Description

This traditional South African Beef Potjie is slow-cooked over an open flame and layered with tender beef, hearty vegetables, warm spices, and a rich tomato-red wine sauce. The result? Fall-apart meat and deep, soul-soothing flavor in every spoonful. A rustic, crowd-pleasing meal that brings everyone to the fire.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
800g–1kg beef (chuck, T-bone, brisket, stewing steak, or rump), chopped
3 tablespoons flour (for dusting beef)
3 onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 pack diced bacon
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2–3 cups chopped butternut
10 baby potatoes, halved
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
2 large or 4 small baby marrows, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
⅔ cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 cup Passata (tomato purée)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

Prepare all vegetables, meat, and spices before starting.
Dust chopped beef with flour, coating all pieces.
Heat butter and oil in a potjie pot over hot coals until bubbling.
Brown the beef in batches until seared on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Add onions, celery, garlic, bacon, coriander, cumin, and thyme. Sauté for 3–4 minutes.
Reduce heat by removing some coals to allow a gentle simmer.
Layer the pot: return beef to the pot, then add potatoes, carrots, baby marrows, and butternut. Do not stir.
In a jug, whisk together tomato paste, red wine, beef stock, and Passata. Pour over the pot contents. Do not stir.
Season generously with salt and black pepper.
Cover with a lid and let simmer for 3–5 hours.
Check every 40 minutes to ensure it’s not boiling too hard. Stir only if meat sticks to the bottom.
If needed, remove the lid toward the end to reduce liquid.

Serve warm with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

Notes

Traditional potjie is best cooked outdoors over coals, but a Dutch oven on the stovetop or oven at low heat also works.
Avoid stirring once vegetables are layered to preserve structure.
You can swap red wine with more stock or a splash of balsamic vinegar for a non-alcoholic version.
Make a double batch—it tastes even better the next day!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 to 5 hours
Category: Main Course
Method: Slow-Cooking
Cuisine: Southern African