Slow-Cooked Meat with Savory Mushroom Sauce

Meat that just melts in your mouth. A bite with meaty mushrooms. Yum.

Pulled beef is my favorite way to eat beef. I love the slow cooked meat soaked in flavor and I love the texture. I originally fell in love with it from Tripolitan cooking, when I was 12, and have been a fan ever since.

The issue with cooking pulled beef is that it is time consuming. 4-6 hours in a slow cooker or over a slow fire. Easy, simple, delicious- but time consuming. So I tend to make it only on weekends.

First you have to seal the flavor into the meat by searing it over high heat. This is also the chance to seal in some flavor, so this is when I spice my meat!

Then, you throw it in with some veggies, cover it, and let it go for hours.

I got myself a beautiful, new red pot for slow cooking (sale at the supermarket!) so I used that to cook my meat

I bought a kilo of beef chuck (shoulder) cut into cubes. You can also cook it in one big chunk – whatever you prefer. I usually cook it in a big chunk, but this time, I preferred it in chunks.

I served it over sweet, creamy polenta but you can also serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, couscous – whatever you feel like.

Ingredients:

1 kg beef chuck (in chunks)

7 stalks celery – chopped

2 carrots -chopped into large cubes

5 cloves chopped garlic

~15 mushrooms, chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cloves

A pinch of hot chilli

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt (though I recommend salting a little throughout the entire cooking process)

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp date syrup (also known as silan in Hebrew. If it is unavailable, you can use maple syrup instead).

1 tsp sriracha sauce (or any other kind of hot sauce)

Water

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Place the meat into the oil and pour in the spices. Sear the meat on all sides.

2. Throw in the garlic, carrots and celery and saute for 2 minutes.

3. Cover the meat and vegetables in water and wait until it boils. Once it boils, lower the heat, cover the pot and let cook on low for 4 hours.

4. Check the meat every hour.

5. The meat is ready when you touch it with a fork and it is soft and falls apart.

6. Uncover and let simmer until most of the water evaporates. If there is too much water, you can pour some out. You can also keep it as stock for future use.

7. In a separate pan, saute the mushrooms with some garlic for 2 minutes.

8. Add the mushrooms into the pot.

9. Add in the soy sauce, the date syrup and the sriracha. Mix them in.

10. Let simmer for 15-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

11. Serve!

I like serving it with parmesan cheese on top! Enjoy!

Let me know how it turns out in the comments!

Serves ~8

Cooking time: ~5 hours