Braised Beef Tips & Noodles

This is an awesome dish to warm you up on a cold winters night!

This dish is similar to beef stew but without the carrots and potatoes. I highly recommend using chuck roast for the beef rather than round steak or sirloin. The chuck has to cook (braise) on low heat and takes a while but it becomes very tender and it oozes flavor when finished. It’s well worth the effort!

Braise is a cooking method by which food (usually meat or vegetables) is first browned in fat, then cooked, tightly covered, in a small amount of liquid at low heat for a lengthy period of time. The long, slow cooking develops flavor and tenderizes foods by gently breaking down their fibers. Braising can be done on top of the range or in the oven. A tight fitting lid is very important to prevent the liquid from evaporating.

—- from “Food Lover’s Companion”

Cook / Prep Time – about 3 hours

Servings – 2 or 3

Ingredients:
  • 6 oz dried egg noodles
  • 1 pound boneless chuck
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups of beef or bone broth
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1 medium sweet onion
  • 1 large rib of celery
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1/2 (14.5 oz) can of petite diced tomatoes (I put the other half can in a small freezer bag and store in the freezer for next time)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (I recommend the tube type)
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp granulated onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 tbsp grape seed or canola oil

Trim the chuck and cut into 1 inch cubes and dry them on a paper towel. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and granulated onion together. in a cast iron or carbon steel skillet, heat the oil on medium heat. Dredge the beef cubes in the seasoned flour and shake off excess flour.

Slowly place the beef cubes in the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Cook in a couple batches if needed.

Brown the beef cubes on all sides. Peel and chop the onion and garlic while browning the beef. Slice the celery diagonally into 1/4 inch slices. When the beef is totally browned, add the onion, celery and garlic and continue to sauté on medium heat.

When the onions are starting to brown, turn to medium high heat and add the beef broth, wine, soy and Worcestershire sauce. Cook the mixture until it comes to a boil. Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato paste.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the beef mixture into a Dutch oven and cover. The broth may seem watery at this point, but it will thicken in the oven.

Place the pot in the oven , cover and and cook for 1 hour, stirring about after 30 minutes. When the hour is up, stir again. Remove the lid and put back in the oven for another hour, stirring after the first 30 minutes. The beef tips should be very tender and the sauce thickened at this point. If not, continue to cook until the beef is very tender.

Cook the egg noodles according to the package instructions. Drain them and and add a little olive oil, salt and pepper to the noodles.

Serve the beef tips with or over noodles. That’s it!

Enjoy!

Suggested music for your listening pleasure while preparing the beef tips….

After watching an hour of the Grammy awards last night, I would suggest listening to some of the best from this talented piano player / singer songwriter, Alicia Keys. That girl is on fire! Check out her version of The Rolling Stones song “Wild Horses” among others, but I highly recommend not listening to “Earthquake” an absolutely horrible song performed by someone called “Tyler, the Creator” at the Grammy Awards. You’re welcome!

Air Fried Bourbon / Hot Honey Glazed Pork Belly Candy

You can call these sweet, hot, salty morsels Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Pork Belly Bites, Pork Belly Candy, Pork Crack, or you can just call them delicious!

These would make a great Super Bowl appetizer, and as of this writing, my Tennessee Titans have a real chance (win and in Sunday) to get there!

Let’s get to the recipe….

Cook / Prep Time – marinade overnight then 2 hours

Yield : about 12 ounces of belly bites

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound skinless pork belly
  • 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar
  • 1 tbsp smoked sea salt
  • 2 oz bourbon
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp granulated onion
  • 3 tbs hot honey

Score the fatty top of the pork belly. Cut into slices, then cut the slices into 1/2 inch cubes.

In a mixing bowl, add all the rest of the ingredients except the hot honey and mix well. Pour the marinade over the cubes and place in flat dish or ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain and discard the marinade. Dry the cubes as much as possible on a paper towel. Set the cubes on a wire rack with a drip tray underneath and place them in the air fryer set at 325 degrees for one hour, turning after 30 minutes.

Pull the cubes out of the oven and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the hot honey and mix well.

Place them back in the air fryer at 225 degrees for another hour, checking and turning every 15 minutes That’s it!

Enjoy!

Suggested songs to listen to while preparing the pork crack….

Since yesterday was Ronnie Milsap’s 77th birthday, and I am a fan, how about his new album “The Duets” where he teams up with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Leon Russel and others on some of his greatest songs?

#titanup

Pork Loin & Sauerkraut


Happy New Year! This delicious combination of pork, sauerkraut, shallots, apples and potatoes hits the mark of several taste sensations – sweet, sour, salty and savory. It’s also believed to bring good luck!
I fixed this on New Year’s Day this year because many cultures believe that this dish brings good luck and fortune because pigs root around with their snouts in a forward motion and we want to move forward, not backward in the new year. Pork is also rich in fat, promising prosperity. The long strands of sauerkraut represent a long life to be lived, and the green color of cabbage that sauerkraut is made from symbolizes cash money. Count me in!

Servings – 3-4

Cook / Prep time – about 3 1/2 hours

  • 1 1/2 lbs bone in pork loin (may use boneless)
  • 1 – 32 oz bag refrigerated sauerkraut
  • 2 Fuji apples
  • 1/2 lb small red potatoes
  • 3 shallots
  • 1/2 bottle Riesling ( or apple cider)
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Score the fat cap on the pork loin. Season with salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Rinse the sauerkraut in a colander and place it in a Dutch oven. When the pork loin is seared, place it in the middle of the sauerkraut. Add the half bottle of Riesling or cider and drink the rest.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Dice the shallots and add around the sauerkraut. Sprinkle the brown sugar around the sauerkraut. Peel and dice the apples and add around the pork loin.

Sprinkle with the smoked paprika. Cover and place in the oven for 3 hours or until pork loin is 160 degrees. Rest pork loin for 15 minutes before slicing. Thats it!

Enjoy!

Side note – I won 10 dollars on a scratch off lottery last week. Coincidence? I think not!

Suggested songs to listen to while preparing the pork loin….

“ Luck Man” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer from their album “ Emerson, Lake & Palmer” released in 1970.

“You Got Lucky” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from their 1982 album “Long After Dark”

“With a Little Luck” by Paul McCartney from his 1987 album “All the Best”

“Luck Be a Lady” by Frank Sinatra from his 1965 album “Sinatra ‘65: The Singer Today”