Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours & 30 minutes
Ingredients:
4 c. Beef Stock
3 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 lbs. Boneless Beef Chuck
6 Carrots
2 Celery Stalks
1 Yellow Onion
2 Red Bell Peppers
6 Garlic Cloves
½ c. Hungarian Paprika Paste
1 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
2 - 4 Bay Leaves
5 Thyme Sprigs
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 lb. Fingerling or Yukon Potato
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- Set the oven rack to the lowest position, and preheat the oven to 300F.
- Sprinkle gelatin into cold beef stock. Give the mixture a quick stir to fully incorporate the gelatin into the stock, and then set aside.
- Dice 4 carrots to bite sized pieces. Cut 2 carrots lengthwise. With the bell peppers, remove & discard the seeds and stem. Then, slice the bell pepper into very thin slices. With the onion, discard the outer dry skin and base. Then slice the onion into very thin slices. Slice the garlic cloves into very thin slices, too. Set these ingredients to the side until later steps.
- Set stove top burner to a medium-high heat. Using a very large dutch oven, or oven safe pot, heat olive oil. Now, cute beef chuck into three large steaks. The steaks must be about 1 - 3 inches thick. Season the beef chuck steaks with salt and pepper. Once the olive oil is hot, sear both sides of the beef chuck steaks. You are looking for a golden brown crust. It will take about 10 - 20 minutes. DO NOT fully cook your steak, you only want a beautiful sear. Also, listen to the beef you are cooking. If it is sticking to the pan, then it is not ready to be flipped to the other side. Set seared steaks to the side and allow to rest.
- Add, to the hot dutch oven pot, diced carrots and brown for about 2 - 5 minutes. You may need to lower the heat to avoid scorching. You are not cooking the carrots at this point. You should only be browning the exterior. Once browned, place into a separate bowl and set aside.
- Add, to the hot dutch oven pot, the celery stalks, split carrots slices, bell pepper slices, onion slices, and garlic slices. Cook until the onion is slightly translucent and some browning has occurred. This should take about 5 - 10 minutes.
- Now add the paprika paste, and stir into the vegetables until evenly distributed. Then add the gelatin beef stock, fish sauce, bay leaves and thyme sprigs. You may want to tie the thyme and bay leaves together with some cooking twine, as you will discard them later.
- While the stock comes heats up, cut the beef chuck steaks into 1 inch cubes. Toss the beef cubes in the flour and evenly coat. Now add the floured beef cubes into the dutch oven. Stir until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated. Bring the pot to a steady simmer over a medium heat. Transfer the dutch oven pot to the oven and allow to cook for 1 ½ hours. The lid should have a slight opening, allowing for some steam to escape.
- Prep your potatoes by cutting them into 1 inch thick pieces. You could peel them, but it isn't necessary. Set aside in a large bowl.
- Remove dutch oven pot from the oven and discard split carrot slices, celery stalks, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Add potato pieces and browned carrot slices to the dutch oven pot, and stir until fully incorporated. Then, return the dutch oven pot back into the oven. Allow the goulash to cook for another 1 hour. Again, be sure to leave the pot lid partially oven to allow the steam to escape.
- Remove the dutch oven pot from the oven and place on to a stove top burner. Set the burner to a medium-high heat and allow the goulash to reduce a bit. This should only take about 10 - 20 minutes. At this point, everything should be adjusted to desired taste and texture. You should also (very carefully!) taste the goulash and season with salt & pepper to taste. Finally, add the apple cider vinegar.
- Enjoy this incredible, earthy, stew!!