I started this Sandwich of the Month series without much vision. All I knew was that I freakin’ love sandwiches and eat them all the time when I’m out, but rarely made impressive ones at home. With the first couple of recipes, I took the safer route and used cooking techniques that I already felt comfortable with, but now that I’ve posted more than a handful of sandwich recipes, I feel I’m getting a lot more creative with the ingredients and techniques I’m using. I’m really glad that I started this series because it’s pushed me to challenge myself and to master new methods, which is always awesome.

This beef turns out tender, and between the acidic beer and sweet molasses, super flavorful as well; the arugula adds a grassy freshness and contrasting aroma that makes the sandwich très sophistiqué. The recipe technically takes a few hours to execute but most of the cooking time is inactive so you’re free to re-organize your sock drawer, do some sit-ups, watch a few episodes of #OITNB, or do whatever else floats your boat while you wait.

Note: The beef on its own is not super saucy. I’m a minimalist when it comes to sauces and prefer not to drown my food. If you like saucier foods, you may want to serve this with your favorite barbecue sauce.

(Yield: 4 sandwiches)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb beef chuck, cut into 2″ cubes
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bottle (12 oz) porter or stout beer, like Guinness
1 1/2 c water
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 ciabatta rolls
Arugula

Procedure: Place beef cubes into a container, season with salt, pepper and chili powder, and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 45 min. Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temp for another 15 min.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat and add half of beef cubes. Brown on all sides, turning occasionally, for about 3 min. Remove and add second half of beef cubes, brown and also remove from pot.

Add beer, water, molasses and tomato paste to Dutch oven. Stir to combine while scraping the pot with a wooden spoon (FYI, this is called “de-glazing”). Bring liquids to a boil, add beef back to pot, cover tightly with a lid and place in the oven. Cook for 1 1/5 hours. Then remove beef from pot and reserve remaining cooking liquid. Using two forks, shred beef - use one fork to hold pieces of beef and the other to shred. Add shredded beef back into Dutch oven and stir to combine with reserved cooking liquid. Divide beef among 4 rolls, top with arugula and serve.