Sorry about the little lapse in posts there. I promise I'm still committed to this blog (for all three of you who read it besides me). Today I thought I would post about the wonder that is canned beef chunks. Has anyone ever tried these things? They're awesome! (Note: this is not the same as canned ground beef, which I've heard is kinda scary and dog food-ish. Please tell me if I've been misinformed.) Aside from frozen meat, it's the best way that I've come across to add meat to your long-term food storage. (Again, any other ideas are welcome!) It comes in 12-ounce cans of cubed, fully-cooked roast beef packed in beef broth. Okay, so I guess I don't really have any information to add to what the front of the can says, except to say that they taste really good! Here is what it looks like out of the can in all of its beefy splendor:
*Please don't let the poor photography in this post deter you from ever trying this meat. I'm not the Pioneer Woman, okay? I've come to terms with that. Just believe me when I say that it tastes better than I make it look.The meat is really tender and flavorful and it's very versatile, too. Here are some of the things that I've done with it:
-BBQ Beef Sandwiches: Just drain off about half of the liquid, shred it up, and simmer it with your favorite barbecue sauce. Serve it on a toasted bun and you have dinner in about five minutes.
-Taco/Burrito meat: Shred it up with a little bit of the liquid and combine it with a can of pinto or kidney beans, a can of green chilies, and a can of diced tomatoes. Simmer it on the stove for 5-10 minutes (remember, the meat is already cooked) and it's ready to go. I think it tastes really good as is, but if you want, you can add additional seasonings like cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, or whatever you want. Just spread it on a tortilla and top it off with whatever you have on hand--cheese, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, guacamole... you know what you like. We've also eaten it nacho-style over corn chips. It may not look like much but I promise, the flavors will pleasantly surprise you.
-Soups and Stews: This meat is awesome for making your favorite beef stew recipe more food-storage friendly. And again, the meat is already cooked, so it saves you a lot of cubing and browning time. Sorry I don't have a recipe to post; I'll be on the lookout for a good one.
-French Dip Sandwiches: I tried it out in this recipe from The Essential Food Storage Cookbook and it turned out great! The au jus in this recipe is the best I've ever had. Here is the original recipe (fabulous as is) with my adaptations in blue:
Crockpot French Dip Sandwiches
Ingredients:
-1 to 3 lb. beef roast (or 1 to 3 cans of roast beef chunks, drained)
-2 cups water
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 bay leaf
-10 hoagie buns
-10 slices Swiss cheese (or provolone, if you prefer a milder flavor) -I also like to add 1 or 2 (4-ounce) cans of mushrooms, drained or if you wanted to get really fancy you could saute 6 oz. sliced mushrooms in a little butter to go on top. Mmmmm.... butter.
In a crockpot, stir together water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Place roast in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 5 hours). [If you're using the canned beef, you only need to cook it for 2-3 hours, just so the flavors can all blend together.] Remove meat from broth and thinly slice or shred with fork. Keep warm. Strain broth and skim fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Slice through buns and lay open on baking tray. Line one side of each bun with a slice of Swiss cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Fill each sandwich with beef and cut in half on a slant. [My husband and I also like to slather some dijon mustard onto the bun.] Serve hot with dipping broth.
-1 to 3 lb. beef roast (or 1 to 3 cans of roast beef chunks, drained)
-2 cups water
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 bay leaf
-10 hoagie buns
-10 slices Swiss cheese (or provolone, if you prefer a milder flavor) -I also like to add 1 or 2 (4-ounce) cans of mushrooms, drained or if you wanted to get really fancy you could saute 6 oz. sliced mushrooms in a little butter to go on top. Mmmmm.... butter.
In a crockpot, stir together water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Place roast in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours (or on high for 5 hours). [If you're using the canned beef, you only need to cook it for 2-3 hours, just so the flavors can all blend together.] Remove meat from broth and thinly slice or shred with fork. Keep warm. Strain broth and skim fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Slice through buns and lay open on baking tray. Line one side of each bun with a slice of Swiss cheese. Broil 2 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted. Fill each sandwich with beef and cut in half on a slant. [My husband and I also like to slather some dijon mustard onto the bun.] Serve hot with dipping broth.
Canned roast beef chunks are a wonderful food storage item. The only problem (which I know, I probably should have mentioned at the beginning of this post) is that I don't know where to buy them anymore. I used to buy the Costco brand from the aisle where they keep their canned tuna and chicken, but then I moved and now I shop at a different Costco where I haven't been able to find them. The last time I bought them was about a year ago. I'm not sure if Costco stopped selling them globally or if for some reason my Costco just doesn't carry them. Does anyone have any idea? Does your Costco have my beef chunks? Are there any other companies that sell this product? Am I going to have to buy a pressure canner and start canning my own? (Please say 'no.') Any info on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment