comfort food essentials: beef, bourbon, and bacon
(1 rating)
Okay, so there I was sitting in front of the fireplace with a bourbon on the rocks; casually thinking about dinner, and watching the dancing flames through the amber color of the bourbon in my glass. I got up and found a couple of arm roasts in the walk-in. And, thought bourbon, bacon, and beef… what could go wrong with that? The sauce was made from ingredients on hand, and after putting it together, I popped it into the oven, and sat down with another bourbon. Life is hard. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
(1 rating)
yield
serving(s)
prep time
25 Min
cook time
2 Hr
method
Bake
Ingredients For comfort food essentials: beef, bourbon, and bacon
- PLAN/PURCHASE
- THE BEEF
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3 slicebacon, diced
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3 - 4 lbarm roast, or chuck, cut into 3/4-inch (2cm) cubes
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1/4 cflour, all-purpose variety
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1/2 tspwhite pepper, freshly ground
- THE SAUCE
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1 1/2 cchicken stock, not broth
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1/4 ccoconut sugar, packed
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1/4 ctamari sauce, or liquid aminos
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1/4 cbourbon, i use jack daniel’s
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1/4 cbbq sauce, homemade if possible
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2 Tbspapple cider vinegar
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1 tsppowdered ginger
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3 clovegarlic, minced
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1 mdyellow onion, finely diced
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1/2 tspcrushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- THE THICKENER
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1.4 capple cider
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2 1/2 Tbspflour, all-purpose variety
How To Make comfort food essentials: beef, bourbon, and bacon
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1PREP/PREPARE
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2Whenever you slow braise, oven cook, or smoke beef, pork, or chicken, there will be variables that need to be factored into the recipe. For example, what is the cut of meat you are using and its size? Did you brine before cooking? What is the “exact” temperature of your oven, slow cooker, instant pot? If you are braising, what acidic are you using? So, when a recipe calls for a slow cooker time on a roast of 6 hours. Start checking around four hours. On the other hand, a recipe may call for 6 hours in the slow cooker, and it takes you 8 hours.
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3Why chicken stock in a beef dish? Well, the other sauce ingredients were heavy hitters, and I did not want to make it too overbearing.
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4For this recipe, you will need a heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid.
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5Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
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6Place a rack in the bottom position, and preheat the oven to 250f (120c).
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7In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour and white pepper, then throw in the beef and toss, until lightly coated.
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8Add the bacon to the pot. Set the heat to medium, and cook, until it begins to crisp, and renders out its fat, about 5 – 7 minutes.
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9Remove the bacon, add about a third of the beef, and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch.
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10Repeat for the other two batches, and reserve.
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11Chef’s Note: If your bacon does not have much fat, you may need to add a bit of grapseed oil to the pan.
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12Add the onions, and sauté until softened, about 3 – 5 minutes.
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13Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
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14Add the chicken stock, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all those brown bits (fonds) that are stuck to the bottom of the pot.
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15Add the remaining SAUCE ingredients (including the reserved bacon), and combine.
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16Add the beef back to the pot, combine, and bring up to a simmer.
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17Cover the pot, place in the preheated oven, and cook, until the beef is fork tender, about 1.5 – 2 hours.
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18Chef’s Note: Check the beef after 45 minutes, and then every 20 minutes thereafter.
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19Add the flour to the apple cider.
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20Remove the beef from the oven, and place on the stovetop. Bring up to a simmer, and add the cider/flour mixture.
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21Simmer for a few minutes, until thickened.
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22PLATE/PRESENT
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23I like to serve this dish with some rice, and crusty bread. Enjoy.
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24Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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