Tag: beef

Pakistani Stewed Beef with Whole Spices

Pakistani Stewed Beef with Whole Spices

Pakistani Stewed Beef with Whole Spices

What we have here is some serious Pakistani home cooking at its best. Beef stew meat is stewed with an abundance of whole spices and aromatics. Once the meat is cooked down and the liquid has evaporated, yogurt is stirred in and cooked down even more. The beef is coated in the sauce instead of swimming in a heavy gravy. The stewed beef is garnished with cilantro and slivers of ginger. Eating this amazing dish will make you feel good inside. This dish can substitute lamb or chicken for the protein.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Pakistani
Keyword: Beef, main course, Pakistani, South Asian
Servings: 4
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 10 dried Kashmiri chilies
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 8 whole cloves
  • 3 black cardamom
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 head garlic peeled and minced
  • 3 roma tomatoes chopped
  • 3 green chilies finely chopped
  • 2 lbs beef stew meat
  • 2 cups water
  • salt to taste
  • 1 cup plain yogurt

Garnish

  • cilantro chopped
  • ginger peeled and julienned

Instructions

  • Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 10 minutes.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Add in all of the whole spices and dried chilies. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until aromatic.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Add in the tomatoes, garlic, and green chilies. Sauté for 5 minutes until the tomatoes cook down.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Add in the beef stew meat. Brown for 5 minutes.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 90 minutes.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Uncover the pot. Turn up the heat to medium high. Cook down until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Stir in the yogurt.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
  • Cook for up to 10 minutes until the majority of the liquid has cooked down.
    Pakistani, main course, beef
Pakistani, main course, beef
Garnish the stewed beef with cilantro and julienned ginger.
Pakistani, main course, beef
This stewed beef pairs great with chana pulao.
Smoked Pit Beef Tacos

Smoked Pit Beef Tacos

Smoked Pit Beef Tacos

What’s better than tacos? Not much. The meat used in these particular tacos comes from a brined, then smoked chuck roast. This beef can be used in numerous recipes for fillings, sandwiches, nachos, etc.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beef, electric smoker, Latin American, main course, Mexican
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • smoked chuck roast
  • corn or flour tortillas
  • cilantro/onion/green onion mix
  • smoked tomatillo salsa

Instructions

  • Shred the smoked chuck roast.
    Mexican, main course, beef
  • Top the tortillas with the beef, cilantro/onion/green onion mix, and the tomatillo salsa.
    Mexican, main course, beef

Smoked Pit Beef

Smoked beef sandwiches!? Fuck yeah, smoked beef sandwiches. They are extremely easy to make as long as you have time and patience. This is better than any smoked beef you can get from a restaurant or smokehouse for a fraction of the price. I’ve seen smoked beef go for as much as $25-$30 per lb, when the chuck roast I purchased was only $3.99lb.
Once brined, the chuck will take 2 hours per lb to smoke in order for the meat to shred; exactly like a pork shoulder. To achieve this, use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. You will want the temp to get to 205-210 degrees. Once finished, let the chuck rest for at least 20 minutes. The beef is great on a sandwich or even used as taco meat.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Brining Time1 day
Course: Main Course
Keyword: Beef, electric smoker, main course
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • Electric Smoker
  • Probe Thermometer

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lb chuck roast
  • black pepper
  • paprika

Brine

  • 1/2 gallon water
  • 1/2 cup sea salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 garlic cloves minced
  • 6 shallots sliced
  • 2 tsp black peppercorns
  • 3 bay leaves

Wood Chips

  • mesquite wood chips

Instructions

  • Mix together the brining ingredients.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Place the chuck in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine the chuck for 1 day.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Pat the chuck dry. Season all sides with black pepper and paprika. Let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the chuck in the smoker.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • The chuck will take about 2 hours per lb. Monitor the temp with a probe thermometer. In order for the beef to shred, you will need to reach an internal temp of 205-210 degrees.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Once finished smoking, pull from the smoker and let rest for 20 minutes.
    Smokers, main course, beef
  • Slice or shred the beef.
    Smokers, main course, beef

Smoked Tomatillo Salsa

I really like tomatillo salsa and wanted to see what it tastes like with the ingredients smoked. The answer: even better! The ingredients take no more than 2 hours to smoke in your smoker. It’s ready to use as soon as you purée the ingredients in a food processor. The salsa will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Prep Time5 minutes
Smoking Time2 hours
Course: condiment
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: condiment, electric smoker, Latin American, Mexican, vegan
Author: Alex Gorgos

Equipment

  • Electric Smoker
  • food processor

Ingredients

  • 1 lb tomatillos
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Wood Chips

  • mesquite wood chips

Instructions

  • Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños, and green onions on your smokers rack.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Place in a preheated 250 degree smoker for 2 hours.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Let the ingredients cool.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Add the smoked ingredients along with the cilantro, vinegar, and salt to a food processor.
    Mexican, condiment
  • Purée until smooth.
    Mexican, condiment
Beef Pho

Beef Pho

Beef Pho

Pho is the national dish of Vietnam. It can be traced back to the early 1900’s; culturally influenced by the French’s introduction of beef, which is the main flavor component. Today, there seems to be a never ending plethora of Vietnamese restaurants with pho being the specialty.
Pho stock is made by roasting beef bones and whole onions, then simmering in a large stock pot of water with star anise, ginger, cinnamon stick, sugar, and salt. Some recipes for the stock will include a small stewing hen as part of the boil. The stock is simmered for at least 4 hours, with some recipes taking 24 hours. Then the stock is strained and ready to serve.
Beef is the main protein in pho. The beef is always raw, sliced paper thin, and is cooked when boiling stock is ladled over. Many cuts of beef can be used including flank, eye of round, brisket, and ribeye. Vietnamese love texture, so there are varieties of pho that include tripe and tendons. Other than beef, pho contains rice noodles, bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, green onions, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and is served with lime wedges; just to name a few ingredients.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: Beef, main course, noodles, soup, Southeast Asian, Vietnamese
Servings: 4
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

Pho Stock

  • 5 lbs beef bones femur and neck
  • 2 large onions cut in half
  • 10 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 large ginger split in half
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 6 quarts water

Beef Pho

  • 14 oz rice stick noodles prepared according to package directions
  • 1 lb beef ribeye sliced paper thin
  • Asian style beef meatballs sliced
  • 2 cups bean sprouts blanched for 30 seconds
  • Thai basil
  • cilantro
  • green onions chopped
  • lime wedges
  • hoisin sauce
  • fish sauce
  • sriracha

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the beef bones and halved onions on a baking sheet.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Roast for 45 minutes. Set aside.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Dry toast the star anise in a small skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Place the star anise, cinnamon stick, and halved ginger in a large pot of water; about 6 quarts. Bring to a boil.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Add in the roasted beef bones, onions, sugar, and salt.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Simmer over medium heat for at least 4 hours.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Strain the pho stock. Return to the pot and bring to a boil.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup

Pho Assembly

  • Assemble the basil, cilantro, green onions, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and hoisin sauce on a plate.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Place 1 portion of rice noodles in the bottom of a large soup bowl. Place the sliced ribeye and meatballs on top of the noodles.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
  • Ladle the boiling stock over the beef and noodles.
    Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
Vietnamese, main course, beef, soup
Add in the rest of the ingredients, and you’ll be ready for bliss.