Blackened Voodoo Beef Stew
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds lean top sirloin beef, cut into cubes
  • 1 cup roughly chopped yellow onions
  • 1 cup roughly chopped celery
  • 1 cup roughly chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer, such as Dixie Blackened Voodoo
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour, if needed
  • 6 cups cooked long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
  • 1 cup diced green onion tops, for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a cast-iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil is smoking hot, add the cubes of beef (don’t crowd the pot) and brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove each batch of beef to a platter and keep warm.
  2. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the flour to the vegetable mixture and stir while cooking the raw taste from the flour, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the parsley, rosemary, and garlic, and deglaze the pot with the bottle of beer. Add the beef back to the pot along with the stock and stir, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pot.
  4. Season with cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper, and add a bay leaf to the pot. Cover and cook on simmer for 1 hour.
  5. Add the chunks of potato and carrot and cook covered for another 1 hour.
  6. Uncover and taste the stew for spice and thickness. Season with salt and pepper if needed, and add the knob of butter just before serving to add flavor and sheen to the gravy. And if you want your stew thicker, make a quick beurre manié by blending a tablespoon of flour with the butter and adding to the pot. Once it comes to a boil, it will thicken. The stew should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  7. Serve in bowls over a mound of white rice. Garnish with diced green onion tops.
Notes
Leave the Cabernet in the wine rack and pair this with an ice-cold dark ale. I use middle-of-the–road top sirloin in this recipe, but you could go with either a pricier ribeye or a bargain-based stew meat. Either way, the long cooking time and bold flavors will render the beef tender and flavorful. If I'm running low on beef stock, I keep a jar of "Better Than Bouillon" beef base on hand. Just a tablespoon in 4 cups of hot water will do the trick.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/?p=18441