No. It's not made from pirates. It is made in tribute TO pirates. And offered for Talk Like A Pirate Day. For reasons of clarity, it's not written in AW's Piratese dialect.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons bacon drippings (or cooking oil if you are a sissy landlubber!)
1 small sweet potato, chopped (SWEET potato. NOT yam. If you don't know the difference between a yam and a jersey sweet, you can't make this recipe)
4 small white potatoes, chopped, about a pound (Katahdins, if you can get them)
1 celery rib, chopped
2 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider vinegar)
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup pineapple juice (depending on how sweet you like stuff)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 vegetable bouillon cube (if you are making this for a slow cooker) OR one can of chicken broth or vegetable broth (if you are making this on the stove)
3 tablespoons rum (really, the alcohol cooks out)



Directions for Slow Cooker [or Pot]*

Heat the bacon fat (or cooking oil you are a lubber).

Flour the beef (you can shake the beef with the salt and pepper and flour in a plastic bag if you prefer that method).

Brown the beef in the fat.

Transfer the meat into the bottom of a slow cooker [or pot] and return the skillet to the heat.

Add the sweet potato, white potato and celery. Pour the vinegar into the hot skillet to deglaze the pan. Scrape the particles on the bottom of the pan with a spatula. Then empty these ingredients into the slow cooker.

Return the skillet to the heat and melt the butter. Cook and stir the onion in the melted butter until translucent then scrape the onion and butter into the slow cooker.

If you are making this in a crock pot: Combine the pineapple juice, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, garlic, beef bullion, and rum in a small saucepan; cook until the bouillon cube dissolves. Pour into the slow cooker.

If you are making this in a stovetop pot, just combine everything in the pan and use the chicken broth and not the bullion cube.

Turn the slow cooker on to High; cook for 1 hour. Switch heat to Low and cook an additional 6 hours. If you have an autoshift, this takes about 8 hours. If you want to make this in a regular pan on the stove, it cooks for two and a half to three hours on simmer. (NOT boil. Never boil!)

If you do not care for sweet tasting meat dishes, don't make this.

Yaaar!

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*Actually, I cook the meat separately in the crock pot the day before I want to serve this. Then I cook the other stuff the next day, separately on top of the stove. And add the cooked beef when everything else is cooked and ready to eat. But that sounded way too complicated. It's easier in the long run though, because beef cooks at a different rate than potatoes do.