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Beef Potjiekos

Name: Beef Potjiekos
Prep time: 3 h 59 min
Total time: 3 h 59 min
Cuisine: South African · Boerekos
Ingredients: beef shin — 1500 g; sunflower oil — 41 g; bacon — 250 g; onions — 220 g; garlic — 12 g; beef stock — 500 g; dry red wine — 250 g; bay leaf — 2 g; salt — 10 g; freshly ground black pepper — 5 g; baby potatoes — 600 g; carrots — 300 g; butternut — 250 g; green beans — 200 g; cornflour — 8 g; water — 30 g

Beef Potjiekos reads umami 8.4, richness 6.3 and salinity 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a South African · Boerekos main, about 3 hr 59 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 6.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.4 · Richness 6.3 · Salinity 5.1 · Sweetness 3.7 · Allium 3.5 · Fruity 3.1 · Sourness 3.1 · Smoke 3.0 · Earthy 2.9 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Floral 1.9 · Nutty 1.8 · Bitterness 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.2 · Heat 0.5

What's in it (16)

beef shin — 1500 g
sunflower oil — 41 g
bacon — 250 g
onions — 220 g
garlic — 12 g
beef stock — 500 g
dry red wine — 250 g
bay leaf — 2 g
salt — 10 g
freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
baby potatoes — 600 g
carrots — 300 g
butternut — 250 g
green beans — 200 g
cornflour — 8 g
water — 30 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 59 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 48.5 kcal, 0.9 g protein, 0.3 g fat, 9.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Set a number 3 cast-iron potjie over a bed of coals brought down to a steady medium. Add the oil and the bacon and render 6 minutes, until the fat runs and the edges crisp.
Raise the heat by pushing coals under the pot and brown the beef in the bacon fat for 10 minutes, in two batches.
Return everything to the pot, add the onions and garlic and cook 8 minutes until soft.
Pour in the wine and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot clean.
Add the stock, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Put the lid on and braise 2 1/2 hours over gentle coals, checking only to see that it is barely bubbling.
Now the rule that makes it a potjie: layer the vegetables on top of the meat in the order they need cooking - potatoes first, then carrots, then butternut, then green beans - and do not stir. Replace the lid.
Steam 60 minutes over low coals without lifting the lid more than once. The vegetables cook in the rising steam and stay whole.
Stir the cornflour slurry into the liquid at the bottom, let it thicken for 3 minutes, then serve straight from the pot.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Beef Bourguignon — French
Red Wine Braised Beef Stew — French
Classic Beef Bolognese with Tagliatelle — Italian
Rinderroulade (Beef Roulades) — German
Ragù Bolognese (Tagliatelle al Ragù) — Italian

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.