Culinary Disasters

Last Saturday my dad and I made a trip up to one of my favorite meat markets.  It is a little Amish shop called Yoder’s Meat Market in Shipshewana, Indiana.  It is one of those types of places that will bring a good tear to your eye when you walk in well heck even on the drive up there.  All around the town are cattle, pigs, and chickens happily eating away running free in farms and then proudly sold in the meat market. 

Also in Shipshewana is a restaurant that has the best beef and noodles but unfortunately we were unable to make it to the restaurant to eat so instead I figured I would just make it. 

I wanted to add a couple twists to it because a majority of the recipes I saw called for a good steak cut and I figured this could be doable with some nasty sinewy cut like chuck roast and more flavorful from all the fat and connective tissue breaking down and flavoring the sauce.  I also wanted to add mushrooms and unfortunately Grace our Krogers have gone to a really hot place with a mean guy with a pitchfork.  I opened up a package I got from the Kroger and took a bite and instantly spit it right out.  They were horrendous and no way was I going to add them to a dish.  I should have known better because not one person I have talked to has had any luck with produce from Kroger lately.  However, I was being lazy and Kroger is 5 minutes away versus the 30 minute drive for Fresh Market. 

For this recipe you will need:

• 2 lb of chuck roast cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/4 lb of bacon cut into 1 inch sections
• 1 onion finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic finely diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 stalks of thyme
• 1 cup of red wine
• 3 cups of beef stock
• 1/2 lb Egg noodles cooked and drained with 1 cup of the cooking liquid reserved
• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• High temperature cooking oil (I used canola)

In your favorite large saucepan with a lid (I had to call up the cast iron dutch oven from the minors for this one) over medium-high cook the bacon till crispy.  Once the bacon is crispy remove it from the pan leaving the grease behind.

Salt and pepper the cubed chuck roast.  Cover the cubed chuck roast in flour, shake off the excess, and add 1/2 of it to the pan.  The reason for only adding 1/2 is we do not want to overcrowd the pan.  Once that 1/2 is browned all over, remove it from the pan, and add in the other half.  Once the final 1/2 is done remove it from the pan.  If the pan starts to dry out add in a shot of the canola oil.

Add in the cup of red wine and bring to a boil and scrape the bottom to free up any stuck bits.  Reduce by 1/2.

Add the bacon, beef, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and crushed red pepper back into the pan.

Bring this mixture to a boil, lower the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for an hour. 

After an hour in a medium skillet over medium add in a squirt of the oil and add in the onions (make sure you season them with some salt and pepper).  Cook till the onions are softened (about 10 minutes) and then add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the onion and garlic into the beef mixture and let it cook for another hour or until the beef is tender.

If the liquid starts to dry up add in a couple splashes of the cooking liquid from the noodles, more beef stock, or water.  You do not want it soupy but rather pretty thick.

Serve and enjoy (I chopped some parsley up and garnished it with that)!

Tags: beef, pork, All //