by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated
from The Best Slow & Easy Recipes
(America’s Test Kitchen, 2008)
Serves 6 to 8
Barolo is obviously the wine of choice for this stew; however, an inexpensive bottle of it may require some searching. You may substitute a Cabernet Sauvignon or Zinfandel. Don’t use thinly sliced, prepackaged pancetta here; look for pancetta at the deli counter or in an Italian market where it can be sliced 1/4 inch thick to order. If pancetta is not available, substitute an equal amount of salt pork (find the meatiest piece possible), cut it into 1/4-inch cubes, and boil it in 3 cups of water for about 2 minutes to remove excess salt; drain and cook as directed.—Editors of Cook’s Illustrated
convert Ingredients
One 3 1/2- to 4-pound boneless beef chuck eye roast, pulled apart into 2 pieces, trimmed, and tied
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped medium
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped medium
2 celery ribs, chopped medium
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
One 750-ml bottle Barolo wine
One 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
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Directions
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) . Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown the beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to scorch. Transfer the roasts to a large plate.
2. Pour off all of the fat left in the pot, add the pancetta, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, and the rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the wine, scraping up any browned bits, until smooth. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
3. Nestle the beef, along with any accumulated juices, into the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover, place the pot in the oven, and cook until the meat is very tender and a fork poked into it meets little resistance, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, turning the beef every hour.
4. Remove the pot from the oven. Transfer the beef to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil while finishing the sauce. Strain the braising liquid into a fat separator or bowl, discarding the solids. Defat the braising liquid by either skimming with a ladle, using a fat separator, or refrigerate overnight so that you can remove the solidified fat.
5. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme to the defatted liquid, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until thickened, saucy, and measures about 1 1/2 cups, 15 to 20 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove the twine, slice the beef against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and transfer to a serving platter. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve.
Recipe © 2008 by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated. All rights reserved.
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[Anonymous] When we ate this braised beef dish, we thought it was delicious and worthy of guests. All of the flavors blended together perfectly and made for a very satisfying autumn dinner. You can’t go wrong making this. It’s so good! I’m freezing the leftovers and looking forward to having it again soon. It’s definitely a dish for anyone who’s a “meat and potatoes” person. I served mashed potatoes with it–lovely! Also, aside from the instructions to turn it every hour, there’s really no need to hover over the pot; just let the oven do its work.
[Linda Pacchiano] This is a great beef recipe, not very difficult, and exceptionally delicious. The beef was braised perfectly and fell apart into nice pieces, so slicing wasn’t even needed. The sauce came out perfectly. Be sure to trim some fat off the meat before you start, and you’ll have very little (for me it was nothing) when you de-fat at the end. I suggest serving this with some rice or boiled potatoes. You need a starch to balance the richness of this dish. We thought this was an outstanding recipe and very economical, considering the type of meat you’re using.
[Alison McIntosh] This was a great braised beef recipe. It was simple and easy to follow. The beef turned out very tender and flavorful, and the sauce was absolutely amazing! I will definitely make this again.
[John Velek] This recipe was killer, and I’ll make it over and over. The roast was absolutely wonderful. It was “self shredding”—it just fell apart. It was so moist and, with the braising liquid, extremely delicious. Full-seasoned flavour where present in the sauce: you could taste the pancetta, herbs, vegetables, and wine. It was truly wonderful. We served it with roasted vegetables and asparagus spears with hollandaise. What a wonderful meal on a cold day.
[Elise Hufano] I’ve never encountered a Cook’s Illustrated recipe that disappointed, and this one is no exception. It was a huge hit in our house. I didn’t have any Barolo, so I used Cabernet, as suggested, with good results. The recipe is a cinch to make and once in the oven can be left untended for much of the cooking time. The recipe has a fairly large yield and I used the leftovers to make a rágu the next day. Fantastic!
[Brenda Carleton] Succulent and packed with flavour, this braised beef dish is an excellent company dish. Our guests very much enjoyed it, as did we. The aromas were fantastic! This is definitely another recipe from LC that I’ll be making again in the future.
[Anonymous] This dish was so tasty and tender. The sauce was to die for. My husband, who is picky when it comes to beef, loved it. I liked having to cook this so long and having the house smell like my grandmother’s.
[Kristina Peterson] The wonderful smells that filled our home when cooking this dish were amazing! The recipe was easy to follow and very straight forward.
[Jeremy Schweitzer] I served this beef dish for a group of friends who needed a break from work and grad school. I thought it would be great cool weather meal—of course it warmed up right in time for the dinner. This was easy to pull together. (Except for the beef, I had everything I needed on hand.) The sauce was probably the best part and was great with both the meat and the chive/thyme mashed potatoes I made. I followed the recipe exactly, but using basically the same recipe, and letting it cook even slower, would make it a great meal to throw in the oven before heading to work. Get home, make a salad and mashed potatoes (or polenta), pour a glass of wine, and you have a complete meal.
Great heated up the next day. Yummy-the best beef stew we have ever had-thanks for sharing!
You’re quite welcome, Alice! Love love love to hear that. We ask our recipe testers to put our recipes through their paces before we consider posting them for you to make. We don’t place anything on the site unless we feel it’s going to elicit exactly the kind of comment you just sent. Still, it’s always lovely to actually hear it from a reader. Thank you for letting us know!