Slow Cooked Beef

You could probably never tell it from this blog, but we actually eat vegetarian most of the time. I was a vegetarian for 13 years (even vegan for a few of those) but have been eating meat again for almost four (oh-my-god-time-goes-fast) years.

Most of my vegetarian recipes seem so second nature to me I don't bother to write them down, but I'll start trying to get more of those up.

There are certain times of the month when, I'm feeling a bit, um, anemic, that I Constantly. Crave. Cow.

For those occasions there's this recipe (served here as sandwiches, but probably excellent over egg noodles or spaetzle)


ready to spend hours alone

Slow-Cooked Beef, serves 6 adapted from the pioneer woman:

You will need:

• chuck roast, about 1.5 lbs (grass-fed local please)
  
• large onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
  
• 6 cups beef broth +/or chicken broth, divided
  
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced in thirds lengthwise
  
• 10-20 pepperoncini peppers, chopped, divided
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini brine
• 2 tbsp italian seasoning
• tabasco sauce
• tamari or soy sauce

sauteed onions, browning beef

1. in dutch oven, heat butter and saute onion until browned
2. put in roast and brown on both sides
3. sprinkle roast with seasoning, garlic and 1/2 the pepperoncinis, then add brine & broth to level with top of beef
4. cover and simmer on stove-top one hour, preheat oven to 275- 300 degrees
5. transfer dutch oven to oven and cook 3-4 hours more check periodically to make sure broth hasn't completely evaporated due to your negligence in getting dutch oven lid back on straight, add more broth as needed.
6. Once meat is very very tender remove it from oven and carefully pull it entirely apart using two forks.
   
7. add remaining pepperoncinis, give it a good stir, then add dashes of tabasco and tamari to taste
8. return covered dutch oven to stove-top and simmer until ready to serve. Alternately, you can refrigerate it at this point then gently reheat the next day when you're ready to eat (what I did)

left over rolls salvaged as new tops

1. toast buttered french rolls under the broiler and top 1/2 with beef mixture (squeeze it out with a slotted spoon so the rolls don't get too soggy)
2. top meat side with swiss or provolone cheese and return to the broiler until cheese melts*
3. close sandwich, plate, serve with the beef juices in small bowls and a giant helping of vegetables to balance it out
   
4. fail to get a single picture that makes a delicious meal look appetizing
   
5. share, eat, enjoy

This could easily be adapted for a slow cooker; Just saute the onions and brown the beef before throwing it all in the cooker.


all eaten up

*monitor the broiling sandwiches very closely, or don't make this when you're having friends over for dinner. For the life of me I can NOT broil anything when we have company; this was the second time I've smoked friends out the house when something only needed a "few more seconds" under the boiler. At least the food didn't burst into flames, this time.