Authentic Beef Chuck Goulash Recipes

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH (GULYáS)

Steps:

• Melt the pork lard or butter/oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy soup pot over medium high heat and cook the onions until beginning to brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the beef is just starting to brown, 7-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the paprika, salt, pepper and caraway (if using) (note: paprika becomes bitter if at all scorched). Add the beef broth, bay leaf, return to the stove and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for another 30-40 minutes or until the beef is nice and tender. Add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf.

REAL HUNGARIAN GOULASH (NO TOMATO PASTE HERE)

Steps:

• Melt lard in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onions in hot lard until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir beef and paprika into onions. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add 1 cup water and simmer, adding more water if moisture gets too low, until meat falls apart and onion sauce is thick, about 1 hour more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

HUNGARIAN BEEF GOULASH - AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH RECIPE

Steps:

• Cut the beef chuck into small cubes, about 2 cm/ 0.7 inches. Place them onto paper towels and pat them dry with more paper towels. Chop the onions very finely. Chop the pepper and the tomatoes as well.
• Melt some of the lard (or oil) in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stewing pot. Fry the beef cubes in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your Dutch oven. Fry for about 5 minutes per batch or until nicely browned on all sides. Add more of the lard before each batch. Transfer the fried beef cubes to a plate and set them aside.
• Add about 1 teaspoon more lard to the pot and fry the chopped onions until very lightly colored, about 5 minutes, stirring often and keeping an eye on them. If they threaten to catch, add a splash of water and continue cooking.
• Add the garlic, chopped peppers, tomatoes, and bay leaves and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times in between.
• Add the paprika and caraway. Stir well for about 1 minute, add the tomato paste and stir well again. Add the meat cubes and the beef broth, stir well.
• Cover the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the Hungarian beef goulash until the meat is very tender about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Check to make sure that the meat is really tender.
• Uncover the pot and continue cooking the goulash for another 10-15 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper.

TRADITIONAL CZECH BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cut up the beef in to bigger chunks
• Mix together the plain flour, pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper and put it in a deeper plate or bowl
• Coat the beef pieces in the flour mix
• Heat a large frying pan with some oil and leave until it's medium hot
• Fry the beef from both sides until it's golden brown and the meat is 'sealed' and place on a new plate. Do this in several batches if your pan is small.
• Next fry the onions until see through and flavour them with carraway seeds, pinch of chilli, some marjoram and also add the garlic.
• Put the beef back to the frying pan (or swap it for a large stock pan or soup pot).
• Add the beef stock cube and about 500 ml hot water
• Add the tomatoe puree
• Reduce the heat to medium low, cover with a lid and let the whole thing to simmer for about 2 hrs.
• Check regularly to make sure that the stock doesn't evaporate too much and check the beef. Depening on what cut of beef you buy, the dish might be ready sooner or longer than the recipe.
• Serve with traditional Czech dumplings or with a thickly cut sourdough bread.

CZECH BEEF GOULASH (GULAS)

Steps:

• Peel the onion and chop it roughly. Cut the beef into 1-1.½-inch pieces.
• Melt the lard or vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a pot with a thick bottom (I use a heavy iron cast Dutch oven). Fry onions until almost brown. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Finally, add the crushed caraway seeds and stir for another minute.
• Add beef chunks, season with salt, and fry them from all sides until a golden brown crust is created. Expect the meat releases some juices when fried. Stir frequently, and scrape off the burnt residue on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spatula. If necessary, reduce the heat or add a spoon or two of water.
• Turn the stove on medium heat, and add ground pepper, sweet paprika, and tomato paste. Fry for 1 minute while stirring. The base can't get burnt, or else the goulash will taste bitter. Add 1-2 spoons of water to prevent burning.
• Pour in water, so the meat is almost covered. Add bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and allow the beef to simmer for 2-2.5 hours or until soft.
• Check the goulash from time to time. Add some water if the level of liquid in the pot falls. When the gulas contains too much water, cook it uncovered at the end. The liquid will be reduced, and the gulas will gain a richer flavor and a nice red color. Stir occasionally.
• When the beef cubes are soft, add flour to thicken the stew. In the next step, I'll provide a helpful method for making the stew sauce smoother and more cohesive.
• Thickening of goulash with flour (optional): Take off the pot's lid. Using a small sieve, carefully dust the surface of the stew with a tablespoon of flour. Do not stir. Cover with the lid and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir. The sauce will be just thick enough!
• Remove bay leaves, add crushed garlic and dried marjoram, and stir. Season with salt to your liking. Cover with a lid and let it rest off heat for 10 minutes.

AUTHENTIC AUSTRIAN BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cut beef into 2-inch (5-6 cm) cubes. Only trim off thick outside fat, in case there is any. The interior fat will be rendered out during cooking which makes the beef tender and the sauce smooth and thick.
• Peel onions and cut them in half, lengthwise. Cut into thin and even half-moon slices to ensure they all cook evenly later.
• Heat 1 tablespoon clarified butter or oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sear, turning occasionally, until beef is browned, about 5-10 minutes. The pot shouldn't be crowded or the meat won't brown nicely. Rather add beef in two batches. Add more oil if needed. Transfer beef to a large plate and set aside.
• Add a tablespoon clarified butter or oil and the sliced onions to the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes over high heat, stirring steadily. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the onions are golden brown and soft, stirring often, about 15 minutes.
• Note: This step is optional. You can add marjoram and caraway seeds as is (almost all recipes do so). I, on the other hand, always mince marjoram and caraway seeds to transform them into powder (or at least chop finely). Mince the marjoram with a sharp knife until powdery. This works very well and you'll be finished within 30 seconds. Now the trickier part: Usually, caraway seeds tend to be too firm to crush with a mortar and pestle. Either, grind caraway seeds with an electric grinder (coffee grinder), or chop them with a knife. I usually sprinkle the seeds onto a dollop of softened (clarified) butter and mince them with a sharp knife. The butter prevents the caraway seeds to jump off the cutting board. Add the seeds including the (clarified) butter during the next step.
• Add tomato paste, marjoram, caraway seeds, and paprika to the onions. Stir for about 20 seconds. Do not roast longer since paprika will get bitter if roasted for too long. To be on the safe side, you can add all the spices except paprika. Roast them for ½ to 1 minute. Now add paprika and stir for a few seconds.
• Immediately add vinegar, followed by a cup (240 ml) of water. Stir well and let the onion-mix reduce until almost all liquids have evaporated, about 15 minutes.
• Add another cup of cold water (for easier blending) and blend using an (immersion) blender, then return to pot. The sauce will be orange but will darken the longer it cooks.
• Add salt, bay leaves, and beef with any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and return to a simmer over low heat. Only if the beef cooks low and slow it will get tender. This will take about 3 hours. The sauce will get darker in color and it will thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt (you will probably have to add a pinch or two).
• In theory, the goulash is ready now. However, I highly suggest letting it cool overnight (put it in the fridge, lid on) and reheating the goulash the following day. This will enhance the flavor and texture. You can reheat it over the next couple of days, the goulash will only get better. Add a little water to thin, if needed. Store in the fridge in between.
• Serve with a crunchy Kaiser roll and Austrian-style pasta like Spaetzle or Nockerl. Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC HUNGARIAN GOULASH (GULYASLEVES)

Steps:

• 1. Brown onions in shortening. Reduce heat to low. Add beef, salt, pepper, and paprika. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
• 2. Add hot water, diced potatoes and bay leaves. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender.
• 3. Prepare egg dumpling batter: 1 slightly beaten egg 1/8 tsp. salt 1/4 c. + 2 Tblsp. flour Add salt to egg. Stir in flour. Let stand for 1/2 hour.
• 4. Drop dumpling mixture by teaspoonfuls onto top of goulash. Cover and simmer 5 minutes after dumplings rise to surface.
• 5. Serve with sour cream.

TRADITIONAL GERMAN GOULASH

Steps:

• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons canola oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and saute the stewing meat until nicely browned. Add the caramelized onions, garlic and caraway seeds. Cook for 1 minute, and then add the paprika, Montreal steak seasoning, onion powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. Add the green and red peppers, stir and saute until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
• Add the tomato puree and tomato paste and stir. Add the vegetable broth and 1/2 cup water, plus more if needed, and deglaze the Dutch oven, making sure to loosen anything stuck to the bottom of the pot.
• Bring to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 90 minutes. Serve over Spaetzle, egg noodles or dumplings.

BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Cook macaroni according to package directions.
• Drain and set aside.
• Brown gound round with mushrooms, onion and garlic.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Simmer gently about 15 minutes.
• Add cooked, drained macaroni.
• Simmer 5 minutes.
• Remove Bay Leaf.

AUTHENTIC BEEF CHUCK GOULASH

Steps:

• in dutch oven or electric skillet: roll beef in paprika, saute in fat.
• Add rest of ingredients, except sour cream.
• Bring to slow boil, cover, and simmer for 3-4 hours, checking liquid levels.
• When done, serve over hot buttered noodles or potatoes -- top w/ sour cream.

HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• In a large pot, brown the meat in vegetable oil or pork lard over low heat, stirring frequently.
• Add the onions, garlic, and pepper and saute until translucent. The onions should be cut into very small pieces. This is essential in order to achieve the "stew consistency". Add a small amount of water or broth, if necessary, to keep the vegetables sticking to the pan.
• Add the Hungarian paprika, ground caraway, bay leaves and salt. Mix well.
• Add the chopped tomatoes or the tomato sauce. Also add the beef stock or water.
• Cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours or until tender.
• Re-taste for seasoning.
• Place lard or oil in the Instant Pot and press "Saute" button.
• Brown the meat stirring frequently.
• Add onions, garlic, peppers and continue stirring until onions are translucent.
• Add paprika, ground caraway, bay leaves, salt, tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes and the liquid.
• Cancel the "Saute", close the pot and set it on "Stew". (For tender and juicy meat, I recommend cooking it about 20 minutes per pound(you have 3 pounds of meat in this recipe) of high pressure (the manual setting), plus 15 minutes of natural release.

CHEF JOHN'S BEEF GOULASH

Steps:

• Season beef with salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat; cook and stir beef in hot oil in batches until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large stockpot and reserve drippings in the skillet.
• Return skillet to medium heat; stir onions into the reserved drippings, drizzle olive oil over onions, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the stockpot with beef.
• Combine paprika, caraway seeds, black pepper, marjoram, thyme, and cayenne pepper in the skillet and toast over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth and stir; transfer to the beef and onion mixture.
• Stir 3 cups chicken broth into beef mixture. Add tomato paste, garlic, vinegar, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; place stockpot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until a fork inserts easily into the meat, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

EASY HUNGARIAN GOULASH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss beef with flour until well-coated. Set aside.
• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter. Once butter is melted, add onions and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. If the onions begin to brown, turn the heat down.
• Add paprika and caraway seeds and cook for 1 minute more.
• Add beef to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
• Slowly pour in the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon as you go to dislodge any cooked-on bits.
• Add tomatoes and remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the temperature as needed, for 2 to 2½ hours, until meat is tender.