Karjalanpaisti (Finnish Karelian Beef and Pork Stew)

• 1 kg beef stewing cubes (paistikuutiot), a well-marbled cut
• 1 kg pork belly (or shoulder), cut into large cubes with the fat left on
• 2–3 tbsp butter, for browning
• 2–3 tsp salt
• 2 large onions, cut into wedges
• 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 8–12 allspice berries (maustepippuri)
• 2–4 bay leaves
• hot water (or hot stock), just enough to barely cover the meat
• chopped curly parsley, to serve

Method

The cook speaks Finnish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Heat the oven to 150 °C. Cut the beef and the pork into large, roughly even cubes, leaving the fat on the pork for juiciness. 3:35
2. Melt butter in a frying pan over high heat and brown the meat in batches until deeply coloured on all sides, salting lightly as it browns. Move each batch into a heavy casserole. 5:00
3. Cut the carrots into large pieces and the onions into halves, then quarters. Toss them briefly in butter in the hot pan, then layer them in the casserole between the meat. 6:26
4. When the last batch is browned, pour hot water into the pan to lift the browned bits; add the bay leaves, allspice and the rest of the salt (no other spices). Pour the spare fat out of the second pan, then deglaze it too. 11:21
5. Pour the hot liquid over the meat so it is only just covered, with a few pieces poking out. Bake uncovered at 150 °C for about 3 hours, until tender and the liquid has reduced and darkened on top. 15:10
6. Serve hot from the pot with plenty of the cooking juices and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. 18:24

Tip. Serves 6–8. Eaten with mashed or boiled potatoes and lingonberries; swede or cabbage keep it lighter. Keeps for days. The pork belly is counted raw, with the fat he pours off, so the fat figure is on the high side.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.