Oxtail Potjie with Stout

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Ingredients

  • 1.25 kg oxtail, trimmed of excess fat
  • 500 g beef shin
  • Garlic Pepper Seasoning
  • olive or canola oil
  • 3 large onions, chopped
  • 2 t (10 ml) Green Onion Seasoning
  • 8 cloves of garlic, halved lengthways
  • 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into very small blocks
  • 2 x 25 g Liquid Beef Stock
  • 660 ml bottle of Guinness stout beer
  • 1 cup (250 ml) water
  • 1 T (15 ml) Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
  • 250 g dried pears, cut in half lengthways
  • 45 g dark chocolate
  • 1 T (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
  • 250 g medium size brown mushrooms
  • garlic butter

Custom: Leave dried pears, add green beans and marrows

Preparation

Quick mode:
Speed up the cooking! Pre-cook the meat just in beef stock (2 cups of water and 2 x 25 g Liquid Beef Stock) in a pressure cooker for 1 hour, on two rings, but don’t blow off the steam. Simply remove the pressure cooker from the heat and leave it to cool down. If you release the steam, you also blow away half the flavour. By cooling the pressure cooker slowly the flavour is forced back into the meat.

  • Season the meat with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and leave at room temperature while measuring the rest of the recipe. Prepare a medium fire.
  • Heat the potjie over the fire, add some oil and brown the meat in two or three batches. Keep browned meat on one side on a plate.
  • Add onions pre-seasoned with Green Onion Seasoning, to the remaining oil in the pot and stir-fry until nicely browned. Add garlic and potatoes and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.
  • Add the undiluted Liquid Beef Stock, the beer, water and Tomato Pesto. Bring to a brisk boil.
  • Return the meat and any left over juices to the pot. Cover with a lid – pile some coals on the lid and leave the pot to simmer very slowly for 4 – 5 hours until the meat is fork tender. (or about an hour if the meat was pre-cooked)
  • Check the liquid level from time to time. Add water if needed.
  • Spoon off any surplus fat, or blot it off with kitchen paper.
  • Add the pears, chocolate and balsamic vinegar. Taste for seasoning.
  • Top with mushrooms, seasoned with Garlic Pepper Seasoning and dotted with garlic butter. Cover with lid, pile some coals on the lid, and cook for a final 30 minutes.