Beef Braised in Red Wine is a classic dish from Piedmont cuisine, quite complex but with a decidedly inviting flavor.
As per Piedmont tradition, Barolo wine is used, but it can be substituted with another, as long as it is of excellent quality, full-bodied, and not too young.
The wine is used for marinating and for the braised cooking of the beef, which should occur slowly along with many herbs and vegetables.
To achieve a good braise, the meat must be initially browned on all sides and then soaked with the marinade liquid.
It is a recipe that requires a lot of time in the kitchen, usually prepared on Sundays or holidays when you have the time for slow cooking and want to present a meat dish of a certain value, very succulent, tender, and soft.
For the perfect outcome of the braise, it is essential to choose the right piece of meat. The most suitable cuts are tough muscles that soften thanks to long cooking, but you should ask your trusted butcher for advice.
For cooking the braise, it is important that the pot is sufficiently tall and not too large, so that the piece of meat fits perfectly inside and is in contact with the vegetables and well submerged in red wine.
This recipe was prepared by my son Damiano, who, having lived in Turin for a while, has already experimented with this delicious dish several times, I guarantee it was really excellent and was liked a lot, I recommend trying it!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Slow Cooking, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients for Beef Braised in Red Wine
- 3 lbs Beef
- 2 sprigs Celery
- 3 Carrots
- 1 Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 leaves Bay Leaves
- 4 cups Red Wine (Barolo)
- 1 sprig Rosemary
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
Preparation for Beef Braised in Red Wine
To prepare the braised beef in wine, start with the vegetables: clean the carrots, celery, and onion, and cut them into very large pieces to prevent them from burning during cooking.
Then, in a sterile gauze, place some cloves and a cinnamon stick, close it all like a sachet, with some kitchen string.
MARINATING
Inside a baking dish, place the meat, vegetables, the spice sachet, some rosemary, a few bay leaves, and a clove of garlic in its skin, cover it all with red wine and marinate for 8 to 12 hours.
After marinating, place the meat on a cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels, drain the vegetables with a slotted spoon and remove the garlic.
COOKING
Melt some butter with a drizzle of oil in a non-stick pan over high heat, place the meat and leave it for about a minute on each side, without moving it to create an outer crust.
It is important that the meat is turned with tongs or hands, do not use sharp objects that could pierce it and thus cause it to lose internal juices.Once cooked on each side, slightly lower the heat, add the vegetables (carrots, celery, onion) and let them brown for a few seconds, then further lower the heat to a minimum and pour the marinade wine to half the height of the meat, let it simmer for about an hour.
After the first hour, turn the meat and, only if necessary, add more marinade wine, let it simmer for another hour or even more.
Once cooking is complete, place the meat on the cutting board and let it rest, blend the vegetables with a little marinade wine to obtain a good creamy sauce, which will accompany your slices of meat.
PRESENTATION OF BRAISED BEEF
Slice the meat better when it is a bit cold, place the slices on a platter, add the creamy vegetable sauce on top, and the wine-braised beef is ready to be served hot!
Anna advises…
Braised beef should be sliced when cold, otherwise the slices break, it’s perfect even the next day, actually even better, you can store it in the fridge already sliced or unsliced.
Just reheat it and pour the hot sauce over the slices.
Can I accompany the braised beef with potatoes?
Yes, of course, you can make oven-baked potatoes to accompany the braise.
Can I accompany it with salad?
Certainly, you can accompany it with a salad of your choice.
