Beef Recipe Ideas

We have put together a selection of recipes, old and new to tempt your tastebuds. Main categories relate to the type of meats used in the recipe e.g. pork dishes and we intend to add seasonable sections at a later date. If you have any of your own favourites to add, we'd love to hear from you. Email us using our contact form

Dry Rub's suitable for Beef, Pork, Lamb, Mutton, Poultry and Game

Making Beef Stock
 
Beef stock is a wonderful ingredient to have in the house once made. Making fresh beef stock requires about 8 hours of simmering time to achieve its full potential of flavour and can serve as the base for soups, sauces, stews, and savoury dishes.
 
Ingredients
1 tomato or 3 ounces tomato puree/paste
1 large carrot
2 celery stalks
2 medium onions
15 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
6lbs beef bones
2lbs beef stewing steak
 
You can use beef bones and beef trimming without the fat. You can also purchase beef labeled, "stew meat" to enhance the stock's flavour.
 
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), place the bones (not the trim) onto a baking sheet, and put the tray into the oven. Do not heat the oven any higher than 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) or the bones' surface may burn, creating an unpleasant, bitter flavor. Add the trim after ten minutes.
 
Next coarsely cut up the carrots, celery, and onion. Also coarsely chop up the tomato (optional). Keep the vegetables separate, as the cooking time differs for each.
 
Once all of the ingredients have been prepared for use, place a large stockpot on the stove and turn the heat to high. Once the pot is hot, add a 1 tablespoon of light olive or vegetable oil. This pot will be used first to caramelize the vegetables.
 
Now that there is a small amount of fat in the pot, and it has been preheated, add the onions. Stir the onions constantly. You can also add the carrots at this time.
 
Once caramelization has begun, add the tomato product. If you use a paste, you will not need to cook the mixture as long as if you use fresh tomatoes.
 
Once the vegetables have achieved a fairly dark caramelization, add the celery. Celery does not tend to caramelize well, as it has such a high water content.
 
Once the bones and trim have turned a nice roasted brown, add them to the caramelized vegetables. Cover the bones and vegetables with water.
 
Add the bay leaf and black peppercorns. You can add herb stems such as parsley, rosemary, thyme or sage.
 
The baking tray now contains particles from the bones and trim that have leeched out and stuck to the pan. These crystallized drippings are known as fond . The fond contains a lot of concentrated flavor and should not be thrown away. Place this tray on top of a burner and add a small amount of water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. This act is known as deglazing . Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the bits of fond. The liquid combined with the heat from the stove will cause the fond to quickly hydrate and blend with the water.
 
Once all or most of the fond has been removed from the pan, add the fond to the stockpot. You do not want the stock to boil. Once it has heated up, turn the heat down to a low heat, and let it simmer.
 
16 After a while, the fat and impurities from the bones and meat trimming will begin to float to the top. Skim this fat off the top, being careful not to capture too much of the stock in the ladle. Repeat this step over and over again as new layers of fat form on the top. Skim and discard the fat.
 
After about 8 hours of skimming and simmering, strain the stock. Often small meat and bones particles can form in the stock. It may be wise to also strain the stock through a cheesecloth after the first straining just to make certain that the stock is clean and free of debris..
 
When the beef stock is done it should be dark brown in color. It should also have a pleasant flavor and not be bitter. Often people will freeze their reduced stock into ice cube trays and then add one cube at a time to some water, reconstituting the amount to the original strength in consistency, viscosity, and flavor.

Recommended beef cooking times - 45 mins per kilo

For more recipe ideas, follow these links:
 
Beef, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, Mutton, Pork, Turkey, Bacon, Ham and Gammon, Sausage, Burgers and Black Pudding