Made with a Boulder Beer Planet Porter, a beer whose flavors reminds one of a good quality strong coffee mixed with a bite of dark berry serves as a great platform for a robust bowl of stew. A long simmer in this flavorful broth, chunky vegetables, buffalo top round steak, all infused with lots of rosemary, results in a flat out wonderful savory rich flavor.
Located under the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, Boulder Beer Co. was Colorado’s first microbrewery. From humble beginnings in 1979, they’ve grown to produce almost nine million bottles of beer annually. With a tradition of innovation, they introduced this Planet Porter along with Colorado favorites such as Singletrack Copper Ale, Buffalo Gold and many more.
But what makes a beer a “porter”? Porter is a dark style of beer originating in London in the 18th Century, A well hopped beer made from brown (or black in this case) malt. The name came about as a result of its popularity with street and river porters. The history and development of stout and porter are intertwined. The name “stout” for a dark beer is believed to have come about because a strong porter may be called “Extra Porter” or “Double Porter” or “Stout Porter”. The term “Stout Porter” would later be shortened to just “Stout”. For example, Guinness Extra Stout was originally called “Extra Superior Porter” and was only given the name Extra Stout in 1840. Thank you Wikipedia.
Goodbye to my normal method of making beef stew and hello to this Boulder Beer recipe. Usually I cube everything, toss it in the crock pot with seasonings, beef broth and a can of tomatoes and let it simmer all day. This recipe brings beef stew to a new rich and savory level.
And with high’s in the 40’s and an all day drizzle, this really hit the spot. Let’s take a look.
And if you’re looking for more beef stew recipes using beer, don’t miss this one for Belgian Beef Stew with Belgian Ale
Boulder Beer Porter Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1/2 Tablespoon black pepper coarse grind
- 1 1/2 pounds Buffalo Top Sirloin Steak cut into 1-inch cubes
- 12 ounces Boulder Beer Planet Porter
- 32 ounces beef stock
- 4 carrots sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 cups celery sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 6 – 8 new red potatoes washed and quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- Roux:
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 Tablespoon corn meal
- 1 Tablespoon flour
Instructions
- In a large cast iron skillet, heat 3 T. vegetable oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. About 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt and rosemary and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and into heavy soup pot.
- Toss cubed buffalo with enough vegetable oil to coat. Reheat the cast iron skillet and brown meat well on all sides. Work in batches as to not over crowd.
- Remove meat from skillet and deglaze with one bottle of the Boulder Beer Planet Porter.
- Place everything in a heavy soup pot and let simmer on low for one hour.
- Add chopped vegetables and simmer on low for one more hour.
- Soften butter and mix in corn meal and flour to make a paste. Add to stew and simmer for 30 more minutes.
- Note, original recipe called for 32 ounces of beer.
Nutrition
Boulder Beer Porter Stew…It’s What’s for Dinner.
