Selected pork neck with small streaks of fat, braised in beer with the addition of practically minimal spices – this is one of the dishes characteristic of Belgian cuisine. Yes, Belgium is not just about fries, chocolate, and waffles. In general, dishes cooked in beer are quite popular in Belgian cuisine, which is known for its hearty meals. Braised pork neck is no exception. This method of cooking preserves the taste, aroma, and juiciness of the meat. Flemish carbonade (Carbonade flamande) – stewed meat in dark beer – is a classic dish of Belgian cuisine.
We, as always, took the traditions as a basis but decided to cook fusion, adding non-standard ingredients for European cuisine. So, let's move on to the recipe and photos.
We will need:
1 kg of pork neck (we recommend choosing one with streaks of fat for greater juiciness; you can also use brisket);
0.5 l of beer (we used light, but dark can also be used);
75 ml of soy sauce
15 g of smoked paprika (regular sweet paprika can be used)
5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of khmeli-suneli mix
1 tsp of sugar
½ tsp of salt (yes, that's right, less salt than sugar, as there is also salt in the soy sauce)
продуктовий набір
Step 1: Searing and pre-braising in the pan
Wash and dry the meat. Cut into large pieces (in our case – first cut a piece as for a steak, and then cut it into 6 parts).
порізка м'яса
Heat the pan, DO NOT add any fat (the necessary fat will render from the meat). Choose a non-stick pan so that the meat does not stick. Fry over high heat until browned, then turn to the other side. Searing on one side takes about five minutes.
викладаємо м'ясо на розігріту пательню
During this time, chop the garlic roughly. The pieces should be large. We just crushed the clove with the blade of the knife and cut each into 3 parts.
ріжемо часник
до такого кольору просмажуємо м'ясо
When the meat is browned on both sides, add all the spices at once, add salt, sugar, garlic, pour in the soy sauce and beer.
додаємо спеції
додаємо соєвий соус
додаємо пиво
Mix thoroughly, reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and leave for 10-15 minutes.
перемішали
кришкою накрили
Step 2: Braising in the oven with the lid closed
Transfer the meat to an oven-safe ceramic pot.
в каструлю переклали
We chose a shape in which the liquid would almost completely cover the meat. Cover with a lid, place in a COLD oven (this is necessary to avoid damaging the thermal ceramic dish), turn on the upper and lower heating elements (you can use convection mode), set the temperature to 180 degrees, and leave to braise for one and a half hours.
в духову шафу поклали
Step 3: Braising in the oven with the lid open
One and a half hours of braising in the oven under the lid has passed. Now you can open the lid and reduce the temperature to 160-170 degrees and leave the meat to simmer for another one and a half hours. Here we recommend not using convection mode, otherwise, there is a risk that the upper pieces of meat, which will protrude from the liquid (and it will evaporate during the simmering with the lid open), may dry out.
знімаємо кришку
At this stage, you can also stir the meat a few times to avoid the above-mentioned situation with it drying out.
Three hours of simmering is quite enough for the pork to practically fall apart into fibers while retaining its juiciness. The simmering time in the oven can be increased if you are cooking a dish with a larger amount of meat. It also increases if you want to use beef or lamb for simmering.
результат через сумарно 3 з половиною годин смаження/томлення
It's time to taste the finished dish ;) As a side dish, we prepared mashed potatoes and made a light salad with purple cabbage. It turned out to be a wonderful combination for a tasty and nutritious dinner.
гарнір та салат
Bon appétit! ;)
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