Zesty Braised Beef
April 21, 2020
Please don’t look at the cook time of this recipe and close out of this post. Yes, that’s my opening sentence here because it’s time we have a discussion about cook times and why you shouldn’t freak out about long cook times and automatically think the recipe is too hard or intense for you to handle. Take a seat and stay a while!
Here’s my main point. LONG COOK TIMES *SOMETIMES* TAKE LESS WORK THAN THEIR SHORTER COOK TIME COUNTERPARTS. This recipe is one of those short effort, but long cook time recipes. I promise I’m not just saying this so you’ll make this zesty beef, even though you really should. I’m saying this so you don’t automatically shut yourself off to recipes with long cook times, and in turn, shut yourself off to some of the easiest, most flavorful dishes ever. When I first started cooking and looking for recipes to try, I avoided any and all recipes that said “6-8 hours” at all costs. In my eyes, that time frame sounded like a sh*t ton of work, and well, if I’m not being paid….why would I dedicate 8 hours? Ah, how naive I was!!!! Well, now I’m here. I am here to tell you that you should start making one pot meals that stew in their natural flavors and juices for 2 reasons. 1) The flavor of a dish that sits for hours is complex, intense and delicious 2) the majority of work for the recipe happens in the beginning and end…maybe, like in this case, there are a few checkups on the dish during the 6-8 hours, but that’s really it. This zesty braised beef says 6 hours in the cook time, but it really isn’t much work. Start it in the morning and you’ll have the most decadent, exciting taco night of your life.
I’m a huge beef chuck fan because it’s cheap, but because it’s cheap, it’s also an extremely tough cut of meat. That means it takes time for the beef chuck to drink up liquid and absorb flavor. Speaking of flavor, this braised beef dish is very different than those intense red wine or beef stock braised beef recipes you’ll find on the internet. Instead, this is citrusy, zesty, bright, creamy and rich. It’s the perfect braised beef for spring and summer. Serve it over rice, serve it on a tortilla, or just eat it with a spoon when you’re drunk (or sober) — it’s here for you for every occasion.
Ingredients
Adjust Servings
| 2lb beef chuck roast | |
| 1tbsp whole coriander seeds | |
| 1tbsp cacao powder | |
| 2tsp chili powder | |
| 2tsp paprika | |
| 1tsp ground cumin | |
| 2tsp salt | |
| 1 white onion | |
| 5 garlic cloves | |
| Juice of 2 oranges | |
| 1/4cup apple cider vinegar | |
| 1 Juice of 1 lime | |
| Zest of 1 lime | |
| Zest of 1 orange | |
| Olive oil for pan | |
| 1cup water | |
| Toppings (optional) | |
| 1 bell pepper, sliced | |
| 2 tomatillos, sliced | |
| Salt | |
| Lime slices, to taste, optional | |
| Orange slices, to taste, optional | |
Equipment
| dutch oven or slow cooker | |
Directions
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
In a skillet, toast the coriander seeds until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Then, remove them from the heat and crush them in a food processor or mortar and pestle.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry rub ingredients: cacao powder, salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder and crushed coriander seeds. Make sure they are all combined.
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Whether the meat is already cut into chunks or if it's one big roast, coat the meat thoroughly in the dry rub mixture. If you have any of the dry rub leftover, reserve it for later.
Season a dutch oven with oil and heat on medium high, until shimmering. Whether you're using a roast or pre-cut meat, sear the meat on all sides until crisp, about 1-2 minutes. Once all sides are crisp, remove the meat from the dutch oven, but keep the oil in the pot.
Adjust the heat to medium, then add the onion to the pot and sauté until slightly caramelized and soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and and sauté for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
Adjust the heat to low, then add all of the liquid and citrus zest into the dutch oven. Mix the liquids to fully combine and mix them with the onions and garlic.
Re-coat the meat with any leftover dry rub, then place it on top of the onion and garlic mixture.
Notes
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18 Comments
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Skyler Bouchard
Hi!! you could use brisket meat, but I would be careful so that all of the acid doesn’t make the fatty brisket too tough!
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Skyler Bouchard
Hi!! You could definitely try that out, just make sure its the same weight!
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Marie
AMAZING. Made this recipe now that I have time at home to actually slow cook something and it’s worth-the-wait.
It turned out exactly as described, zesty and flavorful. Perfect for taco night, no need to do anything just be patient and give it some love every once in a while.
I ended up taking the lid off on the last 1/2 hour so the liquids would evaporate a bit. -
cristina
i LOVE this recipe – it’s so easy! just like it says at the top, all the “work” happens at the beginning and then you basically let the meat cook over the hours and your kitchen smells delicious. i had a slightly smaller cut of beef chuck roast (1.5 lb) and cut an hour of cooking time and it came out just as tender and delicious as the recipe says it will. i unfortunately do not have a dutch oven or slow cooker so i did this in a deep stockpot and it worked perfectly well. also, don’t skimp on the citrus zest and juice because it gives the braised beef lots of freshness since chuck roast can otherwise be slightly rich.
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cristina
forgot to leave a star rating – 5 stars!
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Jimena
Quick question, if I am using a slow cooker, would I do step 5,6 on a skillet or pan? Or should I do the searing of the meat inside the same pot pre-heated?
Thanks!-
Skyler Bouchard
Hi!! Yes you can use another pot or pan! Or you can skip searing. Just make sure you check on the beef and begin to cut and tear the same way I describe in the recipe! That’s the most important part, since beef chuck is a tough cut. Let me know if you have any other questions!
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Hi! This recipe looks amazing – can I also use brisket meat as well? Are there are adjustments I would need to make?