Kelis Recipes: Beef Sliders
Craving comfort food? This Kelis recipe for Shredded Beef Sliders with Root Beer Espresso BBQ Sauce comes from her new cookbook My Life on a Plate
Shredded Beef Sliders with Root Beer Espresso BBQ Sauce
I started making these when I had a food truck at South by Southwest music and film festival in Austin, Texas, to showcase my new line of sauces. The meat is a version of ropa vieja, or ‘old clothes’, which is braised, shredded flank steak traditional to many cuisines of the Caribbean. My mum makes ropa vieja all the time; she taught me to make it.
makes 16 sliders
INGREDIENTS
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
4 sprigs of fresh oregano
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
900g skirt steak, cut into 2 pieces to fit in your pan
1 tablespoon sea salt, plus more to taste
3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
1 green and 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded
and roughly chopped
15 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
120ml Root Beer Espresso BBQ Sauce (see below)
16 small brioche buns, cut in half
115g unsalted butter, melted
ROOT BEER ESPRESSO BBQ SAUCE
Makes about 710 ml
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 teaspoons sea salt plus a pinch or more to taste
8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
60ml cup distilled white vinegar
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
250g ready-made tomato pasta sauce
120ml American-style mustard
220g soft light or dark brown sugar
180ml root beer
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon finely ground espresso coffee
1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
METHOD:
Combine the olive oil and onion in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook about 10 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent, stirring often so the onion doesn’t brown.
Add garlic and a pinch of salt and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant, stirring constantly so it doesn’t brown.
Add the white vinegar, increase the heat to medium/high, and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom on the pan.
Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they break down, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce and mustard and bring the liquid to a simmer. Stir in brown sugar and cook for about 3 minutes, until it dissolves.
Add the root beer, balsamic vinegar, molasses, and vanilla. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes; you’re cooking to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool slightly. transfer to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth, about 5 minutes. Return the puree to the saucepan.
Stir in the honey, espresso, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, all spice, garlic powder, cumin, and the remaining 3 teaspoons of salt. Simmer on low covered for 40 minutes to 1 hour, until the sauce is a deep reddish brown. taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.
METHOD FOR SLIDERS:
Wrap the thyme, oregano and rosemary in a doubled piece of muslin and tie it closed with kitchen string to make a herb bouquet. Season the meat on both sides with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium high-heat for about 3 minutes until it’s searing hot.
Add one piece of meat to the pan and sear it for 5-7 minute per side until it is deep brown on both sides. Remove the meat from the pan and sear the second piece of meat. Leave the second piece of seared meat in the pan and return the first piece to the pot too. Add the herb bouquet, onions, green and red peppers,garlic, paprika, cumin and enough water to just cover the meat and vegetables.
Bring the water to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 2 hours until the meat can be gently torn apart with a fork. Turn off the heat and leave the meat to cool to room temperature in the liquid. Lift the meat out of the liquid and shred it back into the pan with the cooking liquid. (I like to go at it with kitchen scissors.)
Remove the herb bouquet and stir in the barbecue sauce. Season to taste with salt. Brush the insides of the buns with the melted butter and toast the insides only under the grill. Scoop an equal quantity of the barbecue beef onto each bun and serve.
Recipe extracted from My Life on a Plate by Kelis(Kyle Books publishing, Hardback, £19.99). Photography by David Loftus.
