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    Home » Main Dishes

    Braised Beef Cubes with Garlic

    Published: Sep 7, 2021 · Modified: Oct 31, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    This is an authentic Czech recipe for slow-braised beef cubes with garlic gravy. The dish is very popular in the Czech Republic, often served with potato dumplings and creamed spinach.

    Beef cubes with garlic gravy, served with potato dumplings and spinach.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ About the Recipe
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Detailed Instructions with Photos
    ➜ Serving
    ➜ Useful Tips
    Braised Beef Cubes with Garlic

    ➜ About the Recipe

    These are tender and juicy beef cubes in garlic gravy, slowly braised in an onion base with a small amount of liquid. Garlic gives the beef a unique flavor.

    Expect this recipe to take about three hours before it's done. For the vast majority of that time, the beef will slowly simmer without you having to care for it.

    ➤ In the Czech language, beef cubes with garlic are called “hovězí na česneku”. You can get it mainly in classic Czech pubs on the lunch menu.

    MY TIP: Try also this roasted rabbit recipe (it taste delicious!)

    ➜ Ingredients

    Beef cubes with garlic ingredients.

    To make beef cubes with garlic gravy we need:

    • Beef chuck or round; whole or steaks
    • Garlic; pressed
    • All-purpose flour; for thickening the gravy
    • Pork lard; for frying onions and meat, or table oil - sunflower or Canola
    • Onion; peeled, finely chopped
    • Water; in which the meat will stew
    • Salt

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.


    Quick Instructions:

    1. Cut the beef into cubes.
    2. Chop the onion finely, press the peeled garlic.
    3. Season the meat with salt and mix with the garlic.
    4. Brown the meat in a pan, set aside.
    5. Fry the onions in the same fat as the beef earlier.
    6. Put the meat back into the pan, pour water over it, and simmer until tender.
    7. Dust with flour towards the end and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
    8. Serve the finished beef cubes with spinach and potato dumplings.

    ➜ Detailed Instructions with Photos

    STEP 1: Cut the beef into cubes about 1 inch (3 cm) in size. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel and press the garlic.

    STEP 2: Salt the meat cubes and mix with garlic.

    Beef cubes mixed with garlic.

    STEP 3: Heat the lard or oil in a frying pan to a higher temperature and brown the meat in it. The meat will probably release its juices. Cook until the juices evaporate and the meat cubes are golden brown. Stir.

    Searing beef cubes in a pan.

    STEP 4: Remove the fried meat and fry the onion in the same fat. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of water. Using a flat spatula, scrape the drippings from the bottom of the pan and stir them into the onions.

    Frying onions in a pan.

    STEP 5: Return the beef cubes to the onions, and cover with water so that the meat is half submerged. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to a minimum, and simmer until the beef is tender. Stewing time for beef cubes: 2-3 hours.

    Slowly cooking beef cube in a water.

    STEP 6: At the end of the stewing (the meat is already soft and tender), remove the lid, add a little water if necessary and dust the surface of the stew with flour through a sieve. Put the lid back on and let the flour steam for 15 minutes at low heat - do not stir!   

    Thickening the garlic gravy with beef cubes.

    STEP 7: Finally, season with salt to taste, stir and serve.

    ➜ Serving

    Beef cubes with garlic gravy are best served with potato dumplings and creamed spinach. Garnish the dumplings with fried onion rings for effect and flavor.

    Beef cubes with garlic recipe.

    ➜ Useful Tips

    • Prepare the beef half an hour in advance. Cut into cubes, mix with salt and garlic and leave to marinate at room temperature. The meat will smell more of garlic.
    • The trick of dusting the beef with flour will ensure that the gravy thickens gently, yet no lumps form. There is no need for a roux either.
    • You can also prepare this recipe in a slow cooker. I recommend that the initial stage (frying the meat and onions) be done in a skillet and then put to a simmer in the slow cooker.

    More Czech recipes

    • Beef goulash – hovězí guláš
    • Braised red cabbage – červené zelí
    • Roasted pork shoulder – vepřová pečeně
    • Roast duck – pečená kachna
    • Beef roll ups – Spanelske ptacky

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Garlic beef cubes served with potato dumplings and spinach, Czech hovězí na česneku dish.

    Braised Beef Cubes with Garlic

    This is an original Czech recipe for slow-braised beef cubes in garlic sauce. The dish is very popular in the Czech Republic, often served with potato dumplings and stewed spinach.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
    Total Time: 3 hours
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 389kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Beef recipes

    Ingredients

    • 1 and ½ pounds beef chuck or round (680 g)
    • 3 cloves of garlic
    • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 2 Tablespoons pork lard or sunflower/Canola oil
    • 1 onion large
    • 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
    • water in which the meat will stew

    Instructions

    • Cut the beef into cubes about 1 inch (3 cm) in size. Peel the onion and chop it finely. Peel and press the garlic.
    • Salt the meat cubes and mix with garlic.
    • Heat the lard or oil in a frying pan to a higher temperature and brown the meat in it. The meat will probably release its juices. Cook until the juices evaporate and the meat cubes are golden brown. Stir.
    • Remove the fried meat and fry the onion in the same fat. If it sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of water. Using a flat spatula, scrape the drippings from the bottom of the pan and stir them into the onions.
    • Return the beef cubes to the onions, cover with water so that the meat is half submerged. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to a minimum and simmer until the beef is tender. Stewing time for beef cubes: 2-3 hours.
    • At the end of the stewing (the meat is already soft and tender), remove the lid, add a little water if necessary and dust the surface of the stew with flour through a sieve. Put the lid back on and let the flour steam for 15 minutes at low heat - do not stir!
    • Finally, season with salt to taste, stir and serve.

    Notes

    • SERVING: Beef cubes with garlic gravy are best served with potato dumplings and steamed spinach. Garnish the dumplings with fried onion rings for effect and flavor.
    • Prepare the beef half an hour in advance. Cut into cubes, mix with salt and garlic and leave to marinate at room temperature. The meat will smell more of garlic.
    • The trick of dusting the beef with flour will ensure that the juices thicken gently, yet no lumps form. There is no need for a roux either.
    • You can also prepare this recipe in a slow cooker. I recommend that the initial stage (frying the meat and onions) be done in a skillet and then put to simmer in the slow cooker.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1011mg | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 4mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    More Czech Main Dishes

    • Pork Liver with Gravy (Onion and Bacon Included)
    • Mushroom Bread Pudding (Czech Hubník)
    • Ham, Sauerkraut and Potato Dumplings (Czech Strapacky)
    • Crispy Pork Knuckle (Czech Veprove Koleno)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stephanie

      January 21, 2022 at 12:06 pm

      5 stars
      This stew is delicious! Thank you for sharing such a yummy recipe!

      Reply
      • Petra Kupská

        January 24, 2022 at 4:06 am

        You are very welcome! 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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