Tom Kerridge's slow-cooked meat feasts for a crowd

Large pieces of meat don't have to be saved for weekend lunches, says Tom Kerridge. He shows how time can work its magic on spice crusts and marinades that burst with flavour - Haarala Hamilton
Large pieces of meat don't have to be saved for weekend lunches, says Tom Kerridge. He shows how time can work its magic on spice crusts and marinades that burst with flavour - Haarala Hamilton

I’m a huge fan of slow-cooked meats for the simple reason that you can roast or braise them with very little fuss, yet still pack in loads of flavour. In this week’s recipes I have drawn on influences from around the world, weaving in the spices and herbs I love via marinades, rubs and glazes.

The dishes are designed to be great fun – you can use the base recipes as blueprints and go on to create your own spice mixes, experimenting with ratios or ingredients.

blowtorch to finish the beef - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
A kitchen blowtorch finishes off the crust on the beef Credit: Haarala Hamilton

For the côte de boeuf, for example, components of the brine traditionally used to make pastrami have been reimagined as pickled cabbage and mustard-spiked mayonnaise, while the meat itself sports a fennel and pepper crust. An Indian-inspired marinade left overnight on a shoulder of lamb renders it smoky with a chilli heat, and ham hocks simmer in ale and stock to be finished off with a glaze made from the reduced cooking liquor.

Most of this just requires you to whip up your ingredients and then leave the cooking process to work its magic – methods that make it easier for you without compromising on quality or flavour.

Tom Kerridge's latest recipes

Cooking large cuts of meat such as these shouldn’t just be reserved for Sunday lunch – they can be brilliant for dinner parties or al fresco feasts, too.

In this country we all too often rely on supermarkets when it comes to our meat shopping, so for the best cuts go and see your butcher. I love nothing more than chatting with my local expert, as he always has the best suggestions of what cuts to use and what is best to use right now.

Also, invest in a digital temperature probe to help determine when the meat is properly cooked – and prepare to serve up a feast.

Beer-braised ham hock with gherkin and iceberg salad, duck egg and parsley mayonnaise

beer braised ham hock - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

SERVES

4

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 small ham hocks (ask your butcher to French-trim them)

  • 500ml chicken stock

  • 500ml strong ale

  • 2 star anise

  • 4 tbsp malt extract

  • 2 sprigs thyme

  • 2 onions, diced

  • 2 sticks celery

  • 100ml mayonnaise

  • 2 shallots, diced

  • 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 2 duck eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and grated

  • 1 iceberg lettuce, quartered

  • 8 gherkins, sliced lengthways

  • 3 sprigs dill, chopped

  • Olive oil, for drizzling

METHOD

  1. Place the hocks in a large casserole dish (or two) and cover with cold water.

  2. Bring up to the boil to remove any impurities, pour off the water and add the stock and ale to the pan along with the star anise, malt, thyme, onions and celery. Bring to the boil again and simmer for two hours or until the hocks are tender.

  3. Lift the ham hocks out, set aside and keep warm. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and return to the pan. Boil to reduce the stock to a glaze.

  4. While the glaze is reducing, mix together the mayonnaise, shallots, parsley and duck egg in a bowl, stirring well.

  5. Just before serving, brush the warm hocks with the beer glaze and serve on a platter with the lettuce wedges. Lay over the gherkin slices and sprinkle with dill and olive oil. Serve the parsley mayonnaise on the side with some large chunks of crusty sourdough.

Pastrami-spiced côte de boeuf with pickled white cabbage and mustard mayonnaise

pastrami spiced beef - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

If you have any beef left this will make a fab American-style sandwich.

SERVES

2

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 x côte de boeuf weighing about 650-700g, at room temperature

For the pickled cabbage

  • 200ml white wine vinegar

  • 1 tbsp mustard seeds

  • 100g caster sugar

  • 1 small bay leaf

  • ½ tsp dill seeds

  • ½ tsp white peppercorns

  • 300g white cabbage, finely sliced

  • 2 tbsp chopped tarragon

For the beef

  • 3 tbsp coarse ground black pepper

  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds

  • 2 tbsp flaky salt

  • 1 tsp dried thyme

  • 3 tbsp English mustard

  • Vegetable oil, for brushing

For the mustard mayonnaise

  • 150g mayonnaise

  • 3 tbsp English mustard

  • Juice of ½ lemon

  • ½ tsp caster sugar

METHOD

  1. Take the meat out of the fridge a couple of hours ahead to come to room temperature.

  2. Preheat the oven to 60C/lowest gas mark.

  3. Start by pickling the cabbage. Place everything apart from the cabbage and tarragon in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then stir in the cabbage and simmer for two minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool. When cool, stir in the tarragon and set aside.

  4. Mix together the black pepper, fennel, salt and thyme. Lay the côte de boeuf on a baking tray. Brush the mustard all over the meat then roll it in the spice mix to coat. Set back on the tray and place in the oven for at least two hours (it might need two-and-a-half hours depending on your oven). Use a digital temperature probe – the internal temperature of the beef should read 60C.

  5. Remove from the oven and brush with a little vegetable oil. Using a kitchen blowtorch, brown the beef all over. Let it rest for five minutes while you mix together the mayonnaise ingredients with a pinch of salt.

  6. Carve the beef, which will be cooked rare, serving with the cooled, drained cabbage and mustard mayonnaise.

 

Madras-spiced lamb shoulder with sweet-and-sour mango salsa

spiced lamb shoulder - Credit: Haarala Hamilton
Credit: Haarala Hamilton

This is an amazingly simple yet full-flavour dish.

SERVES

6

INGREDIENTS

  • 3kg shoulder of lamb

For the spice paste

  • 10 cloves garlic

  • 10cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1 tbsp tomato purée

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika

  • 1 tbsp tamarind

  • 1 tsp chilli powder

  • 3 tbsp madras spice curry powder

  • 3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

  • 3 tsp salt

  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the mango salsa

  • 1 large mango, peeled and finely diced

  • 1 red onion, finely sliced

  • 2 green chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

  • Large handful of coriander, chopped

  • Zest and juice of 2 limes

  • 2 tbsp distilled malt vinegar

  • 3 tbsp peanut oil

METHOD

  1. Add all the paste ingredients to a food processor and blend to a coarse, aromatic paste.

  2. Lay the lamb in a roasting tin and slash the meat six or seven times with a sharp knife. Rub the paste all over the lamb, working it into the slashes, to fully coat the meat. Leave in the fridge overnight.

  3. The next day preheat the oven to 140C/Gas 1. Place the lamb in the oven and pour in 300ml of water to the tin. Cook for four hours, basting every now and then.

  4. Meanwhile, mix together the salsa ingredients well and keep to one side.

  5. When the lamb is cooked, pull the meat away from the bone and mix in all of the spicy stock and juices in the tin.

  6. Serve with rice or flatbreads and spoon over the mango salsa.