bag. We don’t give our dogs chicken bones either no matter how pathetic those puppy dog eyes look.

Chef Tip 3: Don’t use a skillet for this recipe. Use the Dutch oven to keep the grass in and away from direct heat. Dutch ovens are deeper and they keep everything dress-right-dress.

Chef Tip 4: Chicken is considered “done” at 165°F / 74°C. Because chicken has different parts with varying thickness, be sure to check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done. 

Summary

There you go! Now, what do you think? I know that later in the cooking process you could smell that grassy, earthy, nutty aroma in the home. The real test will be the flavor; how does it taste? Be sure to let me know in the comments below. 

Yes, there is very little difference between this recipe and our roasted chicken recipe. And the cooked chicken itself is used much like any other roasted or baked chicken is used. There will be a flavor difference; that’s for sure. 

When we bake a chicken in the camp Dutch oven when we are out and about cooking in the great outdoors, we’ll often take some this and that to cook with as an organic trivet. I’ve used spruce tips, stems and branches, and many other things that add flavor. You will need to use (and be responsible) for your own know-how and common sense when cooking this or any recipe suggestions here on Beer and Iron. 

Now, y’all go on out and give this recipe a try. And when you invite folks over and they see what your are cooking up, they’ll shout, “WHAT THA HAY!?” 

And you’ll say, “Hay indeed.”

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

Now We’re Cooking On Grass – Beer Brined Roasted Chicken

BEER-BRINED, Roasted CHICKEN COOKED IN A CAST IRON DUTCH OVEN ON AN “ORGANIC” TRIVET
Prep Time 2 days
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 5 or 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven Depends on the size of your chicken
  • Larger Zipper Storage Bag To Brine In
  • Larger Bowl To hold the brining chicken while it’s in the refrigerator.
  • Knife To poke holes in the Lemon
  • Meat Thermometer Optional
  • Butcher's Twine

Ingredients
  

The Brine

  • 36 Ounces Beer Light colored lager or ale with less bitterness
  • 3 TBLS Salt Kosher is best

The Chicken Roast

  • 1 Whole Chicken 4 Pound (Give or Take)
  • 2 TBLS Oil Any oil will do. Use this to coat the chicken.
  • 3 Handfuls Organic Straw, Grass, Hay 1-3 Handfuls of Organic, Non-Sprayed Timothy Hay, Straw, Alfalfa, or another Straw or Hay
  • 1 Whole Lemon

Instructions
 

Brine The Chicken 2-5 Days Before Roasting

  • Create your brine – In The Zipper Bag, add the 32 ounces of beer and then add the 3 Tablespoons of Salt. It will foam up!
  • Remove the chicken from the market packaging and remember to remove anything from the cavity of the chicken.
  • Place the chicken in the brine. Do not truss your chicken yet. Just the whole, raw chicken into the beer brine.
  • Store the brining chicken in the refrigerator for two or three days. I sometimes will go a bit longer.

Ready To Cook

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F / 177°C.
  • Pat dry the chicken’s outside (and inside if you prefer)
  • Take the knife and the lemon and poke many small slits in the lemon’s skin. Then shove the lemon into the cavity of the chicken.
  • Truss the chicken with the butcher’s twine.
  • Use the oil to coat the outside of the chicken.
  • Take your 5-quart Dutch oven and place a bit of grass, straw, or hay into the bottom of the Dutch oven.
  • If you are using a skewer thermometer, place the probe into the chicken breast at the thickest part and not all the way to the bone.
  • Make sure there are no tips or ends of the grass, hay, or straw sticking out above or over the edge of the cast iron Dutch oven’s rim or brim. If so, snip them off.
  • Place the Dutch oven with the chicken and the grass into the preheated oven.
  • When the thermometer reads 165°F / 74°C, remove the chicken from the oven and check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done.

Notes

Chef Tip 1: Don’t eat the hay, straw, or grass when you are done with cooking the chicken.
Chef Tip 2: Don’t let your animals eat the straw, grass, or hay when you are done with it. Dogs will think it’s a treat; it’s not. We always remove the used grass right away and tie it up in the garbage bag. We don’t give our dogs chicken bones either no matter how pathetic those puppy dog eyes look.
Chef Tip 3: Don’t use a skillet for this recipe. Use the Dutch oven to keep the grass in and away from direct heat. Dutch ovens are deeper and they keep everything dress-right-dress.
Chef Tip 4: Chicken is considered “done” at 165°F / 74°C. Because chicken has different parts with varying thickness, be sure to check the chicken at a few other spots to make sure it’s done. 
Keyword beer brined chicken, chicken, Chicken Breast, roast chicken, roasted chicken, whole chicken
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Beer Brined Coffee Crusted Pork Roast

Beer Brined Coffee Crusted Pork Roast

I’m talking about coffee. There are so many things to create with coffee as an ingredient.

How To Beer Brine a Whole Chicken

How To Beer Brine a Whole Chicken

How to beer brine meat chicken beef pork

Beef BEERguignon – A French Recipe with a Hoppy Twist

Beef BEERguignon – A French Recipe with a Hoppy Twist

Beef ain’t all we’re discussing here. What about the bacon?

Do you know what a Lardon is? What about cutting batons? And, how about Charcuterie? Sure you do. Nonetheless, let’s do a refresher. First, here’s what a lardon is not: cut up sliced bacon pieces. Will cut up bacon pieces work? ABSOLUTELY! But, if you are truly wanting to use lardons, then you’ll need to dive into the world of Charcuterie (shar-KOO-tər-ee). Yes. Another beautiful French word for cooking prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, and sausage to name a few.

“Baton cut bacon batons” – Sulae

Baton cuts are usually seen when cutting vegetables with root vegetables often prepared this way. Before the “baby carrot,” do you remember when veggie trays had those square-cut / rectangular-cut carrots? That “cut” is known as the “baton cut,” and the process would be described as “baton.” It’s not “how to make baton cuts,” but “how to baton.” And the cut vegetables or meat that is cut this way are known as batons. So, when you baton bacon, you are making bacon batons. Get it? And since we are all talking and cooking French stuff, baton comes from the French word, “Bâtonnett.” After all, what else to you know that has been baton? How about French fries (BOOM! Mind Blown!).

Finally, Lardons. Bacon Lardons are created when you take a whole, unsliced bit of bacon and cut it into batons that are about ½ inch thick and about 1 inch long. These will brown beautifully as the fat is rendered and then available to sear your beef in. In the bowl at the dinner table, they will be like little flavor bombs and have the effect of inspiring those “Yummmm” sounds people make during a meal with a full mouth as they bob their head up and down.

Smoked bacon is A-OK. Charcuterie is cooking with prepared meat products and bacon is usually prepared with salt and has a smoke flavor added. Some recipes suggest blanching the bacon in water to remove the smoke taste…and that’s A-OK. Me? I ain’t doin’ that. I just baton the bacon into batons and rock on! With that being said, avoid flavored bacons like honey and those that have “too much” smoky flavoring. Charcuterie offers another challenge as to the salt content. But we’ll talk about that next.

Beef Beerguignon – A French Recipe with a Hoppy Twist.

Y’all, I’ve gotta tell ya. I can sure ‘nuf run my mouth. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that once Sulae gets started telling a story, it’ll start with truth and end in more embellishments than a rhinestone cowboy on a Las Vegas Saturday night.

And, when I get to going, I’ll end up down a few rabbit trails that leaves me wondering what was I actually talking about. Needless to say the last thing I need in that cast iron pot is a meal that has a “timer” on it because inevitably that preverbal dinner bell will ring just about the time my tall tale is about to reach ne plus ultra!

There’s times when we want to spend time with family or are planning to have company over and we…the cast iron chefs…are usually busy cooking and prepping while all the visiting and company-ing is going on elsewhere. Beef Bourguignon is the recipe I go to when I have some day-time hours to prepare the ingredients, a moment to get them seared and started, and leave the stew on the stove at low-and-slow while I enjoy the “visiteuse et visiteur” (that means “visitor” for all y’all English-speakers).

Beef Bourguignon (pronounced “beef bor-guh-nyaa” on this side of the big pond or “beef baw-guh-nyo” if you are the English-speaking type in Europe [or if you are an Idahoan with a Southern twang like me, it’s “bour-g-in-Ya” – “g” like in girl and not “g” like in gin]). The French say it best because it’s traditionally a French dish that (as rumor has it) is from a region in France known as Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Bourgogne is translated as Burgundy in English. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is the region in France that is known for its red wines (correct me if I am incorrect on any of this…please!).

Though I do enjoy cooking with wine, we’re going to stir things up a bit (pun intended). We’re going to cook this recipe with BEER! And today, Beef BEERguignon (beerg-in-Ya) is born.

Note: The steps here are written out with much detail. The printable recipe below is written out in brief, to-the-point steps. I know the world likes fast and to-the-point. And, in the interest of brevity and to-the-pointness, many recipes out there omit the little intrinsic details that leave the one trying to follow the recipe to figure-it-out-on-their-own. As with any new recipe you follow on Beer and Iron, this recipe article is here to answer your questions as you create the recipe successfully. After you have created it once, the printable, brief version of the recipe will be just a memory-jogger. It’s one of the reasons I create read-along podcast-like recordings. I want to make sure you don’t miss the tiny details that may ruin your cooking experience…and worst of all…must sit there with your friends and family enduring a meal that you cooked that you are not even enjoying.

Beef Beerguignon is a recipe with some complexities and yet is so simple. Create it once and the second time will be a walk in the park.f

First, let’s talk MEAT!

Traditionally (as the story goes), folks in the old country (when it was very old) used to “use up” their left-over, cooked meat to create this recipe (using wine). Maybe a bit of lamb, rabbit, or whatever they had. Nowadays, beef is considered the meat of choice for this stew.

(What makes it a stew?)

I’ve cooked it with Tri-Tip, chuck, round tip, and even corned beef (but careful with corned beef). Ingredients and cook times equal, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference in cuts of beef with this recipe. I created two pots of this “magic” when preparing for this article, one with Tri-Tip and the other one with Round Tip. The end results were indistinguishable, no joke.

Three to four pounds of chuck or any other stewing meat or meat that the butcher labels as “slow roasted” or “slow cook” is what you are looking for.

We’ll cut the beef into bite-sized chunks. “Bite-sized” is subjective. How much can you put into your mouth (LOL)?

For me (and what you too will find to be the case), the roast will “cut” in irregular-sized pieces, and I do good to maintain the 1-2 inch chunk-sized cuts of beef (with 2 inches my goal but I ain’t about to throw out a ½ inch piece).

Note: I’ve also seen this recipe cooked with leftover roast that was just pulled-apart and added to the pot. Yes, that works too. Instead of chunks of beef, you’ll have “strands” of beef and that’s A-OK! Just low-and-slow a roast until fork tender and have it at the ready. Put that seared roast in the oven by 9am, pull it out around 5pm and dinner is ready by 6pm. Suddenly, you’ve got a quick and easy, busy-weekday-evening-dinner that will taste like you’ve been cooking all day.

Beef ain’t all we’re discussing here. What about the bacon?

Do you know what a Lardon is? What about cutting batons? And, how about Charcuterie? Sure you do. Nonetheless, let’s do a refresher. First, here’s what a lardon is not: cut up sliced bacon pieces. Will cut up bacon pieces work? ABSOLUTELY! But, if you are truly wanting to use lardons, then you’ll need to dive into the world of Charcuterie (shar-KOO-tər-ee). Yes. Another beautiful French word for cooking prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, and sausage to name a few.

“Baton cut bacon batons” – Sulae

Baton cuts are usually seen when cutting vegetables with root vegetables often prepared this way. Before the “baby carrot,” do you remember when veggie trays had those square-cut / rectangular-cut carrots? That “cut” is known as the “baton cut,” and the process would be described as “baton.” It’s not “how to make baton cuts,” but “how to baton.” And the cut vegetables or meat that is cut this way are known as batons. So, when you baton bacon, you are making bacon batons. Get it? And since we are all talking and cooking French stuff, baton comes from the French word, “Bâtonnett.” After all, what else do you know that has been baton? How about French fries (BOOM! Mind Blown!).

Finally, Lardons. Bacon Lardons are created when you take a whole, unsliced bit of bacon and cut it into batons that are about ½ inch thick and about 1 inch long. These will brown beautifully as the fat is rendered and then available to sear your beef in. In the bowl at the dinner table, they will be like little flavor bombs and have the effect of inspiring those “Yummmm” sounds people make during a meal with a full mouth as they bob their head up and down.

Smoked bacon is A-OK. Charcuterie is cooking with prepared meat products and bacon is usually prepared with salt and has a smoke flavor added. Some recipes suggest blanching the bacon in water to remove the smoke taste…and that’s A-OK. Me? I ain’t doin’ that. I just baton the bacon into batons and rock on! With that being said, avoid flavored bacons like honey and those that have “too much” smoke flavoring. Charcuterie offers another challenge as to the salt content. But we’ll talk about that next.

Salt Considerations

SALT: As all recipes say, “salt to taste.” That’s because saltiness is not objective (what I think), it’s very subjective (what you think). Here are the considerations before adding salt:

  1. The biggest consideration is your broth. Are you using broth from a box or your own home-made broth? I will often use broth created when I cooked a roast. How salty the broth turns out is extremely variable. Some boxed broths don’t have any added salt.
  2. Bacon is often a raw but processed meat. How salty are your bacon lardons?
  3. Are you using a meat that is already salted? Is the meat cured or did you brine the meat before you started cooking it? Brined meat will have a nice supply of salt that the meat will “hold on to” until the salt “balances” during the cooking process.

Cured meats and salted meats will not “render” its share of salt to the stew’s liquid until late in the cook. When you taste-test the stew at the first, it may taste perfectly salted as it initially simmers. An hour later, the stew may taste TOO SALTY after things “balance” in the pot. Paradoxically and more likely, the meat is not cured or brined and the meat “takes in” the salt making the stew taste NOT SALTY ENOUGH.

The struggle is real. Perfectly salted meals…including this one…does take some creativity. Rule of thumb: You can’t make a cooked meal less salty; but you can make it more salty at the table. Our goals are to get this salting down in the pot to where there is no need for table salting and, most importantly, keep from over-salting this stew.

My suggestion is not to use seasoned or already-salted meats like corned beef. This is not the case for salted bacon; there’s not much bacon in this recipe and the salt in the bacon will not change the saltiness much to worry about.

The amount of salt is not the only consideration as to how salty a recipe turns out to be. An equal and yet often ignored (rather not thought of) is the end-of-the-cook volume. A recipe like this one where it will simmer for hours, and hours will “thicken up” not only by the action of the flour but also the “thickening” nature of being reduced…losing water through steam over the hours. As the volume reduces, we might have to add more liquid. If the added liquid has salt, the final dish may taste too salty.

Salt will make or break a recipe regardless of the quality of the ingredients and the perfection of cooking the meal. It’s why most chefs and recipe authors say, “Salt to taste.” That three-word suggestion is not a simple process. Salt is not like other ingredients such as shrimp in a gumbo or smoked paprika. We can omit the shrimp and still have a delicious gumbo or substitute the smoked paprika for just paprika. Salt? The authors of recipes know this about salt: That you need to add it to THEIR recipe. They do not know as to how much to add to YOUR recipe.

Read more about salting a recipe here.

Flour: There are three ways to add the flour to your recipe.

Method 1: Put the flour in a bowl (like a cereal bowl). Add a few ounces of the beef/bone broth/stock. Use a fork and mix the flour in the liquid very well. This is the BEST way to mix the flour or other thickening agent in a recipe. If you dump the flour in the pot with all the ingredients, It’ll lump up on you.

Method 2: Use a bit more flour and roll the cut beef in the flour before you sear the pieces in the oil. This is A-OK but may not offer enough flour to thicken the stew.

Method 3: Create a Roux. Want to learn how? Sure, you do. Here’s my how-to: https://beerandiron.com/2022/11/roux

Feel free to experiment with different methods. My suggestion is to start with the flour in the bowl.

I am going to have to tell you, though this recipe is created with a sour, the best beer to enjoy this meal with is a nice porter or a stout.

 

Full mouths don’t speak.

Potatoes…mashed…and this stew ladled on the top of those mashed potatoes. Trust me on this one. There’s not a side in the world that will work better than mashed potatoes with this recipe. It’ll turn this recipe into a one-bowl meal.  

My suggestion is to bake a few potatoes about an hour or an hour and a half before the stew is done…bake them skin and all…then make some mashed potatoes. A scoop or three of those skin-mixed-in mashed potatoes with the Beef Beerguignon ladled on the top of those mashed rhizomes-ala-nightshade will make this a dinner of quiet time. Full mouths don’t speak.

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

The Beer

This recipe traditionally uses a red wine (to put it simply). We are going to use a beer but one that is made with fruit (or not…it’s up to you). Fruit Beers are not drinks with alcohol that are flavored with fruit; fruit beers are beers that are brewed with fruit or fruit juices as an ingredient. If you ferment fruit or fruit juices, you end up with wine. For a beer to be a beer, there must be a minimum of these four ingredients: grain, hops, yeast, and water. We are not necessarily looking for a fruit beer, we are looking for a beer with hints of fruitiness. It may have absolutely no fruit as an ingredient but may still have fruity notes.

Like with every Beer and Iron recipe, there are no rules but only suggestions. The two biggest points here are to remember that beers that are good to you as a drinking beer may not be good to you as cooking beer. Second, one beer that works well in one recipe may not work well in another. It’s one of the reasons you have beer-pairing with different foods. You may cook with a beer that is MUCH different than the beer you may enjoy drinking with your meal.

Like I mentioned earlier. You’ll cook this with a sour but enjoy it with a porter or stout. Those beers are as different as tea and coffee.

For this recipe, I suggest using a Sour, Kolsch, Wheat, or a Lambic. I’ve used everything from blueberry sours to cherry sours and it’s all been amazing.

In this presented recipe, I am using a 4-year-old bottle of beer from a local brewer called 10 Barrel Brewing Company. This beer called “Pyka” (2018), is a Berliner Weisse (a regional variation of the wheat beer style from Northern Germany, dating back to at least the 16th century). This Berliner Weisse was brewed with Blackberry and Apricot. YUMMMM!!!!

The Cast Iron

  • 5 or 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven (a 5-quart will work well unless you are like me and always over-add ingredients. Also, the pot may initially look FULL. But, as it cooks and reduces, there’ll be plenty of room.  
  • Cast Iron Skillet (10.25” to 12”) for braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms at the end.

The Supplies 

  • Cutting Board
  • Wooden Spoon or Spatula for Turning and Stirring.
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Knife to cut the meat and vegetables
  • Fork for mixing the flour with the liquid
  • Bowl to mix the flour and the liquid in
  • Spoon for tasting
  • Bit of Food-Safe String for tying the Herb bouquet like butcher’s twine
  • Scissors to cut the string (or just chop it with the knife).
  • Teaspoon and Tablespoon measuring spoons
  • Small glass container for storing the left-over tomato paste (we’ll use about half [or less] of a 6 ounce can for this recipe).
  • Tongs for easier turning of the beef during searing.
  • Optional: Rubber spatula for scooping and “squeegee-ing out” the ingredients from the preparation bowls

Ingredients

  • 3-4 pounds of Tri Tip, Chuck Roast, or other low-and-slow cuts of meat
  • 6-8 ounces of whole, unsliced bacon (we are going to create bacon lardons out of this bacon)
  • 1 Onion Finely Chopped
  • 3 Large Carrots Thick Sliced
  • 2-6 Cloves of Garlic
  • 1-3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of Flour
  • 2-4 Bay Leaves
  • Thyme – Sage – Bouquet (or dried equivalent – see below)
  • 10-15 Pearl Onions
  • 8 Ounces of Whole Mushrooms (or more)
  • 12-16 Ounces Beer (or more)
  • 8-16 Ounces Beef Broth or Beef Bone Broth (Broth from Roast and Bone Broth Video)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste (I’ll add as I cook).
  • NOTE: We will need just a bit of liquid to cook the mushrooms and pearl onions in during the last few steps of this recipe. Reserve about ½ cup. We usually have a bit of beer in the bottom of a glass that didn’t get drink, drank, or drunk (no pun intended). But, visitors may not like your left-over, back-washed beer used in this recipe. But then again, what they don’t know…

I’m joking(ish).

Prepare the Ingredients

When I cook, I will prepare all the ingredients first and before starting to cook. This way I am not racing when something is ready, and the other ingredients are not. It’s nice to have everything cut and prepped and ready to go. I cut, chop, and keep nearby each ingredient in a bowl or plate waiting on its turn in line…or when its step comes up in the recipe. Likewise, having all the cooking equipment at the ready keeps you from hunting it when that moment comes.

Step 1 – Get everything out and let it warm to room temperature. This is most important for the broth and the beer. We will be adding these to the pot when the pot is wicked hot! Drink cold beer; cook with warm beer. Do not pour cold beer or cold broth/stock into your hot pot.

Step 2 – Prepare the Herb Bouquet. Truth be known, you can just chop up all these herb ingredients or use them dry. We tend to get the “fresh” stuff in the winter from the grocery store’s produce section or harvest them from the garden during the mid to late summer. But we also use our own dried herbs from our garden or from a commercially-available shaker or bottle. I do prefer the bouquet-style option.

The Bouquet – Using a few thyme and sage tips and spriggles (and even a bit of rosemary), tie them together in a little bouquet-like arrangement with the butcher’s twine. You’ll just toss these in when the moment comes.

Fresh Chopped and Dried Herbs – There are many conversions out there, but we keep it simple. Three teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of fresh-chopped herbs will equal about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. But, you know the caveat here, right? How fine are they chopped and is it a leaf or a needle-like shape and the drama goes on and on. Like salt and pepper, “herb” to taste. If you are looking for a starting point, put a teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried sage in this recipe and make note for next time you create this recipe.

Fresh Chopped and Dried Herbs – There are many conversions out there, but we keep it simple. Three teaspoons or 1 tablespoon of fresh-chopped herbs will equal about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. But, you know the caveat here, right? How fine are the fresh herbs chopped and is it a leaf or a needle-like shape and the drama goes on and on. Like salt and pepper, “herb” to taste. If you don’t want to use the herb bouquet or don’t have access to fresh or store-bought “fresh” herbs, add a teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried sage in this recipe and make note for next time you create this recipe to remember if you need more or less.

Step 3 – Cut the 3–4-pound chuck roast (or other cuts of beef) into 1–2-inch chunks. Don’t worry with being perfect; longer, shorter, smaller, bigger…it’s all good. If there is a thick chunk of fat on the meat, I usually trim this off (depending on how thick it is). If it’s not too thick, I just leave it on. Tri Tip is “bad” about keeping the fat tucked in under the “displayed part.”

Step 4 – Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. This is a must-do step. The beef will not brown during the sear if you don’t pat-dry the cut beef before you put it in the hot pot. Let the cut beef get to room temperature instead of letting the whole, uncut beef warm up. And, this is not a rule. Warming up a bit from the refrigerator is okay…and also an okay step to skip (the drying part is not okay to skip…pat dry the pieces).

Step 5 – Cut about 6-8 ounces of Bacon Lardons. Alternatives: pancetta or slivered bacon.

Step 6 – Finely Chop the 1 onion.

Step 7 – Dice the 2-6 Garlic Cloves.

Step 8 – Wash or Peel 3 Carrots. Chop the carrots in thick slices or chunks. How big? That’s up to you. I like larger chunks of carrots in mine and cut them about ½ inch to an inch long.

Step 9 – Measure out your flour to the cereal bowl-sized bowl. Add a bit of the beer or broth. Use your fork to mix the flour and the liquid together very well and without lumps or chunks. Smooth… Set aside and keep that rubber spatula nearby too.

Step 10 – Open up the can of tomato paste and set aside.

Step 11 – Mushrooms. Depending on the variety, you’ll prepare them accordingly. How? Button mushrooms or baby bellas should be bought whole and then quartered for this recipe. If you have purchased a different variety, then prepare the mushrooms into sizes about the size of 1/4th of a normal button mushroom

Step 12 – Have your can or bottle of beer nearby. It’s up to you on how much to use in this recipe. “Normally,” you will find beer sold in 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans or bottles. But, don’t fret this part. I’ve seen traditional versions of this recipe calling for a whole, 750ml (about 25-26 ounces) bottle of red wine.

Step 13 – Measure out the beef broth / bone broth. NOTE: When you get ready to add the broth to the recipe, don’t just pour it all in. We want to make sure we pour just enough in. I’ll talk about this more in a bit.

Step 14 – Don’t forget the pearl onions. Most of the time you’ll get these frozen. Just pull out about 10-15 pearl onions and either leave them out or put them in a container in the refrigerator. We kinda-but-not-necessarily need to have them at room temperature when we use them. If you have fresh pearl or tiny onions, prepare them by peeling the tiny onions and keeping them near.

Ready to Cook

We’re going to start by rendering the fat from some of the bacon lardons. Then we are going to sear the chunks of beef in that fat from the lardons. We’ll repeat this cycle of rendering the fat then searing the beef in batches and until all the beef is seared. First, set your 5-7 quart cast iron Dutch oven to medium high heat (or a bit higher). Take the lid of your 5-7 quart cast iron Dutch oven and place it upside down with the inside of the lid facing up like a plate or a bowl to receive the meat (lardons and the seared beef) as we work in batches. Keep the lid near the pot you are searing the meat in; this way the lid (not on a direct heat source) is getting some of the ambient heat from the pot and keeping the seared meat warmer.

You’ll notice that there’ll be some broth that will form as these pieces of meat rest while you sear other batches. Add this to the pot when you add the meat. Also, don’t use heat under your lid; this is just to hold the seared meat while you work in batches. You could use a bowl or a plate instead of the lid; that’d be good too.

Step 1 – Render the fat from the Lardons: The lardons will “create” the oil we need for searing the meat. There should be enough oil for searing and not frying. If the lardons do not produce enough fat, add some oil to the pot before adding the beef to sear.

Bacon fat is variable. Some bacon is fatty and then some packs are meatier. We all tend to lean toward the meaty bacon. Considering this, if the batch of bacon lardons don’t produce enough fat, don’t add more lardons. Add a bit of oil to the pot and let it heat to temperature (whisps of smoke is a good indication of ready-to-sear). We keep bacon grease near and at the ready and we also have beef fat from making roasts and bone broth that we can spoon out and add to the pot as we need.

We need that cast iron Dutch oven hot…very hot. If you have a surface thermometer, get that pot up to 400-450°F (205-235°C) and a good searing temperature. If you don’t have a way to check the surface temperature, no worries. If the oil is smoking a bit, the pot is hot enough.

No need to pre-oil the pot before you do this. Let the lardons cook a bit and brown but don’t get them to the crispy stage. Once they are done (not done enough for snacking), transfer them to the nearby Dutch oven lid for later.

Once this batch of lardons is done, remove the lardons and set aside. But, leave that oil in the bottom of the pot.

Step 2 – Add SOME of the beef to the hot, oiled, slightly smoking pot. SIZZLE!! But, don’t add too much at once. We’re going to sear in batches. Why? We want to sear our meat and not braise the meat (yet). Braising is to cook something, like chunks of meat, in a small amount of liquid. Though we pat-dried our meat, there is still a lot of moisture in that meat. When you put the meat in the pot and hear that sizzle, a battle begins! The hot pot is trying to cook the cooler meat and the cooler meat is trying to cool down the hot pot. The pot’s going to ultimately win. However, during this “battle,” the meat will begin to render its moisture. If you put too many pieces of meat in the pot at the same time, the meat will cool the hot cast iron pot down too quickly, the excess meat’s moisture will overwhelm the cooling pot and not steam off fast enough, and the meat will bathe in its own juices. Then, we will have braising going on and not searing.

Sear each side of the beef chunks by searing-and-turning each as they brown. Use the tongs; they’ll make life easier. When each is seared and browned on all sides, transfer them to the nearby lid and start a new batch. This will take some time but not too much. Searing takes patients.

Step 3 – Now, all the beef is seared, and the bottom of that pot is covered with all that flavor; that is called the FOND. Leave it there! Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions (not the pearl onions) and the garlic, and deglaze the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven.

Step 4 – Add the chunks of carrots at this point and, using the wooden spatula, mix everything in the pot (just the onions, garlic, and carrots) all about and let things cook just a bit longer…but not too much longer.

We’re about to “get busy” adding most of the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat down a bit to keep from burning anything while we add the ingredients.

Step 5 – Add the flour mixture to the pot, the tomato paste, all the beef, and however many browned bacon lardons you want to add back. Mix everything together and level off the ingredients.

This is kind of an important part of the process: “Level off the Ingredients.” After placing everything in the pot, use your wooden spatula to gently press the ingredients in the pot to a flat surface. We need to know what the level of the ingredients is in order to determine how much liquid (beer and broth) to add.

Step 6 – Slowly pour in the room-temperature beer. It will “head up” but that’s okay. The liquid has either reached the top of the level mixture or not. If you still have some room to pour in more liquid, go to the next step.

Step 7 – Slowly pour in the beef broth BUT NOT ALL OF IT. Take your time to fill just to a bit over the top of the meat and vegetables. Let me be clear. To the top of the meat and vegetables and not to the top of the pot. We want the end result to be a stew with the ingredients level and sticking out of the final stew. Too much liquid and you’ll be making soup. It’ll be delicious but we want this to be nice and thick.

We can add more broth during the cooking process as it simmers and reduces.

Step 8 – Add the bay leaves and the herb bouquet (or chopped / dried) and the pepper. Keep in mind that there’ll be ingredients that you will use from time-to-time that have salt. We have plenty of time to test the saltiness and add salt as we cook.

Step 9 – Turn the heat down to medium low or even low. Cover the Dutch oven, and let it simmer for a few hours (YES! HOURS!). Some folks put this all in the oven to bake at 350°F. And, that’s okay too. I usually cook on the stove top so I can monitor the saltiness and stir the ingredients about once in a while. The liquid will reduce, and you can add as needed.

Step 10 – Okay, everything is in the pot except for the pearl onions and the mushrooms. We’ll tend to those in a bit. Cover the pot with the lid and let everything cook until the meat is tender and not chewy. We are looking for the consistency of an all-day-cooked roast and not the chewiness of a grilled steak.

We cook with the lid on. Sometimes we’ll open an edge for venting. And, if I ended up getting too much liquid in the pot, I will leave the lid off. It’s up to you regarding the lid. But, we usually leave the lid on and cover the pot when we cook this recipe.

Go ahead and pull down the pearl onions to thaw (usually frozen) and get the mushrooms ready.

Step 11 – After simmering the stew for 30 minutes, check the saltiness. Use a spoon and dip out just some of the broth / liquid. Taste it. Do you need to add any salt? Do this again after another 30 minutes has passed (1 hour total) and you should have it spot-on. If not, check back in 30 minutes. Add a little salt (less than you think) each time until you find the salt to be perfect. Check the salt again about 30 minutes before your stew is done just to make sure.

Step 12 – Let this all cook at a simmer for about 2 hours. The meat needs to stew and braise in that pot for 3-4 hours total in order to reach a fork-tender texture. At 2 hours, check the meat consistency. Is it fork tender? It will be considered safe to eat as per the internal temperature (145°F/63°C) but may not be “done” as per the meat’s chewability.  At the 2-hour mark, the consistency of the meat will kinda…sorta…tell you how much longer the meal will take. Another hour? Maybe 2 hours. This all depends on the temperature (low and simmering is the best; don’t rush it) and the size and quality of the meat.

Regarding “quality of the meat.” Meat considered “low quality” is usually the “high quality” for this recipe.

Time for the mushroom and Pearl Onion Garnish Cook: If you cook the mushrooms in this recipe at the start, they will likely either cook to oblivion or end up over-cooked and rubbery (depending on the variety of mushroom you are using). We’ll braise these and add them to the pot at this point.

Step 13 – Using the Cast Iron Skillet (10.25” to 12”) (we are going to be braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms here at the end of the cook). Place the skillet on a medium high heat and add a bit of oil, remaining fat, or even more bacon lardons’ rendered fat. Add the room-temperature pearl onions and mushrooms to the hot, oiled skillet and mix about. Then, add (slowly) about ¼-½ cup of liquid (beer, broth, stock, or even water). STEAM!!

Step 14 – Sauté the pearl onions and the mushrooms until they go from braising to searing and just as the caramelization “event” takes place. They should (the pearl onions will show this the most) have some areas that are “toasted” looking but not cooked to the mushy, soft stage.

Step 15 – Remove the cooked herb bouquet and the bay leaves. We are about to “ordain” and garnish this pot of stew with the onions and the mushrooms; we don’t want to mess up our masterpiece by trying to fish-out the bay leaves and the herb bouquet.

Step 16 – And at our meal-preparation finale, open the stew pot and add the mushroom and pearl onion mixture to the top of the stew and let settle in. I don’t stir in the mushrooms and pearl onions other than a gentle turning on the top of the stew. If you’d like to mix them in deep into the pot, it’s perfectly A-OK to do so.

For me? I like to present this recipe in a bowl. First, by adding a scoop of mashed potatoes to the side of the bowl and then this stew to fill the bowl with just a bit of the top of the mashed potatoes showing there on the side. A garnish of finely chopped parsley, chives, or scallions really brings it home.

Chef Tip #1: Before you start prepping, measuring, and dicing, preheat your Dutch oven. Set your oven to 450°F/235°C and preheat the Dutch oven while you prep so it’s ready and hot when you are ready to start cooking! Once the oven “beeps” to reaching temperature, your Dutch oven will likely be 100°F/38°C behind the oven temperature. The preheating of the Dutch oven only takes about 15-30 minutes. Any longer and you’ll be “seasoning” your Dutch oven…and that’s okay…just add a thin layer of oil to the inside of the Dutch oven before preheating.

Chef Tip #2: Salt. This is the make-or-break point of any recipe. If you are using broth from a roast that you cooked, there’s going to be a salt factor to work out. DON’T add salt initially. Let the stew began to simmer for about 30 minutes then check the saltiness. Let the ingredients “fornicate” for a bit and then check to see what it tastes like. Don’t add more than 1 teaspoon of salt at a time…I suggest adding less. 

No chef can taste what you taste. So goes the “salt to taste” copout. Your saltiness is not the same as another’s saltiness preference. 

After the first salt-check, let it simmer for another 30 minutes and check again. After that first hour, it should be perfect. You’ll have to be the judge of this (unless you invite me over for a meal that you are cooking and I will be glad to offer my opinion…and…by the way, Old Rasputin by Northcoast is my favorite beer).i

Summary

This recipe prep does not take long per se…the searing process is the longest hands-on process. You’ll likely spend 30-40 minutes prepping and searing (maybe longer). It’ll be worth it.

For me, I like to get this stew simmering and clean everything up. I will put the potatoes in the oven (for the mashed potatoes) about 1 hour or so before the stew is to be done.

When the stew is done and the baked potatoes are ready for mashing, the kitchen was cleaned already. It’s so very nice to sit down for a meal and have a turn-key, cleaned kitchen that’s not sitting back there as a reminder of a chore-to-be-done after such an amazing meal. It’s blissful!

ENJOY or, since we are cooking in French, we’ll talk in French, “bon appétit!”

IT’S HERE! DON’T MISS OUT!

Beer and Iron Recipe Subscription

I’ll send you a message each time a new recipe is published.

I HATE SPAM TOO! Read my Privacy Policy for more Information.

Beef Beerguignon

Beef Bourguignon – And though I do enjoy cooking with wine, we’re going to stir things up a bit (pun intended). We’re going to cook this recipe with BEER! And today, Beef BEERguignon (beer-g-in-Ya) is born.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Servings 6
Calories 653 kcal

Equipment

  • 5 or 7 Quart Cast Iron Dutch Oven A 5-quart will work well unless you are like me and always over-add ingredients. Also, the pot may initially look FULL. But, as it cooks and reduces, there’ll be plenty of room.  
  • Cast Iron Skillet (10.25” to 12”) for braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms at the end For braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms at the end
  • Cutting Board
  • Wooden Spoon or Spatula For Turning and Stirring.
  • Vegetable Peeler
  • Knife To cut the meat and vegetables
  • Fork For mixing the flour with the liquid
  • Bowl To mix the four and the liquid in
  • Spoon for tasting For tasting
  • Bit of Food-Safe String For tying the Herb bouquet like butcher’s twine
  • Scissors To cut the string (or just chop it with the knife).
  • Teaspoon Measuring Spoon
  • Tablespoon measuring spoon
  • Small glass container For storing the left-over tomato paste (we’ll use about half (or less) of a 6 ounce can for this recipe).
  • Tongs For easier turning of the beef during searing.
  • Rubber Spatula Optional: For scooping and “squeegee-ing out” the ingredients from the preparation bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Pounds Beef 3-4 pounds of Tri Tip, Chuck Roast, or other low-and-slow cuts of meat
  • 6 Ounces Whole, unsliced bacon Cut the bacon into lardons. If you have sliced bacon, you are A-OK. Just slice the bacon up in short slivers or leave whole.
  • 1 Onion Finely chopped
  • 3 Large Carrots Thick Sliced
  • 2 Cloves of Garlic 2-6 Cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Tablespoons Tomato Paste 1-3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
  • 2 Tablespoons Flour 2-3 Tablespoons of Flour
  • 2 Bay Leaves 2-4 Bay Leaves
  • Thyme – Sage – Bouquet Or dried equivalent
  • 10 10-15 Pearl Onions 10-15 Pearl Onions
  • 8 Ounces Whole Mushrooms 8 Ounces of Whole Mushrooms (or more)
  • 12 Ounces Beer 12-16 Ounces Beer (or more). Use a sour with a fruit base.
  • 8 Ounces Beef Broth or Beef Bone Broth 8-16 Ounces Beef Broth or Beef Bone Broth (Box or Homemade; Broth from a Roast or Beer and Iron's Beef Beer Bone Broth)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste (I’ll add as I cook). I add as I cook

Instructions
 

PREPARE THE INGREDIENTS

  • Step 1 – Get everything out and let it warm to room temperature. This is most important for the broth and the beer. We will be adding these to the pot when the pot is wicked hot!
  • Step 2 – Prepare the Bouquet. If using fresh Thyme and Sage, tie the spriggles together with a bit of butcher's twine or other food-safe string.
  • Step 3 – Cut the 3–4-pound chuck roast (or other) into 1–2-inch chunks. Don’t worry with being perfect; longer, shorter, smaller, bigger…it’s all good.
  • Step 4 – Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. You can’t get it too dry; keep patting. And…this is a must-do step. The beef will not brown during the sear if you don’t pat-dry the cut beef before you put it in the hot pot. Let the beef get to room temperature.
  • Step 5 – Cut about 6-8 ounces of Bacon Lardons. Optional: pancetta or slivered bacon.
  • Step 6 – Finely Chop the 1 onion.
  • Step 7 – Dice the 2-6 Garlic Cloves.
  • Step 8 – Wash or Peel 3 Carrots. Chop the carrots in thick slices or chunks about ½ inch to an inch long.
  • Step 9 – Measure out your flour to the cereal bowl-sized bowl. Add a bit of the beer or broth. Use your fork to mix the flour and the liquid together very well and without lumps or chunks. Smooth… Set aside and keep that rubber spatula nearby too.
  • Step 10 – Open up the tomato paste can and set aside
  • Step 11 – Quarter the button or baby bella mushrooms. Set aside / refrigerate for the end of the cook.
  • Step 12 – Have your room temperature 12 ounce or 16-ounce can or bottle of beer nearby.
  • Step 13 – Measure out the beef broth / bone broth.
  • Step 14 – Pull out about 10-15 pearl onions and either leave them out or put them in a container in the refrigerator.

READY TO COOK

  • Step 1 – Set your 5-7 quart cast iron Dutch oven and on medium heat (or a bit higher) over one burner. Use the lid or a bowl nearby the Dutch oven (and not over any heat) to "receive" the seared beef. We'll sear only part of the beef at a time.
  • Step 2 – Render the fat from the Lardons. Once they are a bit brown but not too crispy, transfer them to the upside-down lid or (right-side up) bowl; leave the rendered fat in the pot.
  • Step 3 – Increase the temperature from medium heat to medium-high heat and wait for the rendered bacon fat to just start smoking. For you folks with a surface thermometer 400-450°F (205-235°C) is the temperature we are shooting for.
  • Step 4 – Add SOME of the beef to the hot, slightly smoking pot. SIZZLE!! But, don’t add to much at once. We’re going to sear in batches.
    Sear each side of the beef chunks by searing-and-turning each as they brown. Use the thongs; they’ll make life easier. When each are seared and browned on all sides, transfer them to the nearby lid and start a new batch.
    Render the fat from more lardons or add a bit of oil as you need.
  • Step 5 – Now, all the beef is seared and the bottom of that pot is covered with all that flavor. Leave it there! Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions (not the pearl onions) and the garlic, and deglaze the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven.
  • Step 6 – Add the chunks of carrots at this point and, using the wooden spatula, mix everything all about and let things cook just a bit…not too long.
    We’re about to “get busy” adding most of the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat down a bit to keep from burning anything while we add the ingredients.
  • Step 7 – Add the flour mixture to the pot, the tomato paste, all the beef, and however many browned bacon lardons you want to add back. Mix everything together and level off the ingredients.
  • Step 8 – Slowly pour in the room-temperature beer. It will “head up” but that’s okay. Mix everything in well and level off again.
  • Step 9 – Slowly pour in the beef broth BUT NOT ALL OF IT. Take your time to fill just to a bit over the top of the meat and vegetables. We want the end result to be a stew with the ingredients level and sticking out of the final stew.
  • Step 10 – Add the bay leaves and the herb Bouquet (or chopped / dried) and the salt and pepper. Keep in mind that there’ll be ingredients that you will use from time-to-time that have salt. We have plenty of time to test the saltiness and add salt as we cook.
  • Step 11 – Turn the heat down to medium low or even low. Cover the Dutch oven, and let it simmer for a few hours and stir things up a bit form time to time to avoid sticking as the stew thickens.
  • Step 12 – Okay, everything is in the pot except for the pearl onions and the mushrooms. We’ll tend to those in a bit. Let everything cook until the meat is tender and not chewy. We are looking for the consistency of an all-day-cooked roast and not the chewiness of a grilled steak. Once you have reached this point or are very close to it (2-3 hours), it’s time to do the pearl onions and the mushrooms.
    Go ahead and pull out the pearl onions and mushrooms to reach room temperature for later.
  • Step 13 – After simmering for 30 minutes, check the saltiness. Use a spoon and dip out just some of the broth / liquid. Taste it. Do you need to add any salt? Do this again after 1 hour and you should have it spot on.
  • Step 14 – Using the Cast Iron Skillet (10.25” to 12”) (we are going to be braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms here at the end of the cook). Place the skillet on a medium high heat and add a bit of oil, remaining fat, or even more bacon lardons’ rendered fat. Add the room-temperature pearl onions and mushrooms to the hot, oiled skillet and add (slowly) about ¼ cup of liquid (beer, broth, stock, or even water). STEAM!!
  • Step 15 – Sauté the pearl onions and the mushrooms until they go from braising to searing and just at the caramelization “event” takes place. They should (the pearl onions will show this the most) have some areas that are “toasted” looking but not cooked to the mushy, soft stage.
  • Step 16 – Remove the cooked herb Bouquet and the bay leaves. We are about to “ordain” and garnish this pot of stew with the onions and the mushrooms; we don’t want to mess up our masterpiece by trying to fish-out the bay leaves and the herb Bouquet.
  • Step 17 – Open the stew pot and add the mushroom / pearl onion mixture to the top of the stew and let settle in. I don’t stir the mushrooms and pearl onions in. However, it’s perfectly A-OK to do so.

Notes

For me? I like to present this recipe in a bowl first adding a scoop of mashed potatoes to the side of the bowl and then this stew to fill the bowl. A garnish of finely chopped parsley really brings it home.
ENJOY or, since we are cooking in French, we’ll talk in French, “bon appétit!”
Cast Iron Chef Tip: When preparing and measuring your ingredients, set your Cast Iron Dutch Oven in a preheated oven at 350° / 175°C (or a bit warmer). This way, the pot is universally preheated before you put the Dutch Oven on the stove top. The sizzling can start right away when you are ready to cook.
Cast Iron Chef Tip: You’ll find beef broth in two different consistencies: Liquid and Jelled. Liquid is usually store-bought and Jelled is what you’ll find when you prepare you homemade broth. When adding Jelled broth, do it very slowly. The Jelled broth will “rest” on top of the ingredients while it “melts.” Let all the Jelled broth “melt” before adding more to allow the true liquid level to become clear.
NOTE: Sear the beef in stages to avoid too much of the liquid in the meet to render too quickly. We want sear the meat to a nice, brown color. Too much liquid will cause a braising effect rather than a searing effect.
Braising is to cook something, like chunks of meat, in a small amount of liquid. Though we pat-dried our meat, there is still a lot of moisture in that meat. If you put too many pieces of meat in the pot at the same time, the meat will cool the 400-450°F (205-235°C) pot down too quickly, the excess meat will over-whelm the cooling pot and not steam off fast enough, and the meat will bathe in its own juices. Then, we will have braising going on and not searing.
NOTE: We will need just a bit of liquid to cook the mushrooms and pearl onions in during the last few steps of this recipe. Reserve about ½ cup. We usually have a bit of beer in the bottom of a glass that didn’t get drink, drank, or drunk (no pun intended). But, visitors may not like your left-over, back-washed beer used in this recipe. But then again, what they don’t know…
NOTE to Step 2 – Prepare the Bouquet.  Using a few thyme and sage tips and spriggles (and even a bit of rosemary), tie them together in a little bouquet-like arrangement with the butcher’s twine. You’ll just toss these in when the moment comes.
Fresh Chopped and Dried Herbs – There are many conversions out there, but we keep it simple. Three teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of fresh-chopped herbs will equal about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. But, you know the caveat here, right? How fine are they chopped and is it a leaf or a needle-like shape and the drama goes on and on. Like salt and pepper, “herb” to taste. If you are looking for a starting point, put a teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried sage in this recipe and make note for next time you create this recipe.
NOTE: Mushroom and Pearl Onion Garnish Cook: If you cook the mushrooms in this recipe at the start, they will likely either cook to oblivion or end up over-cooked and rubbery (depending on the variety of mushroom you are using).

Nutrition

Calories: 653kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 43gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 3gCholesterol: 161mgSodium: 194mgPotassium: 878mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 44IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 5mg
Keyword Beef, Beef Bourguignon, Beef Stew, Beerrguignon, Bourguignon, camp dutch oven, Carrots, Cast iron, Chicken Stew, Perl Onions, Slow Cook, Slow Cooked, Tender, Tender Beef
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Low and Slow Roast Beef, Pork, Lamb, Wild Meat in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Low and Slow Roast Beef, Pork, Lamb, Wild Meat in a Cast Iron Dutch Oven

Recipe Low and Slow Cast Iron Dutch Oven Roast