Barbecue beef buns - minus the BBQ

This is a crockpot recipe I have been meaning to try for a long time. It reminds me of being in the US last year where we tried a BBQ pork bun at one restaurant chain.

The basic idea is that browned blade steak (or some other cheap cut of beef that needs slow cooking) is dusted with a little flour, and browned. It is then put in the crockpot with 1/2 c water to 1.5kg of beef, and cooked on high for about 4-5 hours, or until you can shred it with 2 forks.

The liquid is removed, and the shredded beef is returned to the crockpot. To this you add a sauce of 130g tomato paste, 1/2c tomato sauce, 2T molasses, 2T balsamic vinegar, 2T worcestershire sauce, 1tsp mustard powder, 1tsp chilli powder, and 1tsp salt, along with as much of the retained meat juices as you need to get a nice consistency.
The beef is then reheated on low for a couple of hours.

This is served in rolls with red onion slices (the recipe says raw red onion, but we decided to be less odourous and cook it). Really tasty, and easy. I think that I will give it a go with pork some time, and see how that goes.
The kids loved it, and the 1.5kg of beef gave us enough for dinner, Daryl's lunch the next day, and a little bit to go with our wraps for dinner last night. Not bad for $15 of meat.

So, tonight we are off to the Bruce Mason Theater in Takapuna to watch the Kids for Kids choir performance.... a bunch of kids choirs from various Auckland schools singing with Suzanne Prentice to raise money for World Vision. Kyla is part of Waimauku School's choir. That is after the kids soccer practices that start at 3:30. Braden's team has a practice game this afternoon, finishing at 5:20. So after that we will head home to get them changed, then get to Takapuna by 6:30-6:45 when Kyla is supposed to be there. Something is missing from this plan? Oh, that's right... I need to feed them. Hmmm, not sure when that will happen.

Tomorrow Kyla has an inter-school Triathalon, and after school her Birthday party down at West Wave pools. Then soccer Saturdy morning for all 3, pick up a new bed (off trademe) for Kyla on Saturday afternoon after Daryl's soccer game at 12:30, bake dessert for mother's day when we get home, then church Sunday morning, ice birthday cake for Kyla on Sunday afternoon, dinner with the whanau Sunday night...
Time for a lie down I think.