Spread the cubed beef chuck over a chopping board and season well with salt and pepper.
2 ½ lbs beef chuck, salt, pepper
Place a large pan over a high heat and add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil an allow to heat up.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Add the beef in batches to the pan and cook until seared/browned on all sides.
When browned, transfer all of the beef to a large pot with lid.
Turn the heat down on the hob to a medium and add the chopped onions, ½ tsp of salt and a little drizzle of olive oil and stir. Cook until the onions have softened and starting to brown. Will be about 5 minutes or so. When cooked, also transfer to the large pot leaving the flavoured fats and oil in the pan.
2 large onions, 3 tsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt
Add the marjoram, thyme, paprika, cayenne and black pepper together with the crushed carraway seed and cook for a few minutes until they all release their oils and become aromatic. Add ¼ of the chicken stock to the pan and stir well making sure you get all of the goodness off the bottom of the pan. Add to the large pot.
Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat so the goulash starts to simmer and leave for about 1 ½ hours. If a knife slides easily into the beef, then it’s cooked to perfection. If not, then leave for up to another 30 minutes and test again.
Serve with dumplings, rice or pasta for a filling meal.