Barbeque Beef Bites

Photo from Lord Byron's
Kitchen

Ooo Burnt Ends. They are so good. When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. 

First things first, the sauce was perfect. Nice balance of tangy and sweet, like a good BBQ sauce should be.

But here's the problem. Sirloin tip roast is hard to find in my neck of the woods. I settled for top sirloin steaks and then cut them down into cubes. The thing is top sirloin usually has to cook for a bit to make it tender. This recipe has you cooking them for just 25 minutes or so. I just knew that wasn't going to make these tender. 

If I made these again, I'd braise the cubes for an hour or so, THEN put them in a hot oven with the BBQ sauce and let them get all crispy. I also think I'd put them under the broiler for a minute or two to get the crispy edges. 

That said, this was a good meal. The meat was chewy and tough, but the flavor was good. 

Barbeque Beef Bites

Recipe from Lord Byron's Kitchen

Serves 8

• 2-3 pounds beef sirloin tip roast, roughly cut into two inch cubes
• 1 c corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 T onion powder
• 2 c ketchup
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 T ground mustard
• 3 T Worcestershire sauce
• ½ c brown sugar, lightly packed
• ½ T ground black pepper
• ½ c white vinegar
• 1 c water
• 1 Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
• 1 Pinch dried red chili flakes, optional
• Parsley, chopped for presentation (optional)
• Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add the beef, corn starch, and half of the salt to a large bowl and toss well to coat. Set aside.

Next, add the rest of the salt, onion powder, ketchup, lemon juice, ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, vinegar, water, cayenne, and dried red chili flakes to a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Whisk the ingredients together and bring to a low boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and allow ingredients to heat together for 20 minutes, whisking occasionally.

In the last few minutes, the sauce will thicken. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear each piece of beef on both sides. This process should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Do this step in batches. You don’t want to overcrowd the skillet. The beef should have a good brown crust before transferring to a bowl.

Once all the beef has been seared, pour the barbeque sauce over the beef and toss to coat. Remove each piece of beef from the bowl with tongs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leave a little bit of space between each piece of beef.

Bake for 25 minutes. While the beef is in the oven, transfer the remaining sauce back to the sauce pan and reheat.

Remove the beef from the oven. Plate for serving and top with a few drizzles of the leftover barbeque sauce.

Garnish with fresh cut parsley for presentation. Enjoy!