Braised Beef In Barolo Crock Pot Food

BEEF BRAISED IN BAROLO

Steps:

• Prepare beef roast. Pull roast apart at its major seam (delineated by lines of fat) into two halves. Use knife as necessary. With knife, remove large knobs of fat from each piece, leaving thin layer of fat on meat. Tie three pieces of kitchen twine around each piece of meat to keep it from falling apart.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Thoroughly pat beef dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place pancetta in 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat; set Dutch oven over medium-high heat and heat fat until beginning to smoke. Add beef to pot and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer beef to large plate; set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onions, carrots, celery, and tomato paste to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, sugar, flour, and reserved pancetta; cook, stirring constantly, until combined and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; add thyme sprig, rosemary, and parsley. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; increase heat to high and bring liquid to boil, then place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Set pot in oven and cook, using tongs to turn beef every 45 minutes, until dinner fork easily slips in and out of meat, about 3 hours.
• Transfer beef to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow braising liquid to settle about 5 minutes, then, using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface. Add minced thyme, bring liquid to boil over high heat, and cook, whisking vigorously to help vegetables break down, until mixture is thickened and reduced to about 3 1/2 cups, about 18 minutes. Strain liquid through large fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids with spatula to extract as much liquid as possible; you should have 1 1/2 cups strained sauce (if necessary, return strained sauce to Dutch oven and reduce to 1 1/2 cups). Discard solids in strainer. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove kitchen twine from meat and discard. Using chef's or carving knife, cut meat against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Divide meat between warmed bowls or plates; pour about 1/4 cup sauce over and serve immediately.

BEEF BRAISED IN BAROLO WINE (BRASATO)

Steps:

• Begin the day before you plan to cook the meat. Slice the onion, celery, and carrot, and put them in a bowl with the meat, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Pour the wine over the mixture and marinate it until the next day, turning the meat occasionally.
• Remove the meat, reserving the marinade, and pat the meat dry.
• Strain the marinade, bring it to a boil, and cook it until it's reduced by half. In the meantime, tie the meat with string so it keeps its shape and brown it in a pot with the butter.
• Once it's well browned on all sides, season the meat with salt, pour the reduced marinade over it, add the vegetables that it marinated with, cover everything, and simmer over a low flame until the meat is done, about two hours.
• When the meat is done remove it to a platter and remove the string. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and either put them through a food mill or blend them.
• Degrease the sauce, stir the blended vegetables back into it, pour it over the meat, and serve. The meat should be so tender it could be carved with a spoon.
• Serve it with mashed potatoes or a steaming polenta, and the other vegetables you prefer. And, of course, a bottle of Barolo.

BRAISED BEEF IN BAROLO (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Tie the beef with kitchen string & place in a large dish; add the next 10 ingredients and let marinade for 6 to 7 hours.
• Drain the meat, reserving the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.
• Heat the butter, oil & bacon fat in a pan; add the meat and cook over high heat, turning frequently, until browned all over, then transfer to a slow cooker.
• Tip the pan and remove as much fat as possible, then deglaze pan with remaining wine & pour over beef; add marinade & beef broth to slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours; the meat is cooked when it feels very tender at the pricking of a knife or fork.
• Remove beef from slow cooker & remove kitchen string; tent for about 10 minutes before carving.
• Make Sauce: Remove bay leaf, stir in cocoa powder & pour liquid into a blender or food processor; being careful with this hot liquid, process until smooth.
• If desired, thicken on stove top using flour, corn starch or arrowroot.