PULLED BEEF

Tom's one-pan beef recipe is a simple way to master slow-cooking meat

- TOM KERRIDGE

When I started in the kitchen, the terms ‘slow-cooked’ or ‘braised’ only referred to a stew, casserole or whole joints of meat, like a shoulder of lamb, presented at the table like a roast. Then, about 10 years ago, when street food began to mean more than a dodgy burger at a football match, the American term ‘pulled’ became commonplace, and meat-eaters couldn’t get enough of it. I think it’s been the biggest trend in meat cooking in the last decade, and it’s easy to see why. If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to impress without you needing to go to much effort, expense or worry about any last-minute plating or finishing touches, it’s soft, fork-tender pulled meat. I use it all the time as the main event at food festivals, stuffed into buns like I’ve done here, or as an element in a more complex dish. In one of my restaurants, I stuff it in an onion, or use it to fill a mini Yorkshire pudding. I’ve developed lots of ways and written different recipes for pulled meat over the years, and this recipe (overleaf) is my easiest, all made in one pan. If you love pulled beef and you’ve never tried cooking it yourself, this is a good place to start.