The Secret Shimmmergirl Slow-cooked Beef in Guinness Recipe

I’ve been asked about my Secret Shimmmergirl Slow-cooked Beef in Guinness Recipe for a very long time. I’ve usually declined, only because it’s in my head, and God knows it’s hard to untangle my brain sometimes! However, I was talking to my fabulous friend Fiona about the joy of slow cookers today…and I was inspired.

I’ve just put the casserole in the slow cooker and thought I’d blog the recipe before it was lost to the ravages of time.

Now, please know measurements aren’t exact and you can play with different vegies/herbs etc. The one thing you must include in Guinness or a very dark stout. And you also have to drink Guinness while you make it or it doesn’t turn out as well. That said, that’s a bit of an ask if you’re putting it in the slow cooker at 9am.

Ingredients:

500 grams of chuck steak, cut into medium sized cubes and shaken in a plastic bag with 1/2 cup of plain flour and a bit of salt and pepper .( I’ve only just discovered chuck steak. I used to buy the cubed beef from Coles or similar, but it dries out. Get the chuck steak and don’t cut the fat off it. Trust me.

2 tablespoons of HP Sauce or Beerenberg Coopers Ale BBQ Sauce .

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

A bouquet garni. This is where I get all Jamie Oliver and say use fresh herbs like thyme, parsley, rosemary and tie them with cooking string and dangle them in the pot so you can take them out when cooking is finished. I like to use a Herbies Spices bouquet garni which is in a bag and makes everything taste great. That said, just throw in about 2 tablespoons of dried herbs and drink more Guinness.

About 3/4 of a can of Guinness (you can drink the rest) – otherwise 1-2 cups of Guinness – remember you don’t want too much liquid in the slow cooker. As long as the level of liquid comes up to halfway up the pot, you’ll be fine.

1 can of tomatoes

Half a cup of tomato paste.

1 Massel Beef flavoured stock cube (or similar brand – I’ve even used Oxo in the past)

2 carrots – chopped any way you like

3 sticks celery, chopped

optional veggies: mushrooms, parsnip, potatoes (cut into small cubes)

1 onion diced

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter (in the words of that great Dream Cuisine chef, Owen Saddler, ‘butter makes everything better’.

TO MAKE

Put the oil and butter in a heavy based fry pan or a nice big cast iron casserole and heat it over a medium-high heat. Fry the meat rolled in flour until brown. Some people say it makes no difference, but I believe it does. Put the meat in your slow cooking pot (or on a plate if you’re going to use the casserole dish). Now put a bit more oil in if needed and fry your celery and onion. Do not put raw onion in your slow cooker. You’ll have no friends for days.

Throw the meat and all the vegies in the slow cooker. Put the can of tomatoes in the pan you’ve been frying in and scrape off all the delicious bits that have caught up on the bottom of the pan. Pour onto veggies and meat.

Put the bouquet garni in the pot. Put the HP or Coopers Sauce in the pot as well as the Worcestershire sauce. Don’t put the tomato paste in yet.

Now, pour the Guinness in. This really is a matter of judgement. If you think there needs to be some more liquid in then throw some more in. Drink the rest.

Put in the slow cooker on low for eight hours or on high for about 6. If you’re cooking in the oven, I have no idea what temperature and for how long, but I imagine on a low heat for three or four hours.

When it’s cooked have a taste. If it tastes a bit ‘thin’ add the tomato paste and salt and pepper. If it’s too watery, then take the lid off the slow cooker, ramp up the heat and reduce the sauce. If still too watery, add the stock cube.

This casserole tastes fantastic with mashed potato (I’m a recent convert to Dutch Cream potatoes for mash) or rice and for some reason has to have baby peas!

It also makes a great filling for pies.

So there you go, the secret Shimmmery recipe.

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~ by shimmmergirl on October 6, 2010.