Sweet Brisket Bredie

Bredie is an old South African Cape name for a dish of meat and vegetables stewed together so that the flavours intermingle. The gravy is rich, thick and full-bodied, and is obtained by using meat with a fair amount of fat, like brisket or chuck. It is rolled in flour and browned before the vegetables are added. The flavour improves if left a day or two before eating. The addition of honey gives the vegetables an amazing hint of sweet earthiness. For a richer, more full bodied stew, use a blend of red wine and stock, rather than plain beef stock. Dried fruit may also be added to a bredie; I like to add brandy soaked sultanas, but this is optional.

Brisket is a beef cut taken from the breast section beneath the first five ribs. It is an inexpensive boneless cut that requires long, slow cooking to break down the collagen in the connective muscle tissues, which achieves tenderness. The long piece is cut in half for marketing. You'll find it sold as a flat cut or a point cut. The flat cut is leaner, but the point cut has more flavour due to a bit of extra fat. With a little bit of time and gentle cooking, even the toughest piece of meat can be made palatable. Brisket is one of the least tender cuts of beef, but it can be made tender and the flavour is hard to beat.

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Ingredients:

50ml flour

5ml “Steak and Chop seasoning”

500g Beef Brisket, cut into inch cubes

50ml vegetable oil – or more if needed

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 leeks, roughly chopped

1 parsnip, roughly chopped

30ml honey

500ml beef stock

2 bay leaves

2 large potatoes, cut into chunks

Freshly grated nutmeg

125ml sultanas, soaked in 30ml brandy and a covering of boiling water (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season.

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Method:

Place the flour and “Steak and Chop seasoning” in a plastic bag, add the beef cubes and shake well to coat the meat.

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the meat on all sides over a medium to high heat. This ought to be done in batches as adding all the meat at one time causes it to steam, rather than brown. When the meat is well browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

Fry the onion on a medium heat in the same pan used for the meat, adding more oil if needed. Once the onion is caramelised, but not burnt, add the carrots, leeks, parsnip, honey, beef stock and bay leaves. Stir to blend well. Return the meat to the pan.

Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the bredie over a very low heat for at least two hours. This can also be done in a low to moderate oven if you prefer – oven temperature about 150C. The longer the bredie cooks, the better it will taste.

About 20-30 minutes before the bredie is ready, add the potatoes, nutmeg and sultanas. If the potatoes are added with the other vegetables, their shape could be lost and they may breakdown to mush. Once the bredie is done, allow it to stand for 10 minutes to rest. Check the seasoning before serving, adding sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if required.