TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Brasato al BaroloBeef Braised in Barolo
Piedmont’s proud dish fit for a king. Beef chuck or shin is marinated overnight in Barolo, the “king of wines,” then slowly braised for 3 hours. Fork-tender meat and a reduced deep-red sauce are the marks of the real thing.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Beef chuck or shinUse as a whole piece; tying with string helps it keep its shape1000 g
- Barolo wineFor marinating and braising; use 1 whole bottle750 ml
- OnionRoughly chop2 pieces
- CarrotSlice into rounds2 pieces
- CeleryCut into 4 cm lengths2 pieces
- Garlic3 cloves
- Rosemary and thyme3 sprigs
- Bay leaves2 pieces
- Extra virgin olive oil50 ml
Method
Cut the vegetables
- 1 Roughly chop the onion.
- 2 Slice the carrot into rounds.
- 3 Cut the celery into 4 cm lengths.
Marinate in Barolo
- 1 Immerse the beef, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and herbs in 750 ml Barolo.
- 2 Marinate in the refrigerator overnight (8–12 hours).
Ready when
Proceed when all the meat has been immersed in wine and its surface is deep reddish purple.
Remove the meat
- 1 Remove the meat and thoroughly pat it dry with kitchen paper.
- 2 Reserve the marinade, including the vegetables.
Sear the meat
- 1 Heat 50 ml olive oil in a heavy pot over high heat.
- 2 Brown the beef deeply on all sides (8–10 minutes).
Ready when
Proceed when every side is deeply golden brown.
Braise the beef in Barolo
- 1 Add the vegetables from the marinade and sauté for 5 minutes.
- 2 Pour in all the wine marinade.
- 3 Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and braise for 2 hours 30 minutes–3 hours.
Ready when
Proceed when the meat is tender enough to fall apart with a fork.
Finish the sauce
- 1 Remove the meat, wrap in foil and rest.
- 2 Pass the sauce through a strainer and reduce over medium heat to half its volume.
- 3 Return the meat and serve with the sauce spooned over it.
Ready when
It is ready when the sauce has reduced by half and thickened.
About this dish
As soon as the grape harvest ends in the autumnal Langhe hills, the season turns to truffles and Barolo. Piedmontese farmers traditionally immersed a whole piece of beef in Barolo in years when the wine in their cellars was ready to drink. In this region’s food culture there is no hesitation about using the “king of wines” generously as an ingredient. Over its long interaction with the meat, Barolo’s tannins bring depth to the sauce.
The word brasato means “beside the embers,” or brace. Pots were once placed beside the hearth and cooked slowly for hours in its residual heat. Collagen dissolving from beef chuck or shin and the mellowing of the wine’s astringency are the products of time that cannot be hurried.
The deep-red Barolo sauce that has permeated the meat is completed by straining and reducing it. Polenta, or polenta concia dressed with butter and cheese, served with this sauce is a staple of winter tables in the Langhe.
Bring the full course home next weekend.
Bring every dish to the table at its best.
Choose the dishes you want to cook, and Chef Authen handles the shopping list and the day-of schedule. The Tabelia app turns everything from starter to main into one coordinated course in your kitchen.
- One shopping listBuilt automatically from your menu and any substitutions, ready to check off.
- One timelineEvery dish’s waiting and cooking time combined into a single schedule.
- Answers beyond the recipeFrom judging the heat to adapting on the fly, Chef Authen answers with concrete criteria, not guesses.