Italian Beef Brasato.

Brasato. A classic Italian slow cooked beef dish, traditionally slow braised with red wine and herbs to tender and delicious perfection. I took a slight detour with this dish and swapped the red wine for an Oatmeal Porter - simply because I love cooking with stouts and porters. Cooked at least the day before, this is a great dinner party or holiday meal, as the bulk of the cooking can be done well ahead - and - includes fairly affordable ingredients.

Served along side my Italian Beef Sausage Dressing and Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients

• 3lb Chuck Roast. I prefer Certified Piedmontese for it’s leaner profile and being All Naturally raised in Nebraska.

• 1 small onion, diced (or half a large onion)

• 2 ribs celery, trimmed and diced

• 2 Medium or large carrots, diced. (I didn’t bother peeling, just washed)

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 cups beef stock

• Half a bottle of your favorite porter, or 1 cup of your favorite red wine.

• Sherry Vinegar for a little acid.

• 2 Tbsp of Grape seed oil for searing (For it’s high smoke point)

  2 Tbsp butter - to add to your veggie mix

• Herb Bouquet (I tied all below herbs together with some butcher string)

  • If you don’t have string for a bouquet, just throw them in the pot. It’s just easy to remove when you are done cooking.

• 2 Sprigs Oregano (my new favorite herb)

• 2 Springs Fresh Thyme

• 2 Sprigs Rosemary

• 2 Bay Leaves

• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped for garnish.

• Salt and Pepper

Season your chuck roast.
Season your chuck roast on all sides with salt and pepper. Salt is your friend here. 3lb is a lot of beef, so it’s hard to over salt at this point.

Sear your chuck roast.
On medium-high heat, get your your pot hot and add in your grape seed oil and sear your chuck roast on all sides.
**Trick - to make sure the oil is hot enough, take a wooden spoon or spatula and touch the oil. If small bubbles start up, you are good to go!
I moved my chuck roast around the pan to ensure the whole surface gets both oil and pan to get a nice sear. Once done, set aside.
(I used a slow cooker for this, so I actually just placed it right in there.)

Get your aromatics into the pan.
Get our pan back on the burner on medium heat.
Add in your onions, celery, and carrot. Season with S&P. Drop in your butter to help further sweat down your veg mix. Soften for about 3-4 mins, then add in your Porter - scraping the bottom of the pan to bring up any loose meat bits that still maybe on the bottom.

Then add in your beef stock and sherry and bring to a simmer. Transfer the whole mix into the slow cooker and add in your herb bouquet.

Slow cook your beef.
I cooked mine on low for 8 hours, but you could also braise it in the oven at 290 for 3 hours.

Rest and Cool your beef. This is the important step.

I pulled my chuck roast out and place it into a baking pan. I strained out my braising liquids to removed all the herbs and veggies (it’s ok, they already played their part) and added the braising liquids into the pan, covered with foil, and let my chuck roast sleep overnight in the fridge. Letting the braising liquids get absorbed back into the beef, will result in some incredible added flavor and tenderness.

Next Day:
I removed the chuck roast from the pan, and scooped off some of the fat that settled to the top. I poured the remaining liquid into a pot and let that simmer on medium-low for 2 hours or until halfway reduced. Meanwhile, I sliced the roast into thick slices and placed the roast back into the pan, covered, and into the fridge.

When the liquid has reduced by half, I let it cool for 10 mins then poured the sauce over the beef, and placed it back into the fridge.

Final Cook.
45 mins before the meal, take our your roast and bake in a 350 oven for 45-60 mins (last 15 mins with the foil off). I also baked the dressing I had made as a side so everything came out of the oven at the same time and ready for the dinner table.

(If you wanted a thicker gravy, pull out 2 cups of the liquid into a sauce pot and add in a corn starch slurry (1 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp water) and whisk until it boils. As it cools, season with S&P for a perfect and luscious gravy. You could also add in a tbsp of butter or cream as well as it cools to add an extra level or richness)

Garnished with fresh chopped parsley and served.