I’m going to be upfront. I can’t recommend that you eat much of my food, for medical reasons. In fact, I was going to say something to the effect of, “I’m not liable for your bypass surgery,” but instead I might just be able to guarantee gastric/coronary complications. You’re better off trying to sue me if you stay healthy. Hah!
The abomination pictured above is one example. When I made this I rendered the fat from a half pound of bacon…in a half stick of butter. Combined with the natural fat from the beef, the result wasn’t so much a gravy as a solid bed of flavor topped by an ether of heart sludge. And I did mess up a few things, but more on that after the jump.
What I Used
- Butter, too much
- Bacon, cut in small strips
- Shallots, minced
- Garlic, minced
- Round eye roast
- Green onions
- Serrano peppers, diced
- Sake, drinkable (in my case, any will do)
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
What I Did
- Put cast iron dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter
- Render fat from bacon, removing the bits for later
- Sweat shallots and garlic
- Add beef and sear
- Add green onions, peppers, sake, soy, oyster
- Cover and move to 350 degree oven for 3 hrs
- Remove lid and remove beef, slice as seen fit
- Reduce gravy until desired consistency is reached or thicken as desired with corn starch and add bacon bits
- As Pictured: Finished with sauteed mushrooms and green beans
So if I had to do this again I would definitely lose the butter. I must have been drunk when I thought I needed it. I’d also turn the fat into a roux with flour instead of using corn starch. The result was still tasty, but needed careful portioning. I started slipping into a coma halfway through the 8 oz. pictured above. If you feel like giving it a try (or please, please, please improve it first) leave me a comment with your results, opinions, and any resulting medical conditions you wish to share.
5 Comments
What flavor does the Sake bring to the party? Is there a substitute for it? Same question for the oyster sauce, not a big fan of oyster sauce (ok, never had it but it sounds icky). This does look like something the family would enjoy though. I will add it to my list of upcoming gastronomic experiments. I mean anything with butter, bacon, mushrooms and beef can’t be that bad, can it?
Modnar: I wasn’t clear, but the Sake was essentially the main braising liquid. It could easily be substituted with water, but I figure if we’re using water I might as well add some flavor, and the ricey sweetness of the Sake felt right. You could also pick up a good rice cooking wine at the nearest asian supermarket or if you’re lucky enough to have it available in your area, Baijiu.
I don’t know what to say about oyster sauce. It’s made from an oytser broth reduced down into a syrup. It’s powerful and packed with umami goodness. I suggest picking up a bottle and just quickly stir-frying some brocolli with a tablespoon of the stuff to see how you like it.
Oyster sauce is used in Chinese cooking more than people realize. It imparts great flavor and essential in any stir fry in my opinion. Buy the good stuff as some companies will use very little Oyster and use fillers like starch and coloring. On a healthy note, Oyster sauce is also available for vegetarians which is made from Oyster Mushrooms… :) For those of us watching sodium, I wouldn’t add much sodium when using Oyster Sauce…
[...] the last minute of the Orzo in that pan. Orzo, bacon, and grease. Yet one more fine example of why you shouldn’t listen to me when it comes [...]
This sounds, and looks, mighty tasty.
Guess I have an excuse to buy a dutch oven now.
…and a large amount of bacon.