Fork tender, succulent beef is savory, lightly sweet, and perfectly seasoned after braising in the oven in stock, juice, herbs, and aromatics. This is as perfect a dish as can be made, and one that your family and guests will devour.
Course
Main Dish
Cuisine
Jewish
Prep Time15minutes
Cook Time2hours
Total Time2hours30minutes
Servings6servings
Ingredients
2lbs.Kosher beef flanken
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4cupvegetable or canola oil
1large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
2cloves fresh garlic minced
3tbsp.tomato paste(or a really good squeeze from a tube of tomato paste)
1/2tsp.dried sage (or any dried herb you like)
2bay leaves
2cupsbeef stock or beef broth
1cupKosher grape juice (I use Kedem)or Kosher wine, if you prefer
3carrotslarge, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slicescut on the diagonal
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring flanken to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes). Season meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven (medium-high heat) and sear meat on all sides.
Add onion to the pot with the meat and stir the onion around, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom on the pan. Allow the onion to mix along in the beef juices for a few minutes until the onion starts to separate. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add tomato paste and stir everything together. The onions and beef should color somewhat from the tomato paste. Keep stirring, allowing all the ingredients to incorporate and come together. The onions should start to look a little reddish/golden from the tomato paste. Everything should smell divine at this point, but don't crawl into the pot. Trust me, you'll want to.
Add the beef stock, juice, sage, rosemary, and bay leaves and stir well. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place in the oven for 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, take out of the oven and turn the meat pieces over, so the meat is well-basted. Add the carrots and cover again. Cook for another hour. The meat should be soft enough to shred. Take out of the oven and let the pot sit on the counter covered for another 15 minutes.
Remove meat and slice on cutting board. Discard bay leaves. Slice and serve immediately with gravy and carrots.