In the past, Mr. C. and I have gone together with his sister Katie and her husband Rick to share a half beef. And I have absolutely no trouble using up the ground beef, tender steaks, or various other choice bits. But then I am left with chuck steak, rump roasts, arm roasts, chuck roasts, and heel of round. Some of which I have no idea how they should be prepared. Except for one thing that each of these cuts have in common. They are not tender cuts of beef. They are going to need special attention and fussing over to help them achieve greatness. So that equates to a whole lot of braising action that’s going to have to happen at Chez Carr within the next few months. So standby for more recipes of this ilk to come your way.

So armed with the knowledge that I would need to do something noteworthy to the meat to make it palatable, I asked Mr. C. to pull a couple of packages of chuck steak from the freezer, while I went on line to research recipes.

Now I’m a sucker for anything with soy sauce as an ingredient. So I searched under beef and soy sauce and found this recipe on the damndelicious.net site. I messed a bit with Chungahs recipe, mainly because her recipe was designed to be cooked in an Instant Pot. I prefer the more intense flavored braise that happens when meats are left to their own devices in a Dutch oven. So I adapted the recipe to my own personal preferences. Plus I really appreciate the way braising meat flavors the air in my kitchen while it’s bubbling and tenderizing away in the oven. (As with soy sauce, I’m also a sucker for good cooking smells wafting through the house.) 

Anyway, I made this recipe and we both enjoyed it very much. And aside from browning the meat, this was a quick and easy main dish to put together. Then serving it with steamed brown rice and Sunomono, well there was very little prep time involved for this dinner. And sometimes I really appreciate the less time the better in my kitchen. I think getting older is having that effect on me. Although there are still days when all I really want to do is play in the kitchen. Perhaps it’s just that some days preparing food seems more like work; other days it seems a lot like play. I think that happens to most of us who spend any time in our kitchen. At least most of the time cooking still feels more like play than work. So I guess for now at least, you can count on new recipes coming your way via my kitchen.

As always, stay safe, and please respect yourself and those around you by wearing a mask when in public. Also, remember to cut people some slack during this rough time. You haven’t walked in anyone else’s shoes, and many people are wearing multiple pairs of shoes right now. As parent, teacher, spouse, cook, wage earner, shopper, gardener, etc. etc.

So please remain stalwart in all your dealings with others. Compassion, understanding, and empathy never go out of style. Neither does good food. So get cooking. If nothing else it will keep you busy. And busy hands are happy hands. Or so the old adage goes. Peace and love to all.

1 c. beef broth

1 c. water

½ c. reduced sodium soy sauce

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. sesame oil

1 T. rice vinegar

1 tsp. Sriracha, or more to taste

1 tsp. granulated onion  

1/8 tsp. white pepper or freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. vegetable oil

2 lb. beef chuck roast or other tough cut of meat (bones, fat, and grizzle removed as much as possible), cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. freshly grated ginger

2 tsp. corn starch

sesame seeds

2-3 green onions, thinly sliced

In a large bowl, whisk the beef broth, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, Sriracha, granulated onion, and white pepper together.

Heat oil in a covered Dutch oven. Add the meat cubes and fry until brown. Add the garlic and ginger; cook for one minute.

Pour the sauce over the meat, cover, and place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1½-2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. (Check after an hour to make sure there is enough liquid. If not, add a bit more water or beef broth.) Meanwhile mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup water. Set aside.

When the meat is tender, remove from oven and stir in the cornstarch slurry. Cook over medium heat on your cooktop until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning. 

Serve garnished with green onions and sesame seeds. Great with steamed brown rice and Sunomono (Japanese cucumber salad) or a lovely roasted veggie.