Draadjesvlees – Shredded Beef Roast
Draadjesvlees literally translates to “thread of meat”. Originally, this recipe was used to make a delicious meal out of tougher cuts of meat; today it is most often made with a good beef roast. The flavor profile is very Dutch, using warm spices from the historic spice trade. It is cooked long and slow, so that the connective tissue breaks down and the roast can be shredded into “threads of meat”. It is traditionally served over mashed potatoes, along with green beans or Rode Kool (Dutch red cabbage). This dish was developed from recipes at The Dutch Table and Toines Kitchen.
Draadjesvlees – Dutch Shredded Beef
Tender shredded beef with Dutch spices
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb beef chuck roast cut into thick slices
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 4 Tbsp butter divided
- 2 onions peeled and sliced thin
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 juniper berries optional, or 2 tsp gin
- 8 whole pepper corns
- 1 tsp allspice
- 3 Tbsp Dutch mustard any brown, seedy mustard will do
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dark corn syrup or molasses
- 2 slices of dark rye bread cubed (optional, but traditional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slowly melt 2 Tbs of butter in a Dutch oven. Dust the roast with the flour and brown it on both sides in the butter. Remove to a plate when done.
- Add the other 2 Tbsp of butter and when melted add the onions; stir through and cook until translucent. The onions should release their liquid, and this will deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- Add the beef broth and the tomato paste and stir through.
- Add the bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries and peppercorns; you can put them in a spice bag for easy removal.
- Add the mustard, dry red wine, and molasses and stir through.
- Add the rye bread and stir through the broth.
- Add the meat back to the pot, it should be mostly covered.
If you would like to split the preparation over two days, this would be the best place to stop. Place the whole pot in the refrigerator overnight, and then heat it gently over a low flame the next mornings until it is simmering.
- Bring to a low boil, and then simmer for 3- 4 hours covered in a 250 degree oven. Check occasionally if more broth needs to be added.
- Check the meat for tenderness; if done remove to a plate, turn off the oven, and place the meat in the oven to keep warm.
- Remove the spices, and taste the broth. Adjust for taste with salt, pepper, and/or vinegar.
- It’s not traditional, but I like to take a stick blender to blend and chop up all of the onions and bread pieces in the broth.
- If you’d like the broth even thicker, you can heat it on the stove to further reduce it, or mix 1 Tbsp of corn starch with 2 Tbsp of water and a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet, stir through and bring to a low boil.
- Shred the beef, and add back to the pot and stir through.
- Serve over mashed potatoes with rode kool (Dutch red cabbage) or fresh green beans.