How to Make Braised Beef
Italian braised beef is a classic dish that simply melts in your mouth. Unfortunately, it’s not as popular as it once was, but it certainly deserves a comeback as it’s DELICIOUS! Make this surprisingly creamy and flavorful braised beef on a Sunday for a traditional Italian meal. This hearty main meal is tasty, flavorful, and the beef is so tender, it will fall apart at the slightest touch of a fork. This recipe may take a few hours to cook, but it is definitely ALWAYS worth the wait!
Watch the Braised Beef Video Recipe:
How to Make Braised Beef Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Braised Beef
Diced and large
Diced your chuck steak into large pieces keeping pieces of the fat on the cut.
Flavor of Red Wine
After adding your red wine, continue mixing it until it evaporates and only leaves behind the flavor of the red wine.
Cooking time
The the meat needs to be cooked for at least 2 hours before you braised beef are ready to be garnish and serve.
Braised Beef
Equipment
- Cutting board
- knife
- large pot
- wooden spoon
- Glass
- Measuring cups
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 800 grams Chuck Steak 28oz (Use: neck, shoulder, belly. Select a cut with some fat for more flavor)
- 1 Sprig fresh rosemary
- Bay leaves
- Chopped parsley
- 1 bottle Tomato Passata 700ml/24oz tomato sauce
- 1 L vegetable stock 34oz
- ½ Celery stick with celery leaves chopped
- 1 Carrot
- ½ Onion red or brown
- 2 tbsp Plain flour
- 2-5 Potatoes
- 1 Glass of red wine
- 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil EVOO
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Dice the chuck steak into large pieces keeping pieces of the fat on the cut.
- Get a large pot and put it on your stove at a medium heat then add 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.
- Add onion, celery, and carrot to the pot. This is called the soffritto and gives you the amazing base for your braised beef dish.
- Stir the soffritto with a wooden spoon and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the pieces of beef into the pot and mix it with the wooden spoon. Brown all sides of the meat on medium heat making sure to move the pieces around so it cooks well and makes love with the soffritto.
- Keep stirring the meat and vegetables.
- Add 2 tbsp of plain flour and mix this with the meat to create a cream. It will cover the eat and absorb all of the oil.
- Add one glass of red wine, continue to mix with your wooden spoon and wait until the wine evaporates and only leaves behind the flavor of the red wine.
- Add 1 bottle of tomato passata and mix it through the meat and vegetables. Cover each piece of meat with tomato sauce.
- Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and continue to stir the braised beef.
- Add a few bay leaves and the entire stick of rosemary into the pot.
- Add 1 liter of vegetable stock and stir, then cover the pot and cook for 2 hours.
- Peel the potatoes then cut them into cubes, wash and drain them.
- After the braised beef has been cooking for 1 hour, add the potatoes into the pot and remove the stem from the rosemary.
- Stir through gently then cook on medium-low heat for another hour.
- Once the meat has been cooked for at least 2 hours, serve the braised beef and garnish with chopped parsley.
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Video
How to serve Braised Beef
After many hours of waiting, it is finally time to enjoy your tender and juicy braised beef!
Use a ladle to serve the braised beef into a bowl. You can even put it over a bed of pasta or take a slice of sourdough bread toast to soak up all of that creamy, flavorful sauce.
Personally, my favorite way to eat Italian braised beef is by eating it with penne pasta. Just make sure to cook the pasta al dente, so the pasta does not get too soft in the meaty sauce.
To top it off, you can add some chopped parsley for a fresh herb taste while adding a bit of color to the dish.
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Ciao Vincenzo! La tua ricetta è stufato, non brasato…il brasato si fa con un pezzo intero di carne, e di solito senza pomodoro ma solamente con il vino… comunque ottimo stufato! Bravo e simpatico come sempre!
Ciao da Federica, Genova
This was a big success with the family. I baked a simple bread loaf to serve it with and everyone loved it.
I made this tonight and is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made. Thank you for this recipe!!
I’m especially happy that you said it is one of the best dishes you’ve ever made. That means a lot to me.
I’m glad that you found the recipe easy to follow and that the beef turned out so tender and flavorful. Braised beef is a classic dish that is perfect for a cold winter night. It’s also a very forgiving dish, so don’t be afraid to experiment with it.
Vincenzo
Fantastic flavours left out the potatoes and served on a bed of cheesy mashed potato,all the family including children loved this.
Thank you for your amazing tips,recipes and blogs.
Regards
Martin
Darlington
UK.
Vincenzo, I am from Malta circa 60 miles from Sicily. I visit Sicily many times usually by a sailing boat of my friend.
My son produces fresh pasta for high-end restaurants – mostly Ravioli. The fillings are many but the most popular are:- Prawn & Lobster, Ricotta, beef, Pork belly, Sausage meat, mushroom and others specifically produced according (recipe) to the restaurant chefs. Pasta and Gnocchi. Someday I’ll send you a video.
Finally an Italian meat dish without pasta! I cook many variations of chuck roast stews in the slow cooker. Haven’t tried it with red wine and tomatoes. It looks good and I will do it soon.
I think you’ll be surprised at how much flavor the red wine and tomatoes add to the dish. The wine gives the beef a rich and complex flavor, while the tomatoes add a sweetness and acidity that balance out the richness of the dish.