I am such a fan of the sweet, salty, citrusy umami of Asian flavors and this ponzu braised beef brings them into a cozy main course that I will happily eat all week long.
All you need is a quick sear on your beef, sauté some vegetables, add garlic, ginger, gochujang, brown sugar and ponzu and let it braise away to tender perfection while you dream about how good its going to taste over rice, egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Let’s get started…
One of the best things about braising beef is that it is a great way to make the tougher, cheaper cuts tender, so feel free to use chuck roast, brisket, shoulder, shanks… whatever you can find for a good price, because braising will bring the best out of it.
Plus, we are using ponzu in our braising liquid and this is a wonderful tenderizer for beef too. The acidity in ponzu helps to break down the beef making even a tougher cut wonderfully tender.
Cut your beef into 2 inch chunks, dry thoroughly with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and black pepper.
Place a Dutch oven or nice big oven safe pot over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of a neutral oil.
Once the oil is hot, sear the beef on all sides and then transfer them onto a plate and set aside for now. Do this in batches to avoid crowding the bottom of the pot.
Once you have seared all of the beef and transferred it onto a plate, add your onions, leeks, carrots, garlic and ginger and sauté until everything has softened down a good bit. This should take 5-7 minutes.
Once your vegetables are nice and soft, add 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of gochujang or sambal, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of ponzu and give everything a good stir.
The last thing we need to do is add 2 cups of beef broth and nestle your seared beef down into all of that goodness. Cover your pot and braise the beef in a 350 degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until it is super tender.
Would you take a look at the color that this braising liquid has developed? It is so rich and something you can just see is going to be delicious.
Use 2 stiff forks or a set of tongs to shred the beef and mix it back into the braising liquid so it can soak up all of that glorious flavor.
Not only is this beef incredibly tender, but it has such fabulous sweet, salty and citrusy flavors. It is bursting with umami and perfect with roasted vegetables, fluffy rice or buttery egg noodles.
Ponzu Braised Beef
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of chuck roast or tender roast
- a neutral oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 large leek, stem and dark greens discarded, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 inch of ginger, finely minced or pasted
- 1/4 cup of tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons of gochujang or sambal
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of ponzu
- 2 cups of beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°
- Slice your beef into large chunks, dry thoroughly with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper
- Place a Dutch oven or large oven safe pot over medium heat and add a thin layer of a neutral oil
- Working in batches, sear the beef pieces on all sides, transfer them onto a plate and set aside
- Add 1 large thinly sliced yellow onion, 1 large thinly sliced leek, 1 large grated carrot, 6 cloves of finely minced garlic and 1 inch of finely minced ginger and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until everything has softened
- Stir 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of gochujang or sambal, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of ponzu into the vegetables
- Add 2 cups of beef stock, the seared beef and any drippings on the plate into the Dutch oven
- Bring the liquid up to a simmer
- Cover the Dutch oven and transfer into a 350° oven on a rack set below center
- Braise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the beef is very tender
- Shred the beef and enjoy!
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