【亮妈厨房2015-29】卤牛肉

这个帖子应该早就写了。去年某天在城里群组玩，贴的菜里面有一道卤牛肉，群里的一位姐妹问我要方子。我说会写给她，可是一拖再拖到了今天都一年多了。其实图早就照了就是没有写成。卤牛肉几乎是我待客必上的菜。翻翻以前放入Flickr里面的照片居然找到了07年拍的一张照片。就做题头照吧。

好了，先说做卤牛肉的重点之重牛肉：

原材料：牛肉。做卤牛肉肉很重要。如果去中国店，我通常买牛腱。在美国店也有切好大块的shank 卖。如果没有，我一般买图上的这种。或卤或清炖都很好吃。

调料：青葱三根，三大片姜，料酒，老抽，酱油，盐，一个红辣椒，一块黄冰糖（高尔夫球大小），或者一勺蜂蜜也行。一包汉宫卤包。盐炖的差不多的时候再放。我一般放的比较少。低盐。另外酱油本身也有盐。

AI Translate: Seasonings: 3 stalks of scallions, 3 large slices of ginger, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, salt, 1 red chili pepper, 1 piece of yellow rock sugar (about the size of a golf ball), or a tablespoon of honey can be used as a substitute. Use 1 packet of Han Palace Braised Pork Seasoning when the meat is almost done simmering with salt. I usually use less salt for a low-sodium option, and keep in mind that soy sauce already contains salt.

做法：

把牛肉洗净，用清水泡20分钟。这样能把血水清干净一点。把牛肉放进一个煮锅里面，加冷水，开中小火直到水开。这个过程慢一点里面的东西出来的更多。这个好像也是在城里和那位高人的帖子里学的。

水开几开后把脏水到掉，用热水冲洗干净。一定不要用冷水。这样牛肉炖不烂。

在这个过程的同时做一壶开水备用。自打有了LC的锅，咱炖肉煲汤都是它了。我一般用咖啡色的那个。

Clean the beef and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes. This helps to remove some of the blood. Place the beef in a pot, add cold water, and cook over medium-low heat until the water comes to a boil. This slow process helps to extract more unpleasant flavor from the meat. I learned this technique from a post by a blogger.

After the water comes to a boil, discard the dirty water and rinse the beef with hot water. Do not use cold water, as this will make the beef tough.

Meanwhile, prepare a pot of boiling water. Since I have an LC pot, I use it for stewing and making soup. I usually use the brown one.

把用热水洗净的牛肉放入锅内，加半杯料酒。我用月桂冠的清酒做料酒。一大勺table spoon的老抽上色。再加入葱姜，辣椒，卤包，如果有香叶也可以加两片。有时也放一块桂皮，几粒花椒，一个八角。调料可以按照自己的喜欢加减。先把上面这些料少一滚。肉翻动一下争取老抽的颜色都在肉的周围。然后放半杯左右的酱油。加一杯刚刚烧开的水。烧开后变小火开炖。炖到八成熟时，加冰糖，盐等调味再炖。

Add the hot water-rinsed beef to the pot, along with half a cup of cooking wine. I use Sake from the brand "Yuegui Guan" as cooking wine.

Add a tablespoon of dark soy sauce to add color, along with the scallions, ginger, chili pepper, and a packet of Han Palace Seasoning. If you have bay leaves, you can add two of them as well. Sometimes, I also add a piece of cinnamon, a few peppercorns, and a star anise.

Adjust the seasonings to your liking. Bring the mixture to a boil and let the meat cook for a bit while flipping it to evenly coat the color from the dark soy sauce. Then, add about half a cup of light soy sauce and a cup of just-boiled water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook until the meat is about 80% done. Add yellow rock sugar, salt, and other seasonings to taste and continue cooking for about an hour with lid on until the beef is well cooked. Let it sit in the pot for a few hours to allow more flavor getting into the meat.

加盖子密封很好的话，很小的火热效率很好，也不会蒸发很多水。所以不必加多水。因为有冰糖最后卤出来成色比较漂亮。

If the lid is sealed tightly, a low heat setting will work well and it won't cause much evaporation. Therefore, you don't need to add too much water. The addition of the yellow rock sugar will result in a beautiful color for the roasted beef.

心得体会：如果炖好后再留锅里泡味道更好。最好冷盘上菜。之前把卤好的牛肉放入冷藏然后再切比较不会散。

口感：酱香浓厚。下酒加馍的好菜。

上面的照片是以前拍的。如果就着昨天做的烧饼该有多香，哈哈。这烧饼和馅饼是真好吃啊：）如果夹卤牛肉岂不更美。

Experience and tips: If you let the roasted beef soak in the liquid after cooking, the flavor will be even better. It is best served cold. If you chill the roasted beef before cutting it, it will hold its shape better.

Taste: The sauce has a rich and savory flavor, making it a great dish to enjoy with steamed buns and as a side dish to alcoholic beverages.

The photo above was taken previously. Imagine how delicious it would be with the freshly made Chinese pancakes yesterday, haha. These pancakes and pies are really delicious :) It would be even better if they were filled with braised beef.