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A bowl of trinchado, or chunks of spicy South African braised beef, served with french fries and Portuguese rolls--papos secos
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5 / 12 votes

Trinchado | Spicy South African Beef

Trinchado, a spicy South African braised beef dish, is brimming with flavor from onions, red chile peppers, garlic, beef stock, red wine, and olives. Serve with lots of bread and French fries.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 20 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: South African
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Calories: 628

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 1-inch (25-mm) cubes
  • 2 large yellow onions, chopped
  • 3 or 4 small hot red chile peppers, stemmed and chopped (keep the seeds)
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced (or more if you're a garlic head)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup good quality store-bought or homemade beef stock
  • 1 cup red wine or 1/2 cup (120 ml) brandy
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 24 oil-cured black olives, preferably pitted
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • bread for dunking
  • French fries for serving, (optional; not classic but popular)
  • chopped parsley, for garnish
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the butter is melted and sizzling, add the 2 pounds chuck roast cubes in 4 or 5 batches and brown well on all sides. Don't crowd the pan or rush this step; this is what gives the dish its flavor. Remove the cubes with a slotted spoon to a warm plate and set aside.
  • Lower the heat to medium, add the 2 large yellow onions, 3 or 4 small hot red chile peppers and their seeds, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Add the 4 garlic cloves and cook for an additional minute. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour's fully cooked, about 2 minutes.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If you're worried about the flour clumping, you can load the 2 tablespoons of flour into a mesh strainer and gently dust over the veggies instead of just dumping it in.

  • Pour in the 1 cup good quality store-bought or homemade beef stock and 1 cup red wine or 1/2 cup (120 ml) brandy). Stir until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the 1 bay leaf, 24 oil-cured black olives, browned beef cubes, and any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Check every 15 minutes or so until the meat is very tender. 
  • To serve, season the trinchado with salt and freshly ground black pepper and scoop it into a large bowl. Top it with fries or serve them on the side. Have lots of bread on hand for dunking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 628kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 579mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g