Pulled Braised Beef and Onions

Trust me, this meal is more delicious than the photo may suggest (totally brown food is never easy to photograph, especially in the evening)... totally delicious, in fact, if we do say so ourselves. I was looking for a throw-in-the-oven-and-walk-away kinda meal because Q and I were hoping to hit a matinee but still wanted to walk in to a homecooked dinner at the end of our day. And this recipe not only met both these criteria but also had the house smellin' like a cozy dream. Austin kept an eye on things in our absence and even took care of the "pulling of the beef" too. A perfectly easy Sunday night dinner that began before noon with a quick browning of the roast, followed by a super-fast toss of all the other ingredients. Then I threw it in the oven at a low heat, walked away and it took care of itself from there on in. Sweet, caramelly, slightly spicy pulled beef is the reward--and a nice change from the traditional pulled pork.

Pulled Braised Beef and Onions
serves 8 to 10

a bit of olive oil, for browning
1 eye of round or top round beef roast
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp grainy mustard
a few cloves garlic, crushed

In a heavy skillet, heat a drizzle of oil over medium-high heat and brown the roast on all sides. Meanwhile, toss everything else together in a slow cooker or ovenproof casserole; top with the browned meat. Cover and cook on low (in the slow cooker) for 6-8 hours, or cover and bake at 275 to 300 degrees for 6 hours. Using two forks, pull the meat apart in the sauce and serve on soft buns.


Rest of the week

Dec 3 Ordered pizza and watched a movie

Dec 4 Pulled beef