(CMR) The holidays would not be the same without the age-old tradition of fresh, slow-cooked “Cayman beef” as a staple part of the Christman dinner. The preparation starts long before the actual meat hits the pot with the securing of premium cuts of meat from the local butcher. Some people ensure they reserve their meat weeks in advance.
Fresh meat at Christmas has been a tradition in the Cayman Islands for as long as we can remember; those who weren’t able to get it during the year were sure to get it at Christmas time.
Cayman-style beef is a traditional dish from the Cayman Islands consisting of extremely tender beef that is slow-cooked for hours with the perfect mixture of spices to give great flavor. Whilst some will cook it on the stovetop, many still retain the tradition of cooking it in the oven.
The oven-baked method takes longer and is done on a slow overnight simmer until the meat separates falls off of the larger chunks of meat. The oven method is meant to replicate the traditional cooking in the caboose from years gone by, where the pot was covered with coals and slow-cooked for hours.
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The aroma of oven-cooked beef is amazing as the aroma filters through the entire house and into the neighborhood, filling the homes with the amazing fragrance of fresh beef. This beef is particularly popular as part of a traditional Cayman Christmas dinner.
Here is one way to prepare the dish:
Ingredients: 5-10 lbs bottom round roast beef, 1 yellow onion (chopped), black pepper, stalks of green onions, thyme, chopped garlic, hot or season pepper to taste, an all-purpose season of your choice.
1. Beef selection would have already been pre-cut by the butcher. Caymanians do not further cut or slice the meat. They also request a bit of bit from the butcher to serve as the oil that will simmer with the meat.
2. Add chopped and powdered spices to meat and allow to marinate (preferably for 24 hours) before cooking. The more seasoning, the better for this dish.
3. Place the meat in a Dutch oven (a large pot) on top of the stove. Start out on a high fire for about 10 mins, then place it on a medium or low fire for several hours. For those who want to replicate the traditional cooking in the caboose, use an oven.
4. Cook meat until the meat is meltingly tender, checking frequently to ensure that it doesn’t dry out. When the meat is tender enough, it will fall apart into shredded chunks when stirred.
5. Place a lid on your Dutch oven to retain moisture, or use tin foil to cover it.
Serve with love and lots of amazing side dishes, including rice and beans, plantains and a hearty side of potato salad! It's also amazing served over some nice dumplings.
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