Posta Negra Cartagenera

The story

Posta Negra Cartagenera is a Colombian main with a clear sense of place. Posta negra is a signature dish of Cartagena and Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Its distinctive dark sauce combines slow-braised beef with caramelised sweetness and savoury seasoning. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 1400 g beef eye of round or silversidewhole piece
• 80 g panela or dark brown sugar
• 300 g onionssliced
• 350 g tomatoeschopped
• 18 g Garlic
• 45 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 0.5 tsp ground allspice
• 0.5 tsp ground cumin
• 800 ml beef stock
• 25 ml neutral oil
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Method

1. Season the beef and brown it slowly

   Season the beef and brown it slowly on all sides in oil in a heavy casserole. Take time over the browning because the dark crust supports the final sauce. Remove the meat.

   Tip: Caramel should be dark amber to mahogany, not black. Add vegetables the instant it reaches the right colour. Avoid: Burnt panela creates harsh bitterness; boiling the beef makes it tough; slicing with the grain gives long chewy fibres.

2. Lower the heat, add panela and let

   Lower the heat, add panela and let it melt into the pan juices until it becomes a deep mahogany caramel. Do not walk away: burnt sugar will make the entire braise bitter.

   Look for: it becomes a deep mahogany caramel

3. Immediately add onions, tomatoes and garlic to

   Immediately add onions, tomatoes and garlic to stop the caramel darkening. Cook 8 minutes, then stir in Worcestershire, allspice and cumin.

4. Return the beef and add stock to

   Return the beef and add stock to come halfway up the meat. Cover and braise at a low simmer or in a 160°C oven for about 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.

5. When the beef is fork-tender, remove it

   When the beef is fork-tender, remove it and rest 15 minutes. Simmer the sauce uncovered until thick and glossy, then blend or leave rustic according to preference.

   Look for: thick and glossy, then blend or leave rustic according to preference

6. Slice the beef across the grain, return

   Slice the beef across the grain, return slices to the sauce for 2 minutes and serve with coconut rice or plain rice.

   Look for: A fork enters the beef with little resistance and thin slices remain moist when returned to the sauce.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.