Roast Beef Po’ Boys

Ingredients
  • 4lbs Braising Beef (eg. chuck or flank)
  • 5 Cloves of Garlic
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 1 Large Carrot
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Vegetable oil
  • 300ml or a can of beef stock
  • 4 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Hot Sauce (Tapatio or Crystal)
  • 1/2 cup red wine (preferably been open a few days)
  • Couple of Sprigs of Thyme
  • Couple of Bay Leaves
  • Salt & Black Pepper
  • French rolls
  • Cabbage or lettuce
  • Mayonnaise
Instructions

Feeds 6, (or 2 three times, because it freezes really well!)

If you have a dutch oven use it from start to finish. Or, use a pressure cooker, reducing the braising time to 1hr under pressure. Otherwise you can prep everything in a frying pan then transfer to a roasting dish and finish in the oven.

Season meat liberally with salt, black pepper and cayenne. Stuff sliced garlic cloves in to the meat by slicing holes in it, as deep as you dare. Dice the carrot and onion, and put to one side.

Put a little vegetable oil in your pan, heat it, then brown the meat on all sides. Remove the meat. Add the onion and carrot and reduce to medium heat for about 10 mins, until onion begins to brown a little. Optional - deglaze with a splash of dark rum.

Add the meat back in, (or put everything in roasting dish, as above,) add the liquids, and reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 3-4 hours, until the meat is ridiculously tender.

Kill the heat, remove the meat, and let it rest for a half hour. Skim the fat off of the remaining liquid after it has cooled a little. Slice the meat into as thin slices as you can. It's very hard to slice since it's so tender. You'll be left with lots of little bits. Make a little pile of slices, and put to the side. Throw the beef bits back in to the liquid. Fire up the heat again, and reduce until it's quite thick, like gravy. Add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

Now, build yourself a po' boy. Take a french roll, slice it open about 3/4 of the way, and slather the inside with mayo. (It provides a barrier between the bread and gravy, so the bread won't get soggy. It's also delicious.) Add some shredded cabbage or lettuce, and then pile on slices of beef, and cover in the gravy. Try to keep your hands clean while you eat.