Maple Barbecue Beef -- a 5 ingredient dinner!
Published: Mon, 03/21/22
Hello there, Slow Cookerers!!
Ah, beef.
It's what's for dinner.
At least tonight it is! :-)
(I've got to be honest, I made this *last* week. And tonight we are having leftover corned beef.
But YOU can make it tonight!!)
Maple Barbecue Beef
click thru for photos and reader comments/reviews
serves 4 to 6
2 to 3 pounds frozen solid and maybe even frostbitten stew meat
1/3 cup soy sauce (I use gluten free soy sauce)
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons dried onion flakes (or 1 large onion, peeled and diced. We didn't have any.... gah.)
2/3 cup beef broth
The Directions
Use a 4 or 6-quart slow cooker. Your food will cook a bit faster in a 6-quart because it's not as filled -- that's okay, just check it after 7 hours.
Dump everything into the pot. Because my meat was frozen, I didn't have the opportunity to stir it.
No worries.
Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for about 5 or 6 hours.
If you are home during the day and can stir it once to disperse the ingredients, go ahead and do so after a few hours.
If you are not home, don't worry about it. Just stir well before serving.
Your meat is finished when it can break apart with a spoon.
Serve with mashed potatoes and/or roasted vegetables.
The Verdict.
Last Thursday was one of those days that I got up at 5, and then was out of the house from 5:30 on.
I had roughly 6.5 minutes to figure out dinner, and was happy to find a ziplock of meat from Costco in the freezer.
Our dinner was delicious. I fully expected to have some leftovers but the kids each ate seconds.
If you don't have broth in the house, (I had an already-opened carton), go ahead and use a can of tomatoes or some apple juice or wine.
You need just a touch more moisture than the meat provides all on it's own, but no need to drown it in liquid.
If you are looking for more ways to use up beef in the freezer, here is a list of over 70 beef and lamb recipes.
Enjoy!!
Happy Slow Cooking!!
steph
PS: I have gotten some emails asking for ideas on how to cook in bulk now that food prices are quite high.
My best suggestion would be to do Freezer Meals -- because you only need to head to the store ONCE and will get an entire month's worth of meals.
You can "spread" the food out by serving over rice, potatoes, or beans.
The recipes are written to serve 4 people. If you only have 2 in the house, then freeze the leftovers -- which means you end up with TWO MONTHS worth of food.
SCORE!
You can get the Freezer Meal guide with the full shopping list and 30 recipe cards, here.