Chef Graziella
Abbacchio a Scottadito
Roman lamb chops grilled over scorching heat, seasoned with nothing but salt, rosemary, and fire. You eat them with your hands, straight from the grill, burning your fingers because you cannot wait.
Culinary Explorer
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Brasato al Barolo
Created by
Piedmont's great celebration braise, where beef surrenders to a full bottle of Barolo over 24 hours of marinating and 4 hours of gentle heat. The wine of kings becomes the sauce itself.
Main Dishes
Italian, Piedmontese
Special Occasion
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
30 min
Active Time
4 hr cook•28 hr 30 min total
Yield8 servings
In Piedmont, they do not waste Barolo on ordinary occasions. This wine, made from Nebbiolo grapes grown in the Langhe hills, costs what it costs because it is exceptional. To pour an entire bottle over a piece of beef and cook it for hours is an act of deliberate extravagance. You do this for celebrations: a wedding, a milestone birthday, the return of someone long missed.
The technique is straightforward. The beef marinates in the wine overnight, absorbing its tannins and fruit. Then it braises slowly until the meat yields completely to a fork. The wine reduces into something extraordinary, a sauce of concentrated depth that tastes of the Piedmontese hills themselves.
What you keep out is as significant as what you put in. There is no tomato here. No stock. No cream. The sauce is wine and meat juices, nothing more. The spices are subtle: cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns. They support the wine rather than compete with it. Restraint, as always, is the point.
Brasato al Barolo emerged from the aristocratic kitchens of 19th-century Piedmont, where wealthy families could afford to braise beef in their finest wine. The dish spread to bourgeois tables as Barolo production increased, becoming the centerpiece of celebrations across the region. Today, the recipe remains largely unchanged from what those first cooks prepared: beef, wine, patience.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
beef chuck roast or bottom round
Quantity
4 pounds
in one piece
Barolo wine
Quantity
1 bottle (750ml)
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
cut into large chunks
carrots
Quantity
2 medium
peeled and cut into large chunks
celery stalks
Quantity
2
cut into large chunks
whole cloves
Quantity
4
bay leaves
Quantity
2
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
black peppercorns
Quantity
6
fresh rosemary
Quantity
2 sprigs
fresh thyme
Quantity
4 sprigs
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
beef broth
Quantity
1 cup
if needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| beef chuck roast or bottom roundin one piece | 4 pounds |
| Barolo wine | 1 bottle (750ml) |
| yellow onioncut into large chunks | 1 medium |
| carrotspeeled and cut into large chunks | 2 medium |
| celery stalkscut into large chunks | 2 |
| whole cloves | 4 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| black peppercorns | 6 |
| fresh rosemary | 2 sprigs |
| fresh thyme | 4 sprigs |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| unsalted butter | 2 tablespoons |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| beef brothif needed | 1 cup |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 6-quart Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid
- •Large glass or ceramic bowl for marinating
- •Fine-mesh strainer
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Begin the marinade
Place the beef in a deep ceramic or glass bowl. It must not be metal, which can react with the wine. Scatter the onion, carrots, and celery around and over the meat. Add the cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme. Pour the entire bottle of Barolo over everything. The wine should nearly cover the meat. Turn the beef to coat all sides.
The marinade requires a full 24 hours. This is not a suggestion. The wine must penetrate the meat and the aromatics must infuse the liquid. Attempting to rush this step will produce an ordinary braise, not brasato. - 2
Marinate overnight
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning the meat once or twice if you remember. The meat will take on a deep purple color from the wine. This is correct.
- 3
Prepare for braising
Remove the beef from the marinade and pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels. Wet meat will not brown. Strain the marinade through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving both the liquid and the vegetables separately. The liquid should measure roughly three cups.
- 4
Brown the meat
Season the beef generously with salt on all sides. In a heavy Dutch oven or braising pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter foam subsides. Add the beef and brown it deeply on all sides. This takes 15 to 20 minutes. Do not move the meat constantly. Let each side develop a dark crust before turning. The color should be mahogany, not pale brown.
If your pot is not large enough to brown the meat without crowding, use a separate heavy skillet. The browning creates the foundation of flavor for the entire dish. - 5
Brown the vegetables
Remove the browned meat and set it aside. Add the reserved marinade vegetables to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they take on color and begin to caramelize at the edges, about 10 minutes. The vegetables have already given much to the wine; now they give what remains to the braise.
- 6
Begin the braise
Return the meat to the pot, nestling it among the vegetables. Pour the reserved wine marinade over everything. The liquid should come about two-thirds of the way up the meat. If it does not, add beef broth to reach this level. Bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop.
- 7
Braise slowly
Cover the pot tightly and transfer to an oven preheated to 300°F. Braise for 3 to 4 hours, turning the meat once halfway through. The meat is done when a fork slides in and out with no resistance. The flesh should yield completely but still hold its shape. Begin checking at 3 hours.
The low temperature is not negotiable. Higher heat toughens the meat. Patience creates tenderness. If your oven runs hot, reduce to 275°F. - 8
Rest the meat
Transfer the braised beef to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes. The meat continues to cook gently and the juices redistribute. Slicing immediately would release those juices onto the board instead of keeping them in the meat.
- 9
Finish the sauce
Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on the vegetables to extract their essence. Discard the solids; they have given everything. Bring the liquid to a simmer and reduce until it coats a spoon and tastes intensely of wine and meat, about 15 minutes. You should have roughly one and a half cups. Taste and adjust salt.
- 10
Slice and serve
Slice the beef against the grain into pieces about half an inch thick. Arrange on a warmed serving platter and spoon the reduced sauce over and around. Serve immediately. In Piedmont, this is accompanied by polenta or mashed potatoes to absorb the precious sauce. Nothing should be wasted.
Chef Tips
- •Use a genuine Barolo or at minimum a Nebbiolo from Piedmont. A cheap substitution defeats the purpose. You are braising in one of Italy's greatest wines. If you cannot afford Barolo, make a different braise.
- •The beef should be a single piece, not cut into chunks. A whole roast braises more evenly and slices beautifully for presentation. Ask your butcher to tie it if the shape is uneven.
- •Do not discard the braising liquid after straining. If you have more than you need for the sauce, freeze it. It becomes the foundation for extraordinary risotto or soup.
- •Brasato improves overnight. Make it the day before your dinner party. Slice the cold meat, arrange it in a baking dish, coverwith the sauce, and reheat gently at 300°F for 30 minutes.
Advance Preparation
- •The marinade requires 24 hours. Plan accordingly.
- •The completed braise can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Slice the cold meat, arrange in a baking dish, cover with sauce, and reheat at 300°F for 30 minutes.
- •The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated separately. Any fat will solidify on top and can be removed before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
635 calories
Total Fat
37 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
21 g
Cholesterol
190 mg
Sodium
650 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
58 g
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