Succulent Braised Beef in Barolo Wine

1. Place chuck roast, onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns, cloves, garlic, cinnamon stick, rosemary, and bay leaves into a stockpot. Pour wine over meat and vegetable mixture to cover entirely. Cover and marinate for 6 hours in the refrigerator. Turn meat in marinade to make sure it is completely covered, then return to the refrigerator and marinate for 6 more hours.

2. Transfer chuck roast to a plate to rest; pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Pour marinade through a strainer and into a bowl to separate vegetable mixture from wine, reserving both separately.

3. Heat olive oil in the stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown chuck roast for 4 to 6 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium and add strained vegetable mixture; cook until fragrant, adding more oil as necessary to prevent burning, about 8 minutes.

4. Pour reserved wine back into the stockpot and add salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer without removing the cover for 2 hours. Uncover, stir, and cook until meat easily shreds with a fork, 10 minutes to 1 hour longer. Transfer meat from the cooking liquid to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

5. Return cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency, 20 to 30 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick, rosemary, and bay leaves. Season with salt; purée mixture with a handheld immersion blender until smooth. Pour sauce over meat to serve.

Tips

If you can’t find Barolo wine, use a hearty dry red wine.