Let’s continue with tomatoes!
SMOKED BEEF! This is another one of my favorite childhood dish my parents would make for me when we have too much beef in the freezer. They would smoke the beef and then store it in the freezer for soups. But today, we will be using the smoked beef to make a shredded smoke beef with tomatoes and herbs dish! It’s so tasty especially with seasonal tomatoes coming around. It’s also great with ginger and other fresh herbs. I’ll be showing you how we smoked the beef and how we prepare this shredded beef dish in 2 different ways. It’s goes amazing with fresh steamed or sticky rice. In Hmong we call smoked beef Nqaj nyuj qhaa. Hope you all enjoy! Let me know if you have ever tried this dish before and how your parents made it for you. Happy Cooking!
SMOKING THE BEEF
Smoking over wood charcoal for a good 1 hr. It gives the beef a great smoky aroma. This is what makes this dish unique.
Using curing salt to help tenderize the beef.
TOMATO SEASON
Seasonal tomatoes gives this dish a sweet and tangy flavor.
ROAST THEM
FRESH HERBS!
GINGER AND LEMONGRASS
Blending the beef to shred faster
Mixing it all
GOES GREAT WITH RICE
YUM! ENJOY!
-CHawjCreations
Ingredients
- ---TOMATO HERB VERSION---
- 4 lb beef chuck (slice into 5-6 strips)
- 1 Tbsp tender curing salt
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 2-2.5 cups cherry tomato (exact measurement = 1 lb 8oz cherry tomatoes)
- 4-5 Thai chili (more or less)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- ---GINGER & LEMONGRASS VERSION---
- 4 lbs beef chuck (slice into 5-6 strips)
- 1 Tbsp tender curing salt
- 1 tsp mushroom seasoning
- 1/2 cup minced ginger
- 1/2 cup minced lemongrass
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup chopped green onion
- 4-5 chopped Thai chili
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
SMOKING THE BEEF
1) Cut the beef chuck into 5-6 strips. Add the curing salt and mushroom seasoning and mix well. Cover and let it marinade for 24 hrs before smoking it.
2) Get your grill ready with regular charcoal or wood charcoal. Hang the beef on hooks and let it hang over the charcoal. This will allow the beef to slowly cook and absorb all the smoky flavor. Let it hang and smoke for a good 1 hr if the heat is maintained well.
***(If you don't have hooks and can't hang it over your grill, feel free to cook the beef right on the rack for about 5 minutes each side or until it gets a good smoky flavor. Then take it off the heat and cool. This method is faster but doesn't dry out the beef as much. But it still has a good smoky charcoal flavor.***
After a good hour, take the beef off the grill and we will transfer it to the oven to continue cooking it out under a control temperature.
Cooking the beef in the oven
Continue cooking the beef in the oven under broil 400' for about 20 minutes , flip them over and then another 15 minutes on the other side. Take it out and let it cool. Once cooled, cut into smaller pieces to be shredded and blended up more.
Blend the beef small portions at a time until it shreds apart. Shred and blend all the beef and pour into a bowl. Set aside.
MAKING THE TOMATO PEPPER
In a baking pan lined with foil, roast the tomatoes and pepper until broil 450' for about 25-30 minutes or until nicely roasted. Once roasted, add the peppers in a mortar n pestle along with 1 tsp of salt. Smash until the peppers are all smashed up. Then add in the roasted tomatoes and smash well. Then add in the cilantro and green onions along with the fish sauce. Mix well and then add in the shredded beef. Mix well and taste. Transfer into a bowl and serve with sticky rice or white rice. Enjoy!
GINGER AND LEMONGRASS VERSION
Blend the beef and transfer into a bowl. Add in the minced ginger, lemongrass, peppers, green onions, and cilantro in. Add the salt and fish sauce. Mix well and taste to adjust. Serve with rice or sticky rice.
-CHawjCreations
Notes
Feel free to add other herbs into this dish. If you end up smoking a lot of beef, you can freeze them and take them out to make this dish any time. The smoked beef also goes great in soups.
4 comments
Yum! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Instead of “smoking” the beef the way you did, will dehydrator work as well?
Dehydrator will work. However, it won’t give the beef the smokey flavor. This dish is unique because of the smokey flavor.
Can you tell me where you get the hooks and wrack set up to smoke the meat?
I got them on amazon. Our grill came with the stainless steel bars so we just drilled holes so we could attach the hooks onto it. You’ll have to find your own bars