About 4 hr 45 min · Cooking and freezing
Beef joint day
Updated
Four slow-cooked beef dishes from two roasting joints, from Korean to Hungarian to Thai. It’s the longest plan here, but most of it is the oven and hob doing the work. Batch costs are estimates.
| Dish | Blocks | Batch cost | Cook time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gochujang Beef | 18 | £10.94 | 3 hr 15 |
| Hungarian Beef Goulash | 22 | £10.87 | 3 hr |
| Shredded Beef Ragu | 22 | £11.02 | 3 hr 40 |
| Beef Massaman | 19 | £11.10 | 2 hr 45 |
| Total | 81 | £43.92 |
Two 1.4kg joints cover all four recipes. Defrost them in the fridge the day before. Two dishes go in the oven at 150°C fan and two simmer gently on the hob, so most of the day is hands-off. For more on choosing and cooking a joint, see Cooking with a beef joint.
Shopping list
| Amount | Item |
|---|---|
| 2.8kg | Beef joint |
| 850g | Onions |
| 700g | Carrots |
| 150g | Pear |
| 60g | Gochujang |
| 45g | Fresh ginger |
| 80g | Garlic |
| 60g | Spring onions |
| 300g | Peppers |
| 3 tins | Chopped tomatoes |
| 150ml | Red wine |
| 100g | Celery |
| 1 tin | Coconut milk |
| 300g | Butternut squash |
| 40g | Peanut butter |
| 30g | Peanuts |
| 30g | Lemongrass |
| 10g | Fresh chillies |
| From the cupboard | Oil, stock cubes, tomato purée, soy, spices and herbs |
Timeline
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | Prep. Cut each joint in half: two 700g halves into 4 large pieces (ragu and gochujang), two into 3cm chunks (goulash and massaman). Slice the onions, carrots and peppers and blitz the massaman paste. (30 min) |
| 0:30 | Brown all the beef in batches in your biggest pan over a medium-high heat, tipping each batch into its labelled bowl. (30 min) |
| 1:00 | Ragu: soffritto, wine, tomatoes, beef. Cover and into the oven at 150°C fan. |
| 1:15 | Goulash: onions, peppers, paprika off the heat, tomatoes, beef. Cover and into the oven. |
| 1:30 | Gochujang beef: onions, sauce, beef. Cover and simmer gently on the hob. |
| 1:40 | Massaman: paste, coconut, beef. Cover and simmer gently on the hob. |
| 3:30–4:00 | Check each pot. When the beef shreds, finish it as its recipe says (shred, reduce, add carrots or squash). |
| 4:00–4:45 | Cool, portion and freeze. Fill the trays as each dish cools. |
