The perfect advent stew! (Father Christmas will love this!)

Hi all!

Advent is here and there´s nothing like a rich, full bodied, flavorful stew in the cold weather before Christmas.

I will here show you how easy it is to make an epic casserole.
It´s so easy to make, that I would argue anyone can do it! The only thing you need is a bit of time.
Make this while you wrap some Christmas presents or while you decorate your Christmas tree!

I´m convinced you and anyone eating together with you will LOVE it!

So, This is what you do:

1 - Get some meat on the bone. Could be anything you have in the freezer or buy something in the store. I used brisket with bone (bibringe in Norwegian) and some good sized lamb pieces I had in the freezer.
Have some fat in the pan at high heat and give that meat some proper browning to get proper flavor from the meat. Add some salt and pepper if you like.

2 - While browning the meat take a big casserole, heat some oil and put in garlic and onions. After a couple of minutes add some meat or vegetable fond. If you have any Jerk sauce ADD NOW! Jerk sauce is a Jamaican sauce with awesome taste!
If you dont have Jerk sauce you can add BBQ sauce, chili sauce or any other spice/sauce you like! Use your imagination and taste buds!

3 - Add BEER! And bring to a boil.
To make this a proper advent stew I went all in and added this amazing Christmas ale from St. Bernardus.

(if you havent tasted this... Well, just do it!)

You can off course add whatever beer you like, however I would advise a full bodied and rich beer with a lot of taste!
Red wine is also possible.

The most important thing is not to pour the whole bottle in the casserole. You need a big glass to drink as well!! Enjoy!

4 - After giving it a boil, put the meat in the casserole. make sure you get all the fat and burned left overs from the pan over into the casserole!! There´s a LOT of taste here that you dont want to throw away!
Let it simmer with the lid on for 1-4 hours depending on what kind of meat you use. You can check the meat every now and then. Use 2 forks to check if the meat falls off the bone easily. When the meat starts letting go of the bone you know your not too far from done.

5 - At this point cut whatever vegetables you want to add in somewhat large pieces and add them in the casserole.
I used carrots, red pepper and tomatoes. Let it simmer until vegetables are tender.
At the same time boil some rice.

6 - Now to the final step: Taste. Use your taste and see what´s lacking.
In my case I needed some more acid, salt and some more kick.
I added lime, fresh coriander, smoked paprika, chili and soy sauce.
Taste every time you add something. This is the most important part of cooking!

There´s no right or wrong when it comes to cooking in my opinion.
If you like it, well then it´s all good!!

Serve this delicious stew with rice and some more of the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale!

ENJOY and may you have a peaceful advent!