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1
Marinate the Beef Overnight
12 Hours • Hands Off
Cold, fridge at 4°C (39°F)
The night before, cut the beef into 4 cm cubes. Stir the white wine vinegar and water together with the bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns and juniper, pour over the beef so it is completely covered, and refrigerate overnight, 12–24 hours. The acid does the tenderising while you sleep.
Use a glass or ceramic bowl, not aluminium — the vinegar reacts with bare metal and picks up a metallic taste.
Done when: Beef is fully submerged in the dark, spiced marinade and refrigerated.
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2
Brown the Beef, Keep the Marinade
15 Mins • Hands On
Medium-high heat, pan about 190°C (375°F)
Lift the beef out of the marinade and pat the cubes dry with paper towel — but keep every drop of the marinade. Season with the salt and ground pepper. Heat the butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two or three batches, 2–3 minutes a side, until dark brown all over. Lift each batch out to a plate.
Dry beef browns; wet beef steams. Pat the cubes dry and do not crowd the pan, or the meat goes grey instead of brown.
Done when: Beef is dark brown outside and the pot has browned bits on the bottom; the marinade is saved, not thrown away.
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3
Soften the Onions
10 Mins • Hands On
Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Lower the heat, add the sliced onions to the same pot, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft, sweet and golden at the edges. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom as the onions release their moisture.
The onions are a supporting player in zuurvlees, not the star — 10 minutes is enough; they finish melting away in the braise.
Done when: Onions are soft, sweet and golden, with no raw bite left.
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4
Braise in the Vinegar Marinade
120 Mins • Mostly Hands Off
Low heat, lazy simmer about 95°C (203°F)
Return the beef and its juices to the pot. Pour in all of the reserved marinade plus the beef stock. Bring to the barest simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 2 hours, stirring every half hour. The beef cooks in the acid — that is what makes zuurvlees different from any other Dutch stew. Check the beef is hot all the way through, at least 74°C (165°F) inside.
A rolling boil toughens the meat — the surface should barely tremble. If the pot looks dry, add a splash of water, not more vinegar.
Done when: Beef is starting to soften and pull apart, and the sauce smells sharp, sweet and spiced.
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5
Finish With Apple Syrup and Gingerbread
30 Mins • Mostly Hands Off
Low heat, gentle simmer about 95°C (203°F)
Stir in the appelstroop, the brown sugar and the crumbled ontbijtkoek. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes more, stirring now and then, until the beef falls to shreds at the touch of a fork and the sauce is thick, dark and glossy enough to coat a spoon.
If the sauce is still thin after 30 minutes, leave the lid off and let it reduce a little longer; if it is too sharp, add a spoonful more appelstroop.
Done when: Beef shreds easily with a fork and the sauce is thick, dark and glossy.
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6
Rest and Serve Over Fries
10 Mins • Hands Off
Off the heat, resting, about 85°C (185°F)
Take the pot off the heat, lift out the bay leaves, taste, and adjust the salt — the sauce should be rich, a little sweet and a little sharp all at once. Rest 10 minutes, then spoon the stew over hot, crisp fries and serve straight away.
Serve the stew over the fries, not beside them in a separate bowl — the gravy soaking into the fries is the whole point of the dish.
Done when: Sauce tastes balanced — sweet, sour and savoury — the beef is tender and hot through, and the fries are still crisp.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the stew for 10 minutes off the heat, lift out the bay leaves, and taste — the sauce should be dark, glossy, sweet and sharp at the same time. Spoon it over hot fries and serve straight away, while the fries are still crisp.
Netherlands
45m
