Review: Jamaican Beef Stew

Started with this recipe from recipezaar.

I made a few modifications to the sauce (see below) -- the meat & veggies are unchanged.

Cooked in the crockpot on low for about 7 hours...the carrots weren't quite as soft as I prefer, but the meat was very nice and tender.  The sauce came out fairly spicy, but I think the BBQ sauce is the main source of heat so that'd be pretty easy to tone down with a different sauce.  The meat and veggies weren't particularly hot themselves.  I served it over mashed potatoes which helped off-set some of the spice

Sauce Base for Jamaican Stew (Crockpot)

1T sugar
1 t anchovy paste
1 t dijon mustard
2-3 T Worcestershire sauce
~1/4 c barbeque sauce (I used Rudy's which has a lot of pepper)
2 t apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 t Beef Better Than Bullion (I'm like a walking billboard, I know!)

Mix together in bottom of crockpot before adding in the meat.  Stir to coat meat.  Top with vegetables.  Finish off with the tomatoes.  I used a can of whole tomatoes chopped up and did NOT add the extra juice.  There was plenty of liquid produced during the cooking process.  I also did not add the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. 

The Verdict:  A-
It was a nice change of pace from a more traditional beef stew/soup.  I think the sauce could use some refining.  The top sirloin is the perfect meat for this sort of thing though.  It doesn't completely fall apart but is definitely much improved by the slow cooking.