Braised Beef and Stout

I've just moved into my new apartment in Dublin, really nice to have a kitchen whilst working way. My wife has just flown back to the UK and I wanted to make a bit of comfort food during this unseasonal weather.

This is a recipe that I've tweaked on many occasions, depending on who's eating it. I like it with a kick so use a lot more black pepper. I have also used the base of this for my beef stews, with proper suet dumplings.

The key to the flavour with this is not necessarily the Stout, I believe that it's the Oyster sauce that adds a richness that takes it to another level. Beef and Oyster, a very classic combination.

Ingredients 1 Kg Chuck steak 1 White Onion 2 Large Carrots 2 celery stalks 1 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce 25 ml Beef Stock 1 Pint Irish Stout 2 Tbsp unslated butter 4 Tbsp Rapeseed Oil salt and pepper to taste 4 Tbsp plain flour bouquet garni

Directions finely dice all the vegatables dice the steak into 1cm cubes heat a deep frying pan or wok with butter and 1 Tbs oil. Add the vegetables and cook until soft Pour the cooked vegetables into a bowl and set aside to add later. in a small freezer bag, add the flour some salt and cracked black pepper. Add the diced beef and toss until all the beef is coated with the flour. Heat the wok or frying pan until smoking, make sure it is dry as you need to get it to a very high temperature. Once the pan is starting to smoke add a Tbsp of oil and a small amount of the beef cubes. allow the meat to brown ( caramelise ) on all sides before removing and placing into a separate dish. Continue to brown all the beef in batches, don't be tempted to put all the beef in the wok in one go, as this will boil the meat instead of caramelising it. once all the beef is cooked, add the rest of the beef, including any juices that have come out, into the pan and bring it back to temperature on a high heat. add the stout and bring to the boil. Add the Light and Dark soy, followed by the Oyster sauce. Once this mixture has been stirred in add the stock and bring to a rolling boil for ten minutes. turn of the hob and add the vegetable that were perviously set aside. you can add more pepper at this stage, do not add it later as it will be to harsh. I like mine with a bit of a kick, so a couple of teaspoons for me. Put Beef mixture into a large pot, cover with a lid or tin foil and place in the oven at 140 and cook for 3 hours. remove from the oven and adjust seasoning as required. If the sauce is too thick, use cornflour to thicken. Be careful if this isn't cooked out on a hob with the Beef and stout it will change the flavour. You could just place on a hob on a high heat with the lid off and reduce the sauce, takes longer, but much better results.