Beef, braised for hours in red wine, with pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. The wine must be drinkable, because when it reduces, everything concentrates, including the flaws of a bad one. A braised dish that practically cooks itself and tastes even better on the second day.
Why this works
During hours of braising, the alcohol evaporates, while everything else in the wine remains and concentrates: acidity, fruit aromas, and especially tannins. A thin, over-sulfured wine leaves exactly these flaws in an amplified form in the sauce. The tannins also have a function, as they bind to the meat protein and help break down the collagen of the beef shoulder during the long cooking time.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Sear the meat
Pat the meat cubes really dry and salt them. Sear them vigorously in hot oil in batches until brown on all sides, then remove them. Wet meat and a crowded pot will cause it to boil instead of sear, and without this dark crust, the braising sauce will later lack its foundation.
- 2
Bacon and vegetables
Render the bacon in the same pot until crispy, then add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté them for eight minutes until they take on color. Then sprinkle flour and tomato paste over them and roast both for two minutes so the sauce will thicken and gain depth later.
- 3
Deglaze
Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon, as that is where the concentrated flavor sits. Let the wine boil vigorously for five minutes so the alcohol evaporates. Then add the meat along with any accumulated juices, the broth, thyme, and bay leaves.
- 4
Braise slowly
Cover the pot and slide it into the oven at 150 °C for two and a half to three hours. The constant convection heat cooks more evenly than the stovetop, and you do not have to stir. The meat is done when it offers no resistance when pierced with a fork and falls apart into shreds.
- 5
Garnish and finish
Meanwhile, sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms in butter until golden brown and add them to the pot during the last twenty minutes. Remove the herbs, season generously, and let the sauce reduce a bit uncovered if necessary. Sprinkle parsley over it and serve with mashed potatoes or baguette.
Our best tips
- The wine must be drinkable. When reducing, every flaw is amplified, and cooking wine ruins the whole dish.
- Pat the meat dry and sear it in batches. This is the most important step for the sauce.
- Cook it the day before and let it rest overnight, then it will be significantly more aromatic.
Tasty variations
Coq au Vin
Use a jointed chicken instead of beef, shorten the braising time to 75 minutes, otherwise identical.
In the pressure cooker
After searing, cook under pressure for 45 minutes, then let the sauce reduce uncovered.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 856 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 51 g |
| Carbohydrates | 18 g |
| – of which sugar | 8 g |
| Fat | 54 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
Where the 856 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
Which meat is right?
Well-marbled braising cuts like shoulder, shank, or chuck. They contain connective tissue that turns into gelatin during long cooking. Lean tenderloin will become dry and stringy.
Why is my meat tough?
Almost always braised too short. Tough braising meat needs more time, not less. Give it another half hour and check again.
Can I freeze it?
Very well, for up to three months. It is best to freeze it without mushrooms and sauté them fresh when reheating.
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