Stuffed Oven-Braised Asado Negro
A restaurant-style asado negro: eye of round studded with carrot and bacon, marinated overnight, seared in black caramel, oven-braised and finished with butter.
Method
Trim the beef, then push a long thin knife lengthwise through the centre, with the grain, to make a finger-wide tunnel. Cut the carrot into pencil-thick sticks and push them into the tunnel with the bacon (this is called 'mechado'). Finely chop half the garlic, mix it with half the Worcestershire sauce, half the salt, the pepper and cumin, rub it all over the beef, cover and refrigerate for (overnight).
Add in this stepBeef eye of round (one piece) 700 gCarrot (cut into long sticks) ½Bacon rashers 2Garlic cloves 2Worcestershire sauce 1 tbspSalt ½ tspBlack pepper ½ tspGround cumin ¼ tsp
Take the beef out of the fridge, let it lose its chill and pat it completely dry. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 150 °C for .
ovenPut the oil and sugar in an ovenproof 22 cm cast-iron pot with a lid over medium heat for . Don't stir, just swirl; move on when it is almost black-brown with a wisp of smoke. Melted sugar is extremely hot, so take care.
Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspPapelón or dark brown sugar 70 g
medium heatLower the beef in, away from you, and turn it on medium heat for until every side has a glossy black coating. Turn it gently with tongs so the carrot stays in place.
medium heatThickly slice the onion and bell pepper, crush the remaining garlic and add them. Cook on medium heat for , until the vegetables are browned and soft.
Add in this stepOnion 1Red bell pepper 1Garlic cloves 2
medium heatPour in the wine and boil on high heat for , scraping the bottom, until reduced by half. Add the stock, the remaining Worcestershire sauce and salt and the bay leaves, bring back to a boil and turn off the heat.
Add in this stepRed wine 150 mlBeef stock 350 mlWorcestershire sauce 1 tbspSalt ½ tspBay leaves 2
high heatCover and braise in the preheated oven at 150 °C for , turning the beef once halfway. It is ready when a skewer slides in as if into butter.
ovenLift out the beef, tent it loosely with foil and rest for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid, pressing the vegetables hard, skim off the fat and reduce on medium-high heat for , until it coats a spoon. Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter piece by piece for a glossy sauce. Slice the beef 7 mm thick across the grain so the carrot and bacon show in the centre, and spoon the sauce over.
Add in this stepCold unsalted butter 15 g
medium-high heat
Cook's tip
Braising in the oven surrounds the pot with even heat, so the sugary sauce is far less likely to catch on the bottom. Add the butter off the heat or the sauce may split. Leftovers kept in their sauce stay delicious in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cooking it at camp
Without an oven, use a lidded Dutch oven over a low bed of charcoal with more coals on the lid for the same time, and check the liquid every 30 minutes because the heat is harder to control. The surest way is to finish it at home and carry it in its sauce in a cooler to reheat.