Asado Negro (Venezuelan Sweet and Savory Braised Beef)

• Prep1 h 25 min
• Cook3 h 30 min
• Total4 h 55 min
• Serves6

Ingredients

For the beef

• 1.2 kg beef eye of round roast, trimmed (2 1/2 lb)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 30 g Worcestershire sauce (2 tbsp)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 90 g papelón, panela or piloncillo, in pieces, or dark brown sugar (1/2 cup)
• 30 g vegetable oil (2 tbsp)

For the braising sauce

• 300 g onions, quartered (2 medium)
• 150 g red bell pepper, in pieces (1 pepper)
• 80 g leek, white part, in pieces (1 small)
• 4 ají dulce peppers, seeded, optional
• 3 garlic cloves
• 15 g vegetable oil (1 tbsp)
• 120 g dry red wine, or beef broth (1/2 cup)
• 300 g water or beef broth (1 1/4 cups)
• 15 g Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 whole cloves, optional
• 1/2 tsp salt

To serve

• Cooked white rice
• 2 ripe plantains (yellow with black spots)
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Place the papelón pieces in the mixing bowl and grind 10 sec/speed 9. Transfer to a small bowl. (Skip this step if you use brown sugar.)
2. Place the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 7. Rub the paste all over the beef, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or overnight.
3. Rinse the mixing bowl. Place the onions, red pepper, leek, ají dulce and garlic in it and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the oil and sauté 8 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1. Add the wine, water, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, cloves and salt and cook 3 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1.
4. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). In a Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat, heat the oil with the papelón, stirring, until it melts, bubbles and turns very dark brown, 3 to 4 minutes; do not let it turn black or smoke. Carefully add the beef, which will splatter, and turn it every 2 minutes until dark brown all over, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce from the mixing bowl over the beef and bring it to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven for 3 hours, turning the beef halfway, until a fork slides in easily.
6. Move the beef to a board, cover it with foil and let it rest 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cloves and pour the braising liquid with its vegetables into the mixing bowl. With the measuring cup in place, blend 30 sec/speed 5-10, increasing speed gradually. Place the simmering basket on the lid instead of the measuring cup and cook 10 min/Varoma/speed 1, until the sauce is slightly thick and glossy. Taste for salt.
7. While the sauce reduces, peel the plantains and cut them on a long diagonal into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices. Fry them in a skillet on the stove in 1 cm (1/2 in) of oil over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden.
8. Slice the beef across the grain into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices, spoon the sauce over and serve with white rice and the fried plantains.

Tips

• Asado negro tastes even better the next day. Refrigerate the sliced beef in its sauce and reheat it covered on the stove over low heat.
• Papelón, panela and piloncillo are all unrefined cane sugar, sold in the Latin aisle at Publix, Walmart and Sedano's. Dark brown sugar works too, but it burns faster, so watch it closely.
• Eye of round is lean, so slice it thin and keep it in plenty of sauce to stay juicy.
• Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and make great sandwiches on soft bread.