Brasato al Barolo simply means beef braised in Barolo wine. It’s a classic, rustic dish from the Piedmont region of Italy. While every Northern family has its own version, one thing remains the same – a hearty roast is cooked long and slow in a full-bodied red wine until the wine has reduced to a flavorful essence and the meat is soft enough that you can cut with a fork.
This dish is great for the colder months or for those days in which temperature are still low and the rain makes you feel colder and a bit lazy. It is now the time to get cozy around the kitchen and enjoy cooking this authentic Italian recipe.
The intense flavor of the wine, the herbs and spices will permeate the entire apartment, preluding to a flavorful meal that for me holds a lot of memories.
I have to confess that this recipe is part of that Piedomentese recipe repertoire I inherited from my dad. He learned it from his mom, nonna Giuliana. Often she was cooking this dish for the Sunday meal. The entire family of 4 children, wives and grandchildren was gathering around the table to enjoy this meal. I am glad I had this recipe and today I can share it with you.
While you will love this recipe
-It is a rich, comforting meat dish where you will taste the softeness of the meat, the velvety texture of the sauce and the aroma of wine and spices that the braised meat had fully absorbed.
-This recipe It is worth the effort : from watching carefully the meat while it simmers and to finally cut it and serve it with the delicious sauce on top.
-This dish tastes even better the day after. So I recommend to do it the day before you are planning to eat it. This will allow the flavors to blend together.
Brasato al Barolo Ingredients and substitution
Beef: I chose a 3 pounds cut of beef chuck. You can sub it with a brisket. In any case you need a good marbled piece of meat, the fat in fact will allow th meat to stay tender during the long slow-cooking. The meat needs to slowly simmer it for 2.5 – 3 hours for a tender result that won’t fall apart, but can easily be sliced.
Barolo wine: It is not now the time to use a cheap bottle of wine! For this dish, the quality and type of red wine is crucial. To achieve a full-flavored sauce, you need a big, bold wine. I used 1 full bottle of Barolo, one of the most emblematic and bold Italian wine from the Piedmont region. However, you could also use wine from Piedmont such as Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbera d’Alba or another red wine from the Veneto region like Valpolicella. They are a bit cheaper than a bottle of Barolo, but still the right quality to achieve a great result.
Carrots, Onions, Celery: you will need the holy trinity that makes the base for a good soffritto, I used a good amount as once blended gives more body and richness to the sauce. If you want a sauce that is more liquid simply halve the qty in the recipe.
Garlic: 3-4 cloves add additional flavor and you will need to roast first the chuck and then for the slow cooking.
Spices: cloves will add the winter deep notes and will marry with the wine.
Bay leaf: essential to add some herbaceous flavor along with thee thyme and rosemary. You will remove them after the slow cooking.
Salt, Pepper: to rub the meat. I prefer to use freshly ground as it seasons the meat better.
Flour: I rolled the meat in flour 00 before oan fry it. In this way the meat will retain the juices and will achieve a better slow cooking. You could also use all-purpose flour.
How to make Brasato al Barolo
Star by dicing the onion, carrots and celery and set aside.
Season very well the chuck roast on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use about 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour or 00 Italian flour to dredge the chuck and shake off the excess. Discard the flour.
Now add some olive oil to a Dutch oven pot and add 4 garlic cloves. Place it on the stove over medium heat. When the oil shimmers add the chuck roast and roast on all sides, 2-3 minutes by each side, until a nice crust will form.
Remove the chuck and set it aside. In the same pot, add the vegetables such as carrots, onion, celery that you previously dices and let them sweat and reduce a bit until the become soft and translucent. At this point return the meat to the pot, add cloves, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves and add a full bottle of Barolo ensuring it covers the entire piece of meat.
Let it simmer on low for 2-2.5 hours covered until you can easily pierce it with a fork.
Switch off the stove and let the meat rest until ready to be cut.Before cutting remove the cloves, herbs and bay leaves. Place the sauce in blender and blend it until smooth. Return it to the pot, add some cold butter to add a more glossy-velvety finishing to the sauce.
Cut the chuck and serve it over polenta with a generous amount of sauce on top.
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What to serve with Brasato al Barolo
Brasato al Barolo pairs well with polenta, whipped potatoes and a side of greens such as chard or spinach. It is a very satisfying meal, so I recommend as appetizers some bruschettas with Goat Cheese and Grapes, or some fresh tomatoes.
For dessert I recommend a Bonet, a classic Piedmont chocolate pudding or a classic tiramisu.
How to store Brasato al Barolo left overs
This dish can be store in the freezer for up to 8 weeks. Thaw it and reheat it on the stove top in a clay pot or Ducth pot on slow to make suree it is not buring.
You could also use it as a filling for classic agnolotti del plin, or ravoli, You can use the sauce as a dressing.
Which wine to pair with Brasato al Barolo
Definitely this recipe calls for Barolo, a full bodied red wine made entirely with Bebbiolo grapes Its high tannins and acidity that cut through the richness of a Brasato al Barolo. Barolo wines are known for their complex flavors, including red fruits (floral and herbal notes (rose, violet, eucalyptus), and as they age, tertiary notes of earth, leather and sometimes truffle. It is usually produced in limited quantities, and has long aging requirements, that added to labor-intensive nature of growing Nebbiolo, make it one of the most expensive Italian red wine.
I suggest to let your Barolo decant for at least 2 hours in a decanter before drinking it. It will need to breath and aerate for you to enjoy in its full bodyness
You need I recommend a Barolo from Monfaletto-Cordero di Montezemolo, or from Cantina Manzoni. These 2 labels are very close to my hear as Robert and I both them during our trip to Piedmont, We drank the Manzoni label form 2012 and it has preserved very well , adding an extra layer of flavor to this dish.
Please let me know in the comments how you like this Brasato al Barolo recipe, and if you make it please leave a star rating! I would really love to hear from you!
Ingredients
- 3 pound beef chuck
- ⅓ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic cloves
- 750 ml red wine Barolo
- 3 units cloves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 spring rosemary
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper black, ground
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup flour all purpose
Instructions
- Star by dicing the onion, carrots and celery and set aside.
- Season very well the chuck roast on all sides with 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper. Use about 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour or 00 Italian flour to dredge the chuck and shake off the excess. Discard the flour.
- Now add some olive oil to a Dutch oven pot and add 4 garlic cloves. Place it on the stove over medium heat and when the oil shimmers add the chuck roast and rpast on all sides, 2-3 minutes by each side, until a nice crust will form.
- Remove the chuck and set it aside. In the same pot, add the vegetables such as carrots, onion, celery that you previously dices and let them sweat and reduce a bit until the become soft and translucent. At this point return the meat to the pot, add cloves, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves and add a full bottle of Barolo ensuring it covers the entire piece of meat.
- Let it simmer on low for 2-2.5 hours until you can easily pierce it with a fork.
- Switch off the stive and let the meat rest until ready to be cut.
- Before cutting remove the cloves, herbs and bay leaves. Place the sauce in blender and blend it until smooth. Return it to the pot, add some cold butter to add a more glossy-velvety finishing to the sauce.
- Cut the chuck and serve it over polenta with a generous amount of sauce on top.
Nutrition
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