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Brasato al Barolo is the pinnacle of Piedmontese cooking, a dish in which a whole joint of beef is marinated overnight in a full bottle of Barolo - Italy's most powerful red wine - along with aromatic vegetables, juniper berries, cloves, and bay, then braised over three hours until the meat becomes impossibly tender and the wine reduces into a mahogany-dark, intensely flavoured sauce. The Nebbiolo grape of Barolo imparts a distinctive tannic structure, floral perfume, and earthy complexity that no other wine can replicate in this dish. The beef virtually dissolves at the touch of a fork, while the braising liquid is passed through a sieve and reduced to a velvet-smooth, rich sauce. This is one of the great dishes of Italian winter cooking - a recipe that demands time, a good bottle of wine, and absolutely no shortcuts.
Prep
25 min
Cook
210 min
Total
235 min
Servings
4 srv
Difficulty
Hard
Calories
450 kcal
For 4 serving(s)
Per serving
Place the beef in a large bowl. Pour the Barolo over it, then add the halved onion, sliced carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries, and cloves. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper. Strain the marinade, reserving the liquid and vegetables separately.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Season the beef generously and sear it on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, cook the reserved marinade vegetables over medium heat for 8 minutes until softened. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
Return the beef to the pot. Pour in the reserved marinade liquid and the beef broth. The liquid should come about two-thirds up the meat.
Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid, and braise on the lowest possible heat for 2.5-3 hours, turning the beef every 45 minutes. The meat is ready when a fork slides through it effortlessly.
Remove the beef and rest it on a board. Pass the braising liquid through a fine sieve and reduce it in the pan over medium-high heat until thickened to a sauce. Slice the beef and serve with the sauce poured over, accompanied by polenta or roasted potatoes.
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