Spicy beef shoulder stew with squash
Ragout and stew
Years and years ago, a friend of mine had made this mouth-watering pulled pork shoulder that had been marinated forever in a combination of orange juice and tequila, along with lots of spices; we've since lost touch and I have absolutely no clue where his recipe came from (and I distinctly remember his response when I asked him where he got the recipe from: "the internet".) I just remember it was too spicy for anyone else in the apartment to eat (even him) and I ended up eating the whole dang thing myself over a matter of a few days, cold out of the fridge, sitting at the bar directly in front of the fridge, out of tupperware at some point. <br /> <br />Anyways, that's what inspired me to put together this recipe. I picked up a big piece of meat (an organic, free range, grass-fed, etc. piece of meat at that) and it was labeled "shoulder chuck roast" and seeing as how I'd never cooked anything like that before, I did a little research... on "the internet". After reading a bunch of articles I opted for a soup. It's been in the low to mid 20's here in Indiana and most everyone needs some warming up. <br /> <br />Maybe you can use a different piece of meat for the stew - you decide. I will tell you that after brining it overnight you'll take it out of the Ziploc bag and say to yourself 'Oh sh*t, it's so tough and leathery on the outside!' and I promise you, it's no big deal. It's all fine. After you cook it in the stew it'll fall apart very nicely. Also, a little tip - Once you take the meat out of the brine and brown it, steal a piece or two for yourself - it'll be rare-ish on the inside but the flavor... oh the flavor... so divine (or maybe I'm just full of myself, you decide and tell me in the comments). <br /> <br />* A note about the squash - The butternut squash adds a little sweetness to the stew; my boyfriend suggested the next time I make it using potatoes instead - you're more than welcome to do this if you're not a squash fan!
Share:
0
27
0
Comments