This is a simple, slow-cooked braised beef designed for meal prep. Using a whole beef chuck which can be a tough cut and then cooking it for 4 hours until the meat falls apart and is easily portioned for your weekly meal prep. It’s simple, versatile, and you can use across tacos, pasta, soups, sandwiches and more.
Category
Dinner
Servings
8-10
Prep time
15 minutes
Cook time
4 hours 20 minutes
This is a simple, slow-cooked braised beef designed for meal prep. Using a whole beef chuck which can be a tough cut and then cooking it for 4 hours until the meat falls apart and is easily portioned for your weekly meal prep. It’s simple, versatile, and you can use across tacos, pasta, soups, sandwiches and more.
Ingredients
- 2kg whole beef chuck
-
sea salt and cracked black pepper, to season
- 2 tbsp beef tallow (or neutral flavoured oil)
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 500ml (2 cups) beef stock
Directions
Preheat the oven to 140°C fan forced (285°F). Season the beef well all over with salt.
- Heat a heavy based ovenproof saucepan (with a lid) or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the tallow and let it melt.
- Add the beef and cook for 12-15 minutes, turning to brown very well on all sides to seal it. Transfer to a tray.
- Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic and bay leaves, then return the beef to the pan.
- Pour in the stock, season with pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
- Cook for 4 hours, until fall apart tender, (check it after 3½ hours of cooking).
- Remove from the oven and leave the beef to cool in the stock for 1 hour before transferring to a wire rack over a tray until cool enough to handle.
- Pass the cooking liquid through a sieve and set it aside for another use.
- Pull the beef into strands into a bowl and add a few ladlefuls of the saved stock to keep it moist. Divide the beef into airtight containers and refrigerate for your next midweek meal.
Recipe notes
Cook support
Take the time to really brown the meat hard first up to develop that richer flavour in the finished dish.
Substitutions
Other cuts of beef you could use this technique for include brisket, bolar blade or oyster blade.
Use the reserved stock for a soup base, in a curry, you can freeze it and use it next time you braise meat, essentially anywhere you would use beef stock.
Storage
Store the shredded beef in airtight containers and refrigerated for up to 5 days, but it is not recommended for freezing.
Serving ideas
This works great in quesadillas, noodle soups, white bean stew, even jaffles.
