Sunday, September 07, 2008

Cheater's Barbecued Meat

grilladfransyska

There's probably not a lot of days left to barbecue this summer, but if there is, try this one. It's really fast on the grill, since you do all the preparations far in advance. But be prepared: this is cheater's barbecue.

What you do is take a cut of meat that's not super tender, something usually intended for a stew rather than pan-frying. I used fransyska which is.. a piece of loin, as far as I can figure out from comparing different cuts. Brisket would be great too. Really, any not-so-super-tender meat would be great here. It's so hard to compare world-wide, since apparently meat is cut very differently around the world. I wonder why?

Anyway. You cook that meat. In a pot. For a couple of hours. And then you leave it to cool - overnight is fine, or even a few days in advance. Next, brush it with a great glaze, and grill it. It'll be wonderfully tender and flavorful, and no one will know that you haven't been barbecueing for hours.

This recipe, slightly modified, comes frm the Swedish BBQ team. (Yes, we have one!)

Cheater's Barbecued Meat
Serves 4

800 g meat - see above for suggestions
2 litres beef stock
3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly smashed

Place the meat in a pot. Pour over the stock, which should just about cover the meat, and the garlic. Bring to a boil, and use a ladle to remove any scum on the surface. Cover with a lid, and boil for about two hours. The meat should be really tender, but still hold together. Place the whole pot in the fridge, and let the meat cool down for at least five hours.

Then, for the glaze, which you can certainly also prepare well in advance:

Honey Soy Glaze
150 ml Japanese soy sauce (light in color)
150 ml honey
100 ml water
2 tbsp ginger, grated
1 chili, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornstarch, stirred with a little bit of cold water

Mix everything except for the cornstarch in a small pot, and bring to a boil. Stir in the corn starch, and let the glaze simmer for a few minutes. Let it cool completely before using.

Remove the meat from the stock, and cut it into serving portions. Brush with glaze, and grill on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Turn it over frequently, and add more glaze as needed.

Recipe in Swedish:
Grillad Fransyska

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't want recipes. I want kittens. ;*)

Jeanne said...

LOL - Nick would have a fit!! :o) But then he is a bit of a BBQ purist ;-)

Rebecca Kline said...

Yum! I think you should fly out here right now and I'll let you use my BBQ - we've got months of BBQ weather left!

Anne said...

Gary, I promise to have some for you next weekend :)

Jeanne - haha, I bet!

Rebecca - best offer I've heard in a very long time :)

eatswedishfish said...

When does BBQ season end?! I BBQ all year around (Chicago, IL USA). Just have to remember to shovel a path to the grill!

Anonymous said...

"Fransyska" is actually two different cuts from the sirlion ("ländstycke"), "stora fransyskan and "lilla fransyskan". "Stora Fransyskan" is pretty much the same as the French cut "culotte" (according to a French-English dictionary called "top sirloin cap steak"). Neither of the cuts is part of the English or US standard cuts. Both pieces of meat is a bit tough and become very dry and extremely tough if cooked for a short period. You can either serve them blue rare or rare, or you have to cook them for hours. My favorite dish to make with "fransyska" is "porterstek", a Swedish potroast cooked in stout porter and blackcurrant juice. The best part of the dish is the sauce that taste similar to mole made with cocoa.