Sweet Beef (More Information)

As is standard in slow cooked food, this recipe is cooked by a liquid – in this case pineapple juice. This has the advantage of slowing the cooking and making cooking more uniform but also adds extra sweetness into all the ingredients in the recipe. The pineapple's sweetness intensifies, growing richer, during the cooking process.

Meanwhile, the beef cut used is chuck meat. Because chuck is tougher than other beef cuts (and fattier), chuck is the best choice for slow cooking. Cooking it more slowly will break down the fat in the meat. The liquid cooking method will break down the fats more evenly than other cooking methods.

When put in the fridge after it is being cooked and let to cool, the fats from the beef, along with a lot of the pineapple juice, will solidify. While the solidified fats and juice taste fine when eaten cold, the leftovers of this dish taste quite food when fried.

Frying will allow the fats and juice to liquefy more naturally (as opposed to in the microwave). Also while frying the beef will get crunchier and the pineapple a little sweeter, thus bringing out considerably different flavors than in the original slow cooked meal.