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Posta negra cartagenera
Beef in dark panela sauce
Posta negra: Cartagena's beef braised in a dark, sweet panela sauce
Posta negra comes from the Caribbean coast, from Cartagena's old walled city and the towns around it, and it is what a family cooks for a birthday or a Sunday when the grandparents visit. A whole piece of beef is browned, then braised slowly with onion, a little cola-coloured panela (unrefined cane sugar) and Worcestershire-style sauce until the sauce turns nearly black and glossy, sweet and tangy at once. It is sliced and served with coconut rice, fried plantain and a tomato and onion salad. The most common mistake is letting the panela burn when caramelising: it should turn a deep mahogany and smell like toffee, not acrid smoke. Chef's tip: slice the meat across the grain only after it has rested, then return the slices to the sauce so they soak it up.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 onionroughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ tsp salt
For the braise
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 ⅛ oz panela or dark muscovado sugargrated
- 1 cup colaregular, not diet
- 2 cups water
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
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What you'll need
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Blend 1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 ½ tsp salt to a smooth paste.
5 minStep 2: Prick 2 ⅞ lb beef eye of round or silverside, in one piece all over with a fork, rub the paste into it, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. Never leave it at room temperature.
Step 3: Lift the beef out of the marinade, scraping most of it off; keep the marinade. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper.
Step 4: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy casserole over a medium heat. Add 2 ⅛ oz panela or dark muscovado sugar and stir until it melts and turns a deep amber, about 3 minutes. Don't let it smoke.
3 minStep 5: Carefully add the beef (the caramel will spit) and turn it in the caramel for 6–8 minutes until it is dark brown all over.
8 minStep 6: Pour in the kept marinade, 1 cup cola and 2 cups water, and add 3 whole cloves and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over a low heat for 2 hours, turning the beef every 30 minutes.
120 minStep 7: Add 1 red onion and cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes more, until the beef is tender when pierced and the sauce has reduced to a dark, syrupy glaze.
25 minStep 8: Lift out the beef and rest it on a board for 15 minutes. Pick out the cloves and bay leaves from the sauce.
15 minStep 9: Slice the beef thinly across the grain, lay the slices back in the sauce and spoon it over. Serve with coconut rice and fried plantain. Chill leftovers within 2 hours; they keep for 3 days and reheat well, covered, until steaming.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does posta negra cartagenera take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 160 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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