SMOKE ROOM PORTER STEW

Preheat frying pan to a medium heat on stove top or skillet, when ready add oil and butter then toss in chopped bacon, cook for a few minutes, drain some oil off and keep it aside to reuse when needed. Chop uncooked roast beef in chucks, season with sea salt and pepper then add beef to pan.

Cook until brown on both sides, seasoning with thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce, cooking for about 10 minutes.

After the beef starts to brown, add pressed garlic. (Please note only cook garlic for a minute until the flavours starts to release don't let it burn because it will charge the flavour.)

Then remove sauté bacon and beef out of pan unto a plate, until ready to use.

Then peel and cut carrots in chucks, celery and just remove peel on pearl onions or shallots leave whole plus just wash and leave baby spuds round with peel on.

Add to frying pan until start cooking it begins to brown or tenderize, about 10 minutes.

In the same frying pan add 1 tsp bacon oil, then add 2 to 3 tbsp flour, mix it around the pan until the flour starts to cook, with a wooden spoon remove all the brown bits from sides and bottom of pan, let thicken.

Then open a can of smoke room porter beer or porter of choice and pour over veggies in pan and get all of those brown bits off the pan before tossing the beef and bacon back into pan, add 1 cup of beef or vegetable broth. Toss in half or one cup of tomato sauce, one tablespoon of brown sugar and toss in more beef broth about 2 cups. On a low heat on stove top, oven, slow cooker or skillet with lid cook for about 2 hours or until fork tender..… The last 10 minutes add 12 or more baby tomatoes leave them whole.

Just fold them into the smoke room porter stew until all combined. At this point taste the stew and if you like more seasonings or broth add it to your stew…when cooked serve with bread or bread buns and a cup tea.

• Bonita’s Tips: 
• When making the thickening you can add more flour to have the stew thicker.
• Add gravy browning if you like the stew to be darker.
• Beers can add rich, caramel-like flavour to the meat with minimal cooking time.

Thank you to Baccalieu Trail Brewing Co! for giving us permission to use their tasty porter beer in our recipe. Beer tasting notes: Full-bodied, dark chocolate & roasted character, with caramel undertones and subtle herbal hop notes.

The S.S. Kyle was constructed in 1913, and ran aground in Harbour Grace during a winter storm in 1967, where it remains until this very day, fully upright, almost completely out of the water. During it’s long seafaring life, the Kyle served multiple purposes, including, operating as a sealing vessel, a supply ship to the Labrador coast and most notably as the first regularly scheduled ferry for Newfoundland to Labrador.

As the story go, passages would congregate and socialize in the Smoke-room on the ship, where many a yarn and plenty of times were had.