Classic Beef Mechado

Описание: Beef mechado is a classic Filipino dish that got its name from the addition of pork fat into lean (and often cheaper) cuts of meat in order to add more flavor and maintain moisture throughout the long cooking process. The process of adding pork fat into the meat is called larding and resembles that of a candle's wick or "mitsa" and thus the name "mitsa-do" or mechado as it is now known today.

In this recipe, I make use of a beef cut referred to as "kalitiran" or oyster blade. This cut has some marbling and fat cap, in addition to the tough, connective tissue in the middle, making it very suitable for long cooking sessions. I also added beef tendon, a tougher cut of beef and is what holds muscle to bone. When these cuts are cooked low and slow, the texture becomes jelly-like and delivers a melt-in-your-mouth experience, along with a distinct beefy flavors it provides. 

As an alternative, you can also use beef shanks (bulalo cut), kenchi (foreshank), beef ribs (spareribs or short ribs), or beef belly (camto), depending on which is available.

The combination of kalitiran, beef tendon, and a little beef fat wil give you a superb symphony of sumptuous meat, flavorful fat, and melt-in-your-mouth collagen.

I roasted the bell peppers and tomatoes to give a slightly smoky flavor to our dish and also deliver some caramelized flavors. This fire roastingstep is optional and you can simply just add chopped tomatoes and bell peppers with the sauteeing process.

With the cooking process, I recommend  low and slow cooking if you have the time as this tends (at least I think it does 😅) to extract the most amount of flavor from the  meat, aromatics, and other ingredients in your dish. When cooking stews like mechado, a tip I always recommend is to immediately switch to a lower flame once the liquid goes to a boil, which will help to achieve a steady simmer. This lower flame will also help you to save on gas/electricity throughout the long cooking process.

Give this beef mechado recipe a try and let me know what you think. 😊

Beef Mechado - Ingredients:

-1 kg beef kalitiran (oyster blade), cubed
-500g beef tendon
-100g beef fat
-3 pcs bell pepper, fire roasted, chopped
-8 pcs ripe tomatoes, fire roasted, quartered
-1 head garlic, minced
-2 red onions, chopped
-1 large carrot, cubed
-1 large potato, cubed
-2 tbsp tomato paste
-1 beef broth cube
-2 pcs dried bay leaves
-1/4 cup calamansi juice
-1/4 cup  soy sauce
-1 pc chorizo bilbao
-100g sweet pickle relish
-100g processed cheese
-salt and pepper, to taste
-sugar
-lihim na paraan, a.k.a. msg/vetsin (optional)
-1 liter water, more if necessary

Procedure:

A.) Roast Bell Pepper/Tomato
-Place bell peppers on grilling rack over a stove and roast until exterior is charred all over. Set aside, covered, for at least 10 minutes.
-Do the same with the tomatoes.
-Peel charred skin of bell peppers and tomatoes. Chop bell peppers and slice tomatoes into quarters.

B.) Cooking Meat
-Preheat a large pan, add oil and preheat. Pan fry meat cuts by batches until browned on at least 2 sides. Set aside.

-On the same pan, saute garlic until lightly browned, saute onion until transluscent, add fire roasted bell peppers and tomatoes, continue cooking until tomatoes have browned and caramelized.

-Add back beef cuts and cook for a couple of minutes. Add chorizo bilbao. Add tomato paste, pickle relish, calamansi juice, and soy sauce. Add bay leaves and  beef broth cube. Season with salt,  pepper, and lihim na paraan (optional). Add about a teaspoon or two of sugar to balance flavors.

-Continue to mix and cook everything for about 5 minutes to give the tomato paste a chance to cook properly.

-Add sufficient water to almost submerge meat. Make sure to scrape bottom of the pan to release the browned, flavorful bits (a.k.a. "fond). Bring liquid to a boil, after which, set flame to lowest setting to initiate the simmering process. Cover pan and cook until the kalitiran/oyster blade is tender (about 1.5 to 2 hours). 

-Once kalitiran is tender, set it aside. Continue to simmer the tendon, about 1 hour more or until tender. Add more water as needed.

C.) Fry potatoes and carrots
-Preheat pan and add sufficient oil to deep fry potatoes and carrots. Once oil is hot, deep fry potatoes by batches until properly browned. Do the same with the carrots. Set both aside.

D.) Finish the dish
-Once tendon is tender, remove the bay leaves. Add grated cheese and liver spread.
Add back kalitiran, potatoes, and carrots. Simmer for a few more minutes. Do a taste test to determine if it needs further seasoning, and adjust as needed.

-Mechado can now be served, but ideally should be served the next day in order to allow flavors to properly meld together.


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