Hochepot: The Belgian Winter Stew Worth Knowing

Hochepot, also called hutspot in Dutch or pot-au-feu à la gantoise if you’re being formal about it, is one of those dishes that exists in every northern European peasant cuisine under a slightly different name. Flemish hochepot is a slow-cooked stew of mixed meats and root vegetables, traditionally made with whatever cuts were available: oxtail, pig’s ears, lamb shoulder, beef shank, pork belly. All of it goes into a pot with root vegetables and water and cooks for a long time until everything is tender and the broth has absorbed three or four different animals’ worth of flavour.

It’s a winter dish in the proper sense: not just seasonally appropriate but genuinely requiring cold weather to want to eat it.

The keto situation

Hochepot is largely keto-friendly with one caveat: root vegetables. The traditional recipe includes turnips, carrots, parsnips, and sometimes potato. Potato is the one to remove or reduce significantly. The others, turnips and celeriac in particular, have enough carbs to register but not enough to be a problem in the quantities you’d find in a stew portion. Carrots and parsnips contribute some sweetness and carbs; you can reduce them or leave them, depending on how strict you’re being.

The meats have no meaningful carbs. The broth has none. A bowl of hochepot without potato is a high-protein, moderate-fat, relatively low-carb meal with a lot of collagen from the slow-cooked cuts, which is if anything good for you.

What goes in it

The mixed meat element is the point of the dish and what distinguishes it from a simple beef stew. Oxtail is the most important component: it contributes deep flavour and a natural gelatine that gives the broth body. Pig’s ear is traditional and adds collagen; if you’re not familiar with it the texture is soft and slightly gelatinous once cooked, not unpleasant, and it disappears into the stew easily. Lamb shoulder or neck adds sweetness. Beef shin or shank adds substance.

You don’t need all of these. A good hochepot can be made with oxtail and one other cut. The principle is mixed meats rather than a single protein.

For four to six portions:

• 500g oxtail pieces
• 400g lamb shoulder or neck, cut into pieces
• 300g pork belly, cut into chunks
• 2 turnips, peeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 1 celeriac, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 onions, quartered
• Thyme, bay, parsley stalks, peppercorns, salt

Brown the meats in batches. Place everything in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring slowly to a simmer and skim carefully. Add the vegetables and aromatics. Simmer very gently, partially covered, for at least three hours, though four is better. The meat should be falling from the bone.

Serve in deep bowls with the broth ladled over. Traditionally accompanied by mustard and sometimes gherkins on the side, both of which are fine on keto.

Finding it in Brussels

Hochepot is less common in Brussels restaurants than carbonnade or waterzooi: it’s more of a home dish and a Ghent speciality. Some Flemish-focused restaurants in Brussels carry it in winter. When you see it on a menu in December or January it’s worth ordering.

The version you make at home is likely to be better than most restaurant versions simply because no restaurant wants to dedicate four hours of oven space to a stew. Made at home over a Sunday afternoon, with the kitchen smelling increasingly good as the afternoon goes on, it’s one of the more satisfying things you can cook in a Belgian winter.

The mustard on the side is important. Don’t skip it.