I’ve made a few different versions of this dish and this recipe from Super Tuscan seems to be my family’s favorite.  It’s worth the effort!

 

Brasato al Barolo

Ingredients

4lb beef chuck roast

3 cups Barolo wine (or a dry red)

1 bay leaf

1 small cinnamon stick

1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dry)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbs olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery,  chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1 large red onion, chopped

2 cups beef stock

For Marinade:

place meat in a large glass bowl. Cover with the wine and add in the bay leaf, cinnamon stick and rosemary. Make sure the mestis completely submerged in the wine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight, or  for at least 1-2hours. Flip once or twice during Marinade.

Position oven rack in the lower part of the oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Remove the roast from the liquid (KEEPING the marinade), Thoroughly pat meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is almost to the smoking point, add the meat and cook on all sides until well browned, it should take about 20 minutes to get a good sear on the beef. Remove to a plate.

Add the vegetables, garlic and onions to the Dutch oven and saute until carmelized, about 10 minutes or so.  Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of the marinade wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan(this adds flavor!) Add the remaining wine with the rosemary, bay leaf and cinnamon stick and bring to a simmer. Add the meat and any juices on the plate, then add enough beef stock to cover the meat. Cover pot with the lid and place in the oven. Cook until the beef is fork tender about 3 hours. Remove to a cutting board  and shred the beef. Cover meat and set aside. while you make the sauce.

Discard the cinnamon stick, rosemary sprig and bay leaf. Reduce the wine/beef liquid by bringing it up to a high simmer for 15 minutes. Once reduced, blend all the ingredients together with an immersion blender or place into a blender to make a sauce.

Place shredded beef back into sauce.  Serve over mashed potatoes, polenta or pasta.