Melt in your mouth.
Falls apart on the fork.
Beer.
Stout beer.
These are some of my favorite words/phrases to hear. They also happen to describe my newest recipe, Stout Braised Beef. This recipe takes some of my favorite ingredients and creates a luscious, richly developed stew that is perfect for chilly fall nights. (Even if that chilly fall night happens to fall at around 60 degrees in Texas…)
The key to this recipe is time. A good amount of it. This beef stew takes a relatively cheap cut of meat and slow cooks it until all of the fat melts and leaves the meat tender and soft. Simply let it go, read a good book, come back a few hours later and have a solid weekend dinner. Now, let’s get started:
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs beef rump roast, cut into 4 pieces
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups radishes
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 3 roma tomatos, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
- 1 pint stout beer or brown ale
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 4 tbs butter, unsalted
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tbs honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Step 1: Heat oil in dutch oven (or heavy bottomed pan) on medium-high. When sizzling hot, add the garlic and beef. Watch garlic to make sure it does not burn and sear beef on all sides until browned and crusty. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
Step 2: Reduce heat to medium and heat butter in same pan you cooked the meat in. When fully melted, add the onion and thyme to the fried garlic. Cook until onions are browned. While cooking, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen any leftover meaty bits from searing the beef. Add the carrots.
Step 3: Pour beer over onion and carrots, use the liquid to loosen any caramelization that may have built up on the base of the pan while cooking. Move the vegetables in the pan around to make room for the meat. Add the meat back to the pan and top with the radishes.
Step 4: Pour 3/4 of the broth over the radishes and beef. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook on low for 3 hours. Check periodically to see the amount of liquid in the pot. if it is starting to look low, add remaining broth or water. You always want the meat to be submerged in liquid.
Step 5: After 3 hours, check on the meat. It should be tender enough that you can start to break the meat apart with a fork. It should not be so soft that it is falling apart. If it is ready, add the tomatoes, green onion and honey. Test broth for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add more broth/water if need be, only if the liquid isn’t covering the majority of the meat, and cover pot. Cook on low for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Step 6: Meat is ready when it falls apart with little effort from a fork or tongs.
The Glutton Diaries 