Low-Carb Braised Beef With Rum & Fennel

Is there anything more comforting that a big pot of rich, fall-apart tender beef in a flavourful gravy? Nope, I don’t think so. This dish may seem a little fussy but it’s really not as hard as it sounds. You will be tempted to shortcut some steps but I highly recommend against it. The end result is so worth it, trust me.

Serve this big low-carb bowl of comfort over creamy cauliflower mash to give yourself a hug from the inside. This keto dish freezes really well so it’s a great one to make when you want to stash a couple of dinners in the freezer. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Tips

We made this delicious beef stew in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole pot, or you can use a Dutch oven.

If want to use a crockpot, follow the tips below:

• Follow the recipe up to step 6 (browning the meat). Instead of transferring the meat to a bowl, place into a preheated slow cooker (crockpot).
• Deglaze the pot where you browned the meat with beef stock and then pour over the browned beef. Since you are using a slow cooker, you will only need 2 cups (480 ml) of stock of stock instead of the 4 cups. This means you should use all of the stock (2 cups) to make the marinade.
• To the slow cooker add all of the remaining vegetables and aromatics.
• Cover with a lid and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours.

If want to use the Instant Pot, follow the tips below:

• Follow the recipe instructions but instead of using a large casserole pot, use the Saute settings on your Instant Pot to brown the meat.
• Transfer the browned meat into a bowl and deglaze the Instant Pot with beef stock. Since you are using the Instant Pot, you will only need 2 cups (480 ml) of stock instead of the 4 cups. This means you should use all of the stock (2 cups) to make the marinade.
• To the Instant Pot add all of the remaining vegetables and aromatics, and then add back the browned beef.
• Cover with a lid and set to Manual, high pressure for 45 minutes, vent in sealing position.
• Once the cook time is over, let the steam escape naturally.

Step-by-step

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Slice the bacon. Cut your beef into bite-sized pieces, approx. 2.5 cm/ 1" pieces.

   

2. Peel the onion, pumpkin and fennel and chop roughly. Peel the orange zest into strips. Dice the pumpkin and onion. Slice the fennel and garlic.

   

3. Combine onion, pumpkin, fennel, cinnamon (use 2 sticks or ¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon), garlic, bay leaves, rum, two cups (480 ml) of beef stock, orange zest and diced beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

   

4. Preheat oven to 140 °C/ 285 °F (fan assisted), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (conventional). Strain beef mixture, reserving the liquid. Place the beef and vegetables into two separate bowls.

5. Place the marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.

6. Heat half oil and half butter in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole pot over high heat. Sear the beef in batches, making sure to not crowd the pot, until browned and then set transfer into a bowl and set aside.
   Note: If you want to use a slow cooker or the Instant Pot instead, follow the tips in the recipe post above.

   

7. To the pot where you cooked the meat add remaining oil and butter, and then the bacon and mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.

8. Add reserved vegetables from the marinade and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until the vegetables are coated.

   

9. Place the beef back into the pan with marinade and remaining beef stock, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in the oven for 2 ¹/₂ hours, until the meat is tender.

   

10. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the beef and the mushrooms from the pot — remembering that the beef will be very tender. Remove the cinnamon quills, bay leaves and orange peel and discard.

    

11. Use a handheld stick blender to puree the vegetables and liquid and then place back on the stovetop on medium-high heat for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.

    

12. Return the beef and the mushrooms to the sauce and add a handful of tarragon or chopped parsley for freshness.

13. Serve over creamy cauliflower mash. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.

    

Recipe

Low-Carb Braised Beef With Rum & Fennel

★★★★★5.0 (11 ratings)

The ultimate low-carb and keto comfort food recipe. Baked in the oven on low with rum, fennel, pumpkin ...

Hands on

30m

Overall

8h

Servings

8

6.5 g

Net carbs

43.5 g

Protein

55.5 g

Fat

746

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings24 servings32 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 8 servings

• 1 yellow onion, diced (110 g/ 3.9 oz)
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced (234 g/ 8.3 oz)
• 200 g pumpkin, deseeded and peeled (7.1 oz)
• 2 cinnamon quills or ¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 bay leaves
• ³/₄ cup dark rum (180 ml/ 6 fl oz)
• zest of 1 organic orange, peeled into strips
• 1.5 kg beef chuck casserole (3.3 lb)
• ¹/₄ cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• ³/₄ stick unsalted butter (85 g/ 3 oz)
• 250 g bacon, chopped roughly (8.8 oz)
• 300 g small button mushrooms, whole (10.6 oz)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 g/ 1.6 oz)
• 4 cups beef stock, divided (960 ml/ 32 fl oz)
• tarragon to taste for garnish, or parsley if you can’t find tarragon

Instructions

1. Prepare all the ingredients. Slice the bacon. Cut your beef into bite-sized pieces, approx. 2.5 cm/ 1" pieces.

2. Peel the onion, pumpkin and fennel and chop roughly. Peel the orange zest into strips. Dice the pumpkin and onion. Slice the fennel and garlic.

3. Combine onion, pumpkin, fennel, cinnamon (use 2 sticks or ¹/₂ tsp ground cinnamon), garlic, bay leaves, rum, two cups (480 ml) of beef stock, orange zest and diced beef in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 140 °C/ 285 °F (fan assisted), or 160 °C/ 320 °F (conventional). Strain beef mixture, reserving the liquid. Place the beef and vegetables into two separate bowls.

5. Place the marinade in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes.

6. Heat half oil and half butter in a large heavy-based flameproof casserole pot over high heat. Sear the beef in batches, making sure to not crowd the pot, until browned and then set transfer into a bowl and set aside.
   Note: If you want to use a slow cooker or the Instant Pot instead, follow the tips in the recipe post above.

7. To the pot where you cooked the meat add remaining oil and butter, and then the bacon and mushrooms, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes.

8. Add reserved vegetables from the marinade and cook, stirring, for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until the vegetables are coated.

9. Place the beef back into the pan with marinade and remaining beef stock, scraping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil, cover and braise in the oven for 2 ¹/₂ hours, until the meat is tender.

10. Using a slotted spoon, carefully remove the beef and the mushrooms from the pot — remembering that the beef will be very tender. Remove the cinnamon quills, bay leaves and orange peel and discard.

11. Use a handheld stick blender to puree the vegetables and liquid and then place back on the stovetop on medium-high heat for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.

12. Return the beef and the mushrooms to the sauce and add a handful of tarragon or chopped parsley for freshness.

13. Serve over creamy cauliflower mash. Store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving, about 1 ½ cups, 350 g/ 12 oz

Carbs 4%Protein 25%Fat 71% of calories

Net carbs

6.5 g

Total carbs

8.5 g

Fiber

2 g

Sugars

3.7 g

Protein

43.5 g

Fat

55.5 g

Saturated fat

22.6 g

Calories

746 kcal

Sodium

577 mg · 25.1% RDA

Magnesium

116 mg · 29% RDA

Potassium

1,322 mg · 66.1% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Onion, brown (yellow), raw	0.9 g	0.1 g	0 g	5
Fennel bulb, fresh	1.2 g	0.4 g	0.1 g	9
Pumpkin, fresh	1.5 g	0.3 g	0 g	7
Cinnamon, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Garlic, fresh	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Bay leaf, dried or fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	0
Rum, distilled alcoholic beverage (~40% vol)	0 g	0 g	0 g	48
Orange peel (zest), fresh	0.3 g	0 g	0 g	2
Beef, chuck eye steak, boneless, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades, raw	0 g	35.4 g	30.7 g	418
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	6.8 g	60
Butter, unsalted, grass-fed	0 g	0.1 g	8.6 g	76
Bacon, streaky (high fat content), organic	0 g	4.3 g	7.8 g	88
Mushrooms (brown), fresh	1.4 g	0.9 g	0 g	8
Tomato purée (paste, unsweetened)	0.4 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Beef bone broth, beef stock	0.2 g	1.8 g	1.5 g	20
Tarragon, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	6.5 g	43.5 g	55.5 g	746

Serving size about 1 1/2 cups, 350 g/ 12 oz

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free