Classic Size 3 Potjie: Rich Beef Shin and Sweet Baby Onion Potjiekos

Build a hardwood fire (kameeldoring or sekelbos) aside your cooking station. Position your Size 3 cast-iron pot over medium-hot coals, keeping a shovel handy to adjust coal density. Heat the sunflower oil or tallow until shimmering hot.

Add diced bacon to the base of the pot and fry until golden and crisp to render its smoky fat. Remove bacon bits and set aside. Season beef shin generously with coarse salt and pepper, then sear in batches over high heat until a deep, dark brown crust forms on both sides. Remove shin and set aside with the bacon.

Rake away some coals to drop heat to medium. Add the diced brown onions to the remaining pot drippings and sauté until translucent and sweet. Stir in crushed garlic and tomato paste, frying for 90 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot vigorously with a wooden spoon to release every bit of caramelized fond. Simmer rapidly for 4 minutes to burn off raw alcohol.

Return the seared shin rounds, marrow bones, and rendered bacon tightly onto the onion base. Pour in warm beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar. Tuck rosemary, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves among the meat. The liquid should rise halfway up the meat layer without drowning it. Secure the heavy lid and place 3-4 medium coals beneath the pot to maintain a faint, steady simmer.

Carefully lift the lid without disturbing the meat layer. Check tenderness—the shin should yield gently when pierced. Layer baby potatoes evenly across the meat surface, followed by the whole peeled baby carrots and whole pickling onions. Dust vegetables lightly with salt and black pepper. Replace the lid, ensuring coals under the pot maintain a gentle bubble without boiling violently.

Uncover and layer the whole button mushrooms and trimmed green beans right at the crown of the pot. In a standard No. 3 pot, this will fill the vessel to approximately 80% capacity—the ideal volume for internal heat convection and steam circulation. Seal the lid tightly, place 2 small coals on top of the lid, and let steam undisturbed.

Move the potjie completely off the coals and place it on a heatproof surface or cool grass. Allow the pot to rest with the lid on for 15 minutes. This settling period allows the marrow-rich sauce to thicken and the vegetable juices to harmonize without breaking down the tender meat. Serve warm over buttery stampmielies, savoury yellow rice, or alongside hot roosterkoek.