Step 1

Prepare the meat: Cut the meat into large cubes (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches or 4-5 cm). If you see large hard tendons, remove those, but don't remove extra fat or smaller tendons in the meat (they will soften after long braising and the fat will make the meat juicy). Season the meat well with salt and pepper on all sides. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients and cook the onions.

Step 2

Prepare the remaining ingredients: Dice the onions and finely chop the garlic. Measure out the spices. Grind the caraway seeds (necessarily) and marjoram (not necessarily, but I prefer it) in a coffee/spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle.

Step 3

Cook onions: Heat clarified butter in a large pot (preferably a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven). Add the onions and cook for 30 minutes until golden/ light brown in color. First, start over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then continue over medium heat, and finish over low heat, stirring frequently. Make sure not to burn the onions, or they will be bitter. If you see the onions are browning too fast, adjust/lower the heat.

Step 4

Cook goulash: Add garlic, caraway seeds, and marjoram, and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Take the pot off the heat and add both types of paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, for no more than 20 seconds (if heated too much, it will be bitter).

Step 5

Put the pot back on the heat and immediately add vinegar, lemon zest, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add water or beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.

Step 6

At this point, if you wish, you could blend the sauce. This is not done traditionally because many Austrian recipes call for making goulash at least 1 day before serving it, and after this time, the onions almost dissolve into the sauce, achieving the perfect consistency. If you want to serve your goulash right away, you may want to blend the sauce slightly (not until smooth) with a hand/immersion blender.

Step 7

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove and add the meat. Yes, we are adding raw meat that has not been seared first. This is how this type of goulash is traditionally made, and it results in very tender beef. As you're adding the meat, the liquid should cook very slowly; it should not boil rapidly. Close the pot with a lid completely (this is important). There is not a lot of liquid in the pot, and if you leave the pot open, the meat will come out tough.

Step 8

The cooking time is 2-4 hours, depending on the type of beef cut you've used and the quality of the meat. I always cook my goulash for 3 hours. Very important - your goulash should not boil rapidly at any time, if should just barely simmer - you should see a couple of small bubbles at the surface of the goulash. The goulash will cook more rapidly when closed with a lid, so make sure to take that into account. Do not add any more salt and this point.

Step 9

When the goulash is done cooking and the meat is tender, season it to taste with salt and pepper. Adjust the sweet and sour levels if necessary by adding more vinegar if the goulash is too sweet and a touch of sugar if it's too sour.

Step 10

Enjoy!