When I think about throwing a dinner party, especially a big one like this polenta supper I'm sharing with you this week, my thoughts immediately go to: What can I make ahead? Last week, I had an easy answer: a shredded, succulent mess of beef braised in red wine and tomatoes, falling apart in its juices. It's a terrific make-ahead dish, since like most braises, this beef gets better overnight, and takes all the stress of a main dish off your hands entirely. Sound good? It gets better.
I often make short ribs for company, but I've been noticing that this once economical cut of meat has soared in price. My local grocery charges $7 to $8 a pound for these things — remember they still have a bone in them. For this party, I finally blinked at the price and said no thanks.
The chuck roast isn't as trendy as ox-tail, or shank, or short rib. It's an old-fashioned cut of meat, thick with marbling, and easy to handle and shred since there are no bones to work around. And it's cheap — much cheaper than short ribs.
To make the beef for the party, I went through the motions of braising meat, the ones I can practically do in my sleep (they're so simple). I seared the meat to get a lot of flavor, then sautéed onions and garlic, simmered in some tomatoes and wine, and put the meat back in. Slap that whole thing in a low oven for 4 hours and you have melting, tender beef that you could cut with a spoon.
The best thing, though (I told you it just keeps getting better) is that it is not only good made ahead, it's even better. The meat gets more tender and juicier. It's easy to reheat; just scrape off the fat and throw it back in the oven where you can forget about it until it's time to eat. In fact, you could even make this whole dish and freeze it, then slap it right back in the oven a couple hours before dinner.
For my dinner party, I made the beef the day before and heated it in the oven gently while prepping the rest of dinner. It was the easiest and most delicious part of the whole meal.
Braised Beef in Tomatoes & Red Wine
Serves 8 to 10
5 pounds chuck roast
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large yellow onions, diced
10 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 32-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 cups bold red wine, such as Chianti
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Heat the oven to 325°F. Cut the chuck roast into 3 or 4 large pieces. Brush the pieces with oil and apply salt and pepper generously. Heat your largest, deepest sauté pan over medium-high heat and sear the meat for several minutes on each side, about 12 minutes in all. (If the meat does not all fit in the sauté pan at once, do this in batches.) When the meat is well seared, with a dark brown crust all over, remove to a plate and turn the heat down to low.
Add the onions and garlic, and sprinkle with salt. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes or until they are golden and soft. Add the red pepper flakes, if you desire a little kick.
Stir in the diced tomatoes and sauté over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then stir in the red wine. Bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan, then turn off the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Put the chuck roast pieces back in the sauté pan. (If the pan is too small, transfer meat and sauce to a Dutch oven.)
Cover the pan and cook in the oven for 4 hours. (This can also be done in a slow cooker. At this point transfer to a slow cooker and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.)
After 4 hours, remove the meat from the oven and cool for 20 to 30 minutes. Use two forks to shred the meat thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, scrape off the layer of fat that has hardened on top of the meat. The meat can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, and warmed gently in the oven for about an hour at 300°F.
The meat can be served as it is, in its sauciness, or you can pour off much of the sauce, and blend it into a smooth, thicker sauce. Serve over polenta or pasta with a good red wine.
The meat also freezes beautifully. Freeze meat in sauce, in a well-sealed container for up to 6 months for best taste.
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I LOVE chuck roast for things like this. I actually am even lazier than this and just throw it in the slow cooker for 10 or so hours with some basic seasonings, and then let it cool, shred it, and then have the beginnings of a bunch of different meals when I need it.
is there a good substitute for red wine for this dish? I love braises with wine or beer but a friend will not eat anything cooked with alcohol -- will water do in a pinch?
rmirth, if you can't use wine, I would recommend using beef broth - the darkest, richest stuff you can lay your hands on!
I love your presentation in that final picture with the long board/dish and the 3 components on top of the polenta. (Unless my eyes deceive me and that's not what's in that picture at all.) This whole set-up reminds me of the Ethopian injera bread with all the stews and veggies laid out over it.
Question: What are those 2 sides in the pic next to the beef? And can you share a recipe for them? They look kind of amazing.
western tizzler, yes! Stay tuned - tomorrow I'll share the whole story of the party. (The post has a widget at the bottom with links to the previous and next installments in this Gatherings series.)
You've got MY attention!
Is there any reason you can't start it from the beginning in a Dutch oven? Rather than transferring it to one if your saute pan is small... BTW, sounds delish! I was just saying the other day I need to learn to braise.
rmirth, my stepson also objects to anything cooked with alcohol and I've had some success with an Italian product called Saba. It is very close to a red wine vinegar but sweeter and syrupy, also made from grapes. It can be used to flavor cocktails beautifully, but I've used it to braise pork and as a substitute for alcohol. It's more expensive, but if you pair it with the beef stock, you'll get some of the beautiful flavor. You can find it in a specialty or gourmet food store or online.
Oh and I would use rapini instead of kale.
I made this today and it is by far the best meal I have every made. Thank you so much,
How would I scale this down for just a couple? Obviously less meat needed, but would I also need to cut down on cooking time?
If it's just for 2, would it make more sense to buy a "nicer" cut of meat? Any help would be appreciated!
Tee-bone
I'd suggest just cutting this recipe in half. Use a 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes instead of the big one. Keep the oil for browning about the same. Start it in a Dutch oven if you have one. I'd drop the oven temp to around 275-300 instead of 325.
Eat what you want and then either freeze the other half or keep in the fridge and use the meat in another dish within a couple of days. It would be good as a pasta sauce, sandwiches or even tacos.
Do Not substitute a "nicer" cut of beef, a chuck roast is the perfect cut for this dish. It has plenty of marbling and fat to give it flavor and by brasing it low and slow you are allowing all the connective tissue to dissolve into the meat. since you are shredding the beef when you are finished cooking it you can remove anything that doesn't dissolve. Other cuts like top round or sirloin won't give as good of results with this cooking method.
I second everything notbob said. I'd also reiterate that this freezes so well, that I think it's a smart use of time and energy to make enough for at least two meals.
I halved this recipe and it was a disaster. The liquid evaporated and I was left with burnt char all along the bottom of the pot. The meat was still okay, albeit a bit dry, but there was absolutely no sauce to serve with it. I'd like to try again. Do you think it would be better to keep the rest of the ingredient measurements the same as above even though I'm halving the amount of meat?
Does it have to be refrigerated overnight or can it be eaten the same night?
I halved the meat, but kept the other ingredients the same and it came out fine.