Hairy Bikers Braised Beef

The vegetables in this Hairy Bikers braised beef never reach the plate, because they become the sauce itself. Their Meat Feasts feather blade recipe serves 4 at around 650 calories in about 4 hours, with a low oven doing nearly all the work.

Feather blade is the reason to trust this dish, since the book explains it comes from the shoulder, costs little, and carries huge flavour. So the Bikers reckon guests will be dead impressed, and the fancy finish is exactly why.

That finish is the make-or-break move, because the cooking liquor gets strained and the soft vegetables pressed through the sieve after it. Their purée thickens the sauce with no flour at all, which then reduces glossy and glazes the beef.

Hairy Bikers Braised Beef Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Braising Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 25 minutesCook time:3 hours 40 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time:4 hours 5 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:650 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Thick pieces of feather blade steak brown in batches, then shallots, celery, carrot, and garlic soften in the same pan before red wine deglazes it. Everything braises low with stock, tomato purée, thyme, bay, and English mustard under greaseproof paper and a lid, and the strained, vegetable-enriched liquor reduces into a thick glaze at the end.

Ingredients

• 1kg feather blade steak, trimmed and cut into 250g pieces
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 banana shallots or 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced
• 2 carrots, thickly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 250ml red wine
• 500ml beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp English mustard
• Flaked sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Brown the beef: Heat the oven to 160°C. Season the steak pieces well, then brown them in a little oil over a medium-high heat, a few minutes per side and in batches, moving each batch to a flameproof casserole dish.
2. Soften the vegetables: Turn the heat down in the same pan, then fry the shallots, celery, and carrots gently until golden and softened. Stir in the garlic for a final minute before tipping everything over the beef.
3. Deglaze and build: Pour the wine into the hot pan and scrape up every sticky bit as it bubbles, then add it to the casserole. Stir in the stock, purée, thyme, bay, and mustard, then bring the lot to the boil on the hob.
4. Braise low and slow: Lay a piece of greaseproof paper directly over the meat and liquid, put the lid on, then cook in the oven for 3 to 3½ hours until the beef is properly tender.
5. Press the sauce: Lift the meat out, then strain the liquor through a sieve into a frying pan. Press the soft vegetables through with the bottom of a ladle, so their purée enriches the sauce.
6. Reduce and glaze: Simmer the sauce for a few minutes until thick and glossy, then return the beef and heat it through, spooning the sauce over to glaze. Serve with mash and green vegetables, as the book suggests.

FAQs

What is feather blade beef, and what can I use instead?

Feather blade comes from the shoulder, named for the feather-like line of connective tissue running through it, which melts into softness over a long braise. The book rates it for exactly that combination of big flavour and small price.

If your butcher has none, braising steak or chuck works in the same 250g pieces, since both come from the same hardworking part of the animal.

Why does the recipe put paper under the lid?

That sheet of greaseproof sits directly on the meat and liquid, trapping steam at the surface so the exposed beef never dries out. Chefs call it a cartouche, though the book just quietly tells you to do it without the fancy name.

It matters most in hour three, because by then the liquid has reduced and the meat starts to break the surface.

Why is there no flour in the sauce?

Because the vegetables are the thickener, which is this recipe’s cleverest move. After the braise they are soft enough to press through a sieve, and that purée gives the sauce body while carrying three hours of flavour.

The result is glossier and cleaner-tasting than a flour-thickened gravy, so resist the urge to add any. Their beef and ale casserole takes the opposite path, thickening conventionally without even browning the meat first.

Can I make braised beef in a slow cooker?

Yes, this is exactly the kind of dish slow cookers were built for. Brown the beef and vegetables as written, then cook everything on low for 7-8 hours with just 350ml of stock, since almost nothing evaporates.

The pressed-vegetable sauce still needs its finish in a pan though, because a slow cooker cannot reduce. Ten minutes of simmering at the end buys you the same glossy glaze.

How is this different from beef bourguignon?

They are neighbours in the book, literally back-to-back recipes, and both braise beef in red wine. The bourguignon goes fully French though, with bacon, baby onions, and mushrooms kept whole in the pot, and it even thickens with cornflour where this one uses only its vegetables.

This one stays British in spirit instead, since English mustard sharpens the base. Choose by occasion, because this plates more elegantly while the bourguignon eats more heartily.

What do I serve with braised beef?

The book’s answer is mashed potatoes and green vegetables, and the mash matters because that glossy sauce deserves something to soak into. Buttery greens, purple sprouting broccoli, or simple peas all do the fresh work alongside.

For feeding a bigger table from one pot with the same hands-off patience, their beef brisket pot-roast is the whole-joint cousin of this dish.