South America: Venezuela: Venezuelan Asado Negro (Dark Beef Roast)
INGREDIENTS:
4.5 lbs eye of round beef or “muchacho redondo“
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil, to sear the meat
1 cup piloncillo or papelón (unrefined whole cane sugar), in small pieces
1 onion, minced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed (blanche and remove the skin, if you have time)
2 bay leaves
3 tsp salt, or to taste
2 cups red wine
FOR THE ADOBO OR MARINADE:
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, grated or pressed
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
THE DAY BEFORE: MARINATE THE BEEF
Mix the marinade ingredients together.
Place the beef in a bowl and thoroughly cover it with the marinade.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
SEAR THE BEEF:
Let the marinated beef sit on your counter for about 1 hour to reach room temperature. Remove as much of the marinade as possible from the meat and set aside for later use in your sauce.
On medium-high heat in a heavy pan or Dutch oven, warm the oil. Sear the meat on all sides, starting with the section that has a nice juicy layer of fat. It will take about 5 minutes to sear this first side. Turn the meat and sear the other sides, about 3 minutes each, until the beef is golden brown all over.
Stir in the piloncillo pieces and let them dissolve in the hot oil.
Roll the meat in the sugar and oil mixture so that it is fully covered on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium. Add the wine and deglaze the pan’s caramelized-oil mixture and brown bits. Reduce the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes.
MAKE THE SAUCE:
Stir the leftover marinade set aside earlier into the caramelized wine sauce.
Add the rest of the ingredients: onion, bell pepper, tomato, bay leaves and salt. Stir the mixture until all ingredients are well combined.
Return the meat to the pan, cover, and lower the heat to simmer.
COOK THE ROAST:
Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
Check the water level every 30 to 40 minutes to make sure the liquid is bathing the sides of meat and keeping it moist. Add a little bit of water or beef broth as needed to keep the liquid high enough. (Alternative: if you prefer to use a pressure cooker, as Liliana does, pour the sauce from the pan into your cooker. Add the meat and a little bit of water, cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes.)
You’ll know the meat is ready when it is fully tender. Take the meat out of your pan or pressure cooker, tent with foil and set aside.
STRAIN THE SAUCE:
Strain the pan sauce through a colander. Remove the solid vegetables and set aside.
Return the silky smooth sauce to the pan and continue to reduce on very low heat.
Place the strained vegetable solids in a blender. Add ½ cup of the pan sauce and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
Return the blended sauce to your pan. Stir and let the sauce reduce for a few final minutes while you slice the meat.
SLICE AND SERVE YOUR ASADO NEGRO
With a sharp carving knife, cut the asado into 1/2-inch slices. Do this carefully to keep the tender pieces intact.
Return the slices to your pan and let them fully soak in the beautifully reduced, thick brown-black sauce.
Gently line up the slices of asado negro on your serving plate. Spoon a generous amount of the black-brown sauce over them. Serve hot—with Venezuelan-style white rice and sweet, fried ripe-plantain tajadas.
NOTES:
Plan ahead when making this festive beef dish so loved in Venezuela. The meat will need to marinated in the fridge for a full 24 hours before you start cooking.
You want the meat to be nicely seared and brown-black—but not burnt, or your asado negro will have a bitter flavor.
