What you need
Amount:
How I make it
The day before
Soak the beans for at least 12 hours, changing the water 3-4 times.
Start early in the morning of the day before you plan to eat.
Layer the potatoes, beans, onions, fat cubes and spices in the pot.
Add water to cover and stir.
Arrange the meat, kishke, hard-boiled eggs and bones, if using, on top and add water to cover.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook on the stovetop for 1 to 4 hours, topping up with water to keep everything covered.
Slow cooking
Move the covered pot to an oven heated to 285°F (140°C) and slow-cook for at least 18 hours.
The next morning, check the pot and add water as needed to cover two-thirds of the contents.
Keep slow-cooking in the oven until lunchtime, when you serve it.
What I've learned
- I use a very large pot. Even when one looks big enough, once everything is in, a quarter of it doesn't fit.
- An oven-safe pot is best. If I don't have one, after the stovetop stage I move everything to a preheated casserole with a tight lid. A Shabbat hot plate or a slow cooker works too.
- For the meat I use beef shank (fore or hind), flanken, ribs or osso buco, and best of all a mix: tender pieces, fat and gelatin.
- It's worth searing the meat while the onions fry.
- Bones are a must for me, and not just knee bones, which have no marrow. The marrow gets scooped out and spread on challah.
- Some people boil the beans separately two or three times, in fresh water each time, to make them easier to digest.
Source: ChefEf (chefef.com)