Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season your flank steak on the top and bottom with your favorite jerk seasoning. If you have a Dutch oven or large, sturdy pot with a lid, let it heat up on the stovetop over a medium/high flame. After two or three minutes, add a drop of oil and sear one side of the flank steak. After a minute or two, flip your flank over and sear the other side. At this point, add the onion and it them sauté along with the steak for a minute or two. Add the beef stock and allow it to slightly reduce, maybe a minute or so, then turn off the heat. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings and stir to combine. Cover your pot with a lid and set it in the oven. After 1 hour, 40 minutes, pull your pot out of the oven, remove the flank steak and set the steak aside on a plate to cool. With the lid off the pot, put it back over low heat on the stovetop and allow the sauce to reduce a little, maybe 10 to 15 minutes. Once your flank is cool enough, start pulling shreds off along the grain. Once you have the whole piece in shreds, reintroduce the shreds to the sauce, stirring to combine.

I usually serve this with some fried plantains but it’s not necessary. If you want to go that route, make sure your plantains are fully ripened with dark husks and are semi-soft.

As for the vegetables, bell peppers and/or peas are traditional. I did a mix of red bell pepper, sautéed for a minute and some quickly blanched peas for this version. Black or red beans are always welcome with this dish, but not necessary. For a nice batch of cilantro rice, whip up your favorite rice, add some chopped fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime and lemon juice and add salt and pepper. Voila.