Pièce de Bœuf Braisée (Relevé)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 7-quart heavy cocotte or Dutch oven with a tight lid
• •Butcher's twine
• •Tongs
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Long sharp carving knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Shape the long cut

   Tie the rump firmly with butcher's twine every 1½ inches (4 cm), keeping it long and even rather than drawing it into a thick ball. Season all over with the salt and pepper, then leave it uncovered in the cold for at least 45 minutes before cooking. Pat the surface completely dry. If the joint is thicker than 3½ inches (9 cm), split it along its length and retie it now; this changes its shape, not its identity, and prevents the outside from tiring before the center tenderizes.

   Cutting the raw joint in length concerns its cooking shape. Once braised, always carve across the grain so the fibers are short beneath the knife.
2. 2

   Brown the beef deeply

   Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the butter with the oil in a heavy cocotte over medium-high heat. Add the dry beef and brown every surface patiently, including both ends, for 10 to 12 minutes. Move it only when the pan releases it. You want a dark Maillard bronze and a firm brown fond on the pot floor. If the butter blackens, lift out the beef, wipe away only the bitter black residue, add a little fresh butter, and continue. Never sacrifice the whole braise to a scorched pan.

3. 3

   Build the braising liquor

   Transfer the beef to a plate. Add the sliced onion, chopped carrot, and celery to the cocotte and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring until their edges color. Add the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute, then sprinkle over the flour and stir for 2 minutes so its raw smell disappears. Pour in the wine in three additions, scraping every patch of fond into the liquid, and boil until the wine is reduced by half. Whisk in about 2¼ cups (540 ml / 540 g) of the stock, reserving the remainder, then add the bouquet garni. If the flour gathers into lumps, whisk before returning the beef; if the liquor still looks pebbled, strain it and put it back. Ça se rattrape.

4. 4

   Braise at a tremble

   Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Return the beef and its juices to the cocotte; the liquid should reach halfway up the meat, so add a little reserved stock if needed. Bring it only to a bare simmer, cover tightly, and braise in the oven for 2 hours, turning the joint after each hour. The liquid should tremble at the edges, never boil hard. If it is bubbling vigorously when you check, lower the oven to 275°F (135°C); a hard boil tightens lean rump and batters the sauce.

5. 5

   Add the vegetables

   Nestle the carrot lengths, turnip wedges, and pearl onions around the beef, turning them through the braising liquor. Cover and continue cooking for 45 to 75 minutes, until a thin skewer slides into the thickest part of the rump with little resistance and the vegetables yield to a knife without collapsing. Do not cook by the clock alone. Rump varies, and the first easy passage of the skewer is your signal to stop.

6. 6

   Reduce and mount

   Lift the beef onto a board, cover it loosely, and rest it for 20 minutes. Transfer the serving vegetables to a warm dish, discard the bouquet garni, and strain the braising liquor back into the cocotte, pressing gently but not forcing the spent vegetables through. Skim excess fat, then boil the liquid steadily until it coats the back of a spoon, about 8 to 12 minutes. Take it off the heat and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) cold butter. This is monter au beurre, mounting with butter, and it gives the sauce its final gloss. If the sauce is thin, reduce it further before adding butter; if it is too tight, loosen it with reserved stock. If the butter separates into yellow beads, whisk in a spoonful of cold stock off the heat.

7. 7

   Carve across the grain

   Remove the twine and identify the direction of the muscle fibers. Carve the beef across the grain into slices about ⅓ inch (8 mm) thick, keeping them together in the order cut. Arrange them on a warm platter with the carrots, turnips, and pearl onions, then spoon over enough sauce to glaze the meat and serve the rest alongside. The long raw cut gave you even cooking; the cross-grain carving now gives you tenderness. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for rump cut along the natural length of the muscle, not a short, thick roasting block. Show the dimensions if needed. This is the governing instruction in the source, not decorative fuss.
• •Use a concentrated, low-sodium beef stock with enough gelatin to feel slightly sticky when cold. A watery stock produces a watery sauce, while a salty stock can become harsh during reduction.
• •Frozen pearl onions are an honest answer when fresh ones are scarce, and they spare a tedious peeling job. Add them from frozen with the turnips and allow a few extra minutes.
• •Pour the same dry red wine used in the cocotte. The sauce wants freshness and structure, not sweetness, and the bottle needn't be grand to do its work.
• •Do not chase falling-apart meat. A relevé must still carve into handsome slices, so stop when the skewer enters easily but the joint retains its shape.

Advance Preparation

• •Shape, tie, and season the rump up to a day ahead. Keep it uncovered in the cold, then dry the surface before browning.
• •The entire braise can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cool the beef in its strained liquor, refrigerate it promptly, and store the serving vegetables separately so they retain their shape.
• •To reheat, slice the cold beef, arrange it in the sauce, cover, and warm gently until hot throughout. Lift out the slices before the final reduction, then mount the sauce with fresh cold butter just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 600g)