Colombian Braised Beef (Posta Negra)

• servings: 4
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 5 hours

Ingredients

5-pound boneless beef

1 tablespoon whole allspice

chuck roast, trimmed and

2 teaspoons whole patted dry black peppercorns

Kosher salt and ground

1 teaspoon whole cloves black pepper

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons grapeseed

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce or other neutral oil

1 cup pitted prunes, roughly

1 large yellow onion, chopped chopped

10 medium garlic cloves,

1 tablespoon cornstarch peeled

3 tablespoons red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste vinegar

½ cup packed dark brown

sugar

2 cinnamon sticks

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 300°F with a rack in the lower-middle posi- tion. Using kitchen twine, tie the roast at 2-inch intervals. Season all over with salt and pepper.

2. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and cloves. Pour in the wine, bring to a simmer and cook until thick and syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and prunes.

3. Place the roast in the pot, then turn to coat with the liquid. Cover, place in the oven and cook until a paring knife inserted into the thickest part meets no resistance, 3½ to 4 hours. Transfer the roast to a shallow baking dish and tent with foit. Let rest for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the contents of the pot into the strainer and press on the solids to extract as much liquid and pulp as possible, scraping the under- side to collect the pulp. Discard the solids. Let the liquid settle for about 5 minutes (you should have about 1½ cups), then skim off the fat. Return the defatted liquid with pulp to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium.

5. In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons water and the cornstarch. Whisk into the simmering liquid and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6. Transfer the roast to a cutting board. Remove and discard the twine. Cut the meat against the grain into ½-inch slices and transfer to a platter. Pour about 1 cup of the sauce over the meat. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side.

Notes

Start to finish: 5 hours (30 minutes active) / Servings: 4

Named after its dark, sweet sauce, posta negra is a classic Colombian dish made by braising beef in a flavorful liquid seasoned with panela (a type of raw cane sugar) and spices. For our version, we call for a 5-pound beef chuck roast; it's a fat-rich cut, so trim it well before tying the roast. In the end, the meat will be superbly tender and succulent. In Colombia, the dish might be served with fried plantains, yucca fritters and a simple salad; we liked it with fresh pico de gallo (see recipe p. 399) and potatoes.

Don't carve the roast without first letting it rest. Resting makes the meat easier to cut into neat slices.