Cold Weather Braised Beef

The week between Christmas and New Year’s. The apartment is quiet again. Brayden is sixty-five weeks old. Cody’s post-Christmas slow Tuesday pop-up ran with a small contented eight-cover service. The cafe’s daytime service has been on its standard between-holidays curve (about sixty percent of the December rush volume).

Cold-weather braised beef is the Dutch-oven braise that has been our New-Year’s-Eve dinner for the last three years. A three-pound chuck roast, seared in the Dutch oven, braised for three-and-a-half hours with red wine, beef stock, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. The meat shreds with two forks at the end. The pan-jus reduces during the last twenty minutes uncovered.

The technique on a long braise is the temperature and the time. Three-hundred-twenty-five for three-and-a-half hours covered. The fat in the chuck renders slowly. The collagen breaks down to gelatin. The braising liquid develops layered depth that no shorter cook can match. The fix for any toughness is more time, not more heat.

Saturday New Year’s Eve I made it. We ate at the kitchen table at six PM. Dustin had two large servings with the mashed potatoes. Brayden had a small portion of plain shredded beef and a few soft-cooked carrots. We were in bed by ten. The first day of 2023 was a Sunday and we slept in until seven-thirty.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 pint (2 cups) home-canned crushed tomatoes, or one 15 oz can
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves

Instructions

Preheat and season. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Pat the beef pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels, then season all over with salt and pepper.
Sear the beef. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer seared pieces to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more, stirring until the paste turns a shade darker.
Deglaze. Pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let it simmer for 2 minutes.
Add liquids and return beef. Stir in the canned tomatoes and beef broth. Nestle the seared beef back into the pot along with the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves. The liquid should come about 2/3 of the way up the meat.
Braise low and slow. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover the pot tightly and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and pulling apart easily.
Finish and serve. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaves. Taste the braising liquid and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the beef in wide bowls with crusty bread, over egg noodles, or alongside mashed potatoes, spooning plenty of the rich tomato braising sauce over the top.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cold Weather Braised Beef