“Brasato al Barolo“, the popular Italian Braised Beef recipe, is one of those dishes that instantly makes you think of Northern Italy, long lunches, and slow cooking done properly. It’s a classic Piedmontese main course, famous for its depth of flavor and for the almost magical way tough cuts of beef turn spoon-tender after a long, gentle cook.
When made correctly, braised beef in red wine is the kind of dish that makes you look like a very confident home cook—or even a professional chef. The secret lies in patience and in food science: proper browning, controlled moisture, and low, slow heat. The result is a dish that can be described as halfway between a roast and a boiled meat, both in preparation and texture.
I know, at first glance this recipe might look a little intimidating. But trust me—it’s not as complicated as it seems. What you really need is a bit of patience and a careful eye for the little details. That’s exactly why I wrote the instructions long and detailed: I want to guide you step by step, so you don’t make any of the common mistakes. So take a deep breath, don’t let the length scare you, and give it a try. Roll up your sleeves, enjoy the process, and I promise—you’ll end up with a dish that will make your guests say, “Wow!”
… and no, you don’t need to use an expensive bottle of Barolo. Save that for the glass. A good, full-bodied red wine is more than enough!
Brasato al Barolo: History, Tradition, and Wine Culture
In a land famous for powerful red wines, it’s no surprise that some of the most iconic dishes are built around them. “Brasato al Barolo” is one of the finest examples of how wine and cuisine intertwine in Northern Italian cooking.
The culinary traditions of Northern Italy have long shared similarities with French cuisine. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Italian cooks moved to France, where they absorbed techniques that would later be associated with what we now call nouvelle cuisine. When they returned home, these ideas found their way into the kitchens of the Italian bourgeoisie, blending local ingredients with refined cooking methods.
The word “brasato” (“braised” in english) comes from the dialect term “brasa”, meaning embers. Originally, the pot containing the meat was placed directly among hot coals and left to cook slowly in wine for hours. This gentle, enclosed heat is the foundation of the braising technique we still use today.
Barolo, in particular, became the wine of choice thanks to its structure and complexity. It’s a bold yet elegant red, known for its persistence, floral notes, and deep fruity aromas. During the long cooking process, the collagen in the meat gradually breaks down, absorbing the wine’s character and transferring its rich aromas directly into the flesh. The result is a dish that is not just tender, but profoundly expressive—where meat and wine become a single, harmonious flavor.
That said, while Barolo wine braised beef is the most famous version, the technique itself works beautifully with other full-bodied red wines. The key is balance, patience, and respect for slow cooking—not necessarily an expensive bottle.
Choosing the Right Wine for Brasato
Brasato doesn’t have to be made exclusively with Barolo. Other Piedmontese red wines work beautifully as well, as long as they have enough structure. Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Barbaresco are all excellent options and each brings its own personality to the dish.
When choosing a wine for brasato, there are a few simple but important criteria to keep in mind. The wine should be full-bodied, with a good alcohol level, and it shouldn’t be too young. But above all, the most important quality is aroma. A fragrant wine, rich in floral and fruity notes, will slowly transfer those aromas to the meat during the long cooking process, shaping not just the flavor but also the lingering aftertaste. This is why the choice of wine matters so much: it doesn’t just cook the meat, it becomes part of it.
Italian Braised Beef Recipe (Braised Beef in Red Wine)
This is not a difficult recipe, but it does require attention and respect for timing and temperature. Follow my steps precisely and you won’t go wrong!
Tools You’ll Need
- Heavy casserole or Dutch oven (preferably cast iron)
- Sharp chef’s knife
- Kitchen twine
- Immersion blender
- Food thermometer (not mandatory highly recommended)
Tips & Tricks – Here’s a little trick that makes life easier: try to use a pot that can go both on the stove and in the oven. That way, you really only need one pan for the whole recipe, and it keeps things simple and less messy. No oven-safe pot? No problem! You can do everything on the stovetop, or just brown the meat and cook the vegetables on the stove first, then move everything to an oven-safe dish to finish slowly in the oven. Either way works—the key is just to make sure your pot can handle the heat and keep that rich, delicious flavor locked in.
Ingredients to Make a Perfect Italian Braised Beef
- 1000 g (2.2 lb) beef cheek or beef shoulder – Traditionally, Brasato is prepared with Chuck Shoulder (a shoulder cut of beef), but one of my favorite alternatives is beef cheek. Beef cheek is rich in collagen and, when braised, becomes incredibly soft and flavorful. For this recipe, it’s honestly one of the best choices you can make.
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
- 15 g (1 tbsp) tomato paste, preferably double or triple concentrated
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) full-bodied red wine (Barolo, Nebbiolo or similar)
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, optional
- 1 small bunch of herbs (optional) – Bay leaf, thyme, parsley: possibly tied with kitchen string so that it will be easy for you to remove them before blending the sauce
- Beef stock, if needed to adjust liquid level (optional)
- Salt, to taste
Red Wine Braised Beef: Step-by-step Instructions
Preparing the Meat Properly
Start with a piece of beef weighing at least 1 kg. If the butcher hasn’t already done it, remove the tough silver skin by sliding a sharp knife just underneath it and cutting it away completely (1). This membrane will not soften during cooking and would remain unpleasantly chewy.
Because beef cheek often has an irregular shape, I strongly recommend tying it with kitchen twine to form a compact, cylindrical piece (2). It’s a slightly tedious step, but it ensures even cooking and better slicing later on.
Browning Meat: Where Flavor Begins
Heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat. The butter is important here: its natural sugars help trigger the Maillard reaction, enhancing flavor and color. Wait until the butter has completely melted and stopped foaming—this means excess water has evaporated and the Maillard reaction can easily occur. Only then add the meat.
Brown the beef for 5–10 minutes, turning it to color all sides evenly. You’re only browning the surface, not cooking the inside. Once deeply golden, remove the meat from the pot, lightly salt it, and set aside.
Building the Braising Base
In the same pot, add the chopped vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, and garlic if using) and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until softened and most of their moisture has evaporated.
Add the tomato paste and stir continuously for a few minutes, allowing it to darken slightly without burning. This step deepens the flavor and adds complexity.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot (3), scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Let it boil for a few minutes to evaporate most of the alcohol.
Now add the herb bundle, gently crushing bay leaves between your hands to release their aroma. This step is optional.
Slow, Gentle Cooking
Return the beef to the pot. The liquid should reach no more than one-third to one-half of the meat’s height (4). If needed, add a little more wine or some beef stock.
Cover the pot tightly with a heavy lid. Ideally, transfer it to the oven and cook at 130–150°C (265–300°F) for about 2 hours.
Alternatively, cook on the stovetop over the lowest possible heat. The liquid must never boil—it should stay around 80–90°C (175–195°F). A slow cooker machine works beautifully here, especially at lower temperatures, though cooking time will increase.
After about one hour, gently turn the meat so the exposed side is submerged.
The brasato is ready when a fork slides into the meat effortlessly.
Finishing the Sauce & Slicing
Once cooked, turn off the heat and resist the urge to slice immediately. The meat is extremely delicate at this stage. Let it cool to about 60°C (140°F) so it can reabsorb some of the cooking juices.
PRO TIP – At this point, to avoid mistakes, it would be better to have a kitchen thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer: As a general guideline, let the meat rest at least 20–30 minutes off the heat, still in its cooking liquid and covered. At this point, it should feel warm but no longer hot to the touch. You should be able to hold your hand close to the surface without discomfort, and the meat should no longer release aggressive steam. This resting time allows the fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute, making the meat much easier to slice without falling apart.
Now take the meat and place it on a cutting board because you will need to cut it into slices. Discard the herbs from the pot and blend the remaining sauce using an immersion blender, then adjust salt to taste.
Slice the meat slowly and carefully into slices that are thick enough to hold their shape. Because the meat is so tender at this stage, very thin slices are likely to fall apart. Always use a sharp, non-serrated knife: a smooth blade will cut cleanly through the fibers, while a serrated knife would tear the meat and ruin the slices.
Arrange the slices on a serving platter and generously spoon the sauce over the top.
Italian Braised Beef Serving Suggestions
Brasato is one of those dishes that truly shines when paired with something simple that can soak up all that rich, flavorful sauce. My absolute favorite accompaniment is creamy polenta: it’s classic, comforting, and perfectly suited to highlight the depth of the meat and the wine-based sauce. It’s one of those combinations that never disappoints.
If polenta isn’t your thing, plain boiled rice works beautifully as well. Its neutral flavor lets the brasato take center stage, while still giving you something soft and comforting on the plate. Mashed potatoes are another excellent option, especially if you enjoy a smoother, more indulgent texture that pairs well with the silky sauce.
Wine Pairing Tips for Brasato
Brasato is rich and flavorful, so it needs a red wine that can hold its own. Look for wines that are structured, full-bodied, and slightly tannic to balance the meat and its sauce.
Northern Italy: Barolo and Amarone della Valpolicella shine with their elegance and firm tannins.
Central Italy: Montefalco Sagrantino stands out for its bold, incisive character.
Southern Italy: Aglianico, from Taurasi, Taburno, or Vulture, brings great depth and structure.
The key is simple: pick a wine with personality, acidity, and tannins to match each juicy, flavorful bite.
Italian Brasato Storage Instructions
Once cooked, brasato keeps very well, which makes it ideal for leftovers or meal prep.
Stored in the refrigerator, always with its sauce to prevent the meat from drying out, it will keep nicely for up to 3 days. In fact, many people find it even better the day after it’s made.
Both the meat and the sauce also freeze extremely well. You can freeze them together for up to 2 months, making sure they are well sealed. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator and reheat gently to preserve the texture.
And one important note: never throw away any leftover sauce. That deeply flavored cooking liquid is pure gold. It makes an incredible dressing for stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortelli, or even for fresh egg pasta on its own!
Italian Braised Beef in Red Wine
Ingredients
- 1000 g beef cheek or beef shoulder
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 1 carrot roughly chopped
- 1 celery stalk roughly chopped
- 15 g tomato paste preferably double or triple concentrated
- 300 ml full-bodied red wine Barolo, Nebbiolo or similar
- 30 g butter
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove optional
- 1 small bunch of herbs optional – Bay leaf, thyme, parsley: possibly tied with kitchen string so that it will be easy for you to remove them before blending the sauce
- Beef stock if needed to adjust liquid level (optional)
- Salt to taste
Equipment
- 1 Heavy casserole or Dutch oven (preferably cast iron)
- 1 Sharp chef’s knife
- Kitchen twine
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 Food thermometer (optional)
Method
- If the butcher hasn’t already done it, remove the tough silver skin from meat by sliding a sharp knife just underneath it and cutting it away completely.
- Tie the meat with kitchen string to give it the most regular cylindrical shape possible and thus allow for uniform cooking.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat. Wait until the butter has completely melted and stopped foaming, then add the meat.
- Brown the beef for 5–10 minutes, turning it to color all sides evenly. You’re only browning the surface, not cooking the inside. Once deeply golden, remove the meat from the pot, lightly salt it, and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the chopped vegetables (onion, carrot, celery, and garlic if using) and a pinch of salt. Cook gently until softened and most of their moisture has evaporated.
- Add the tomato paste and stir continuously for a few minutes, allowing it to darken slightly without burning.
- Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Let it boil for a few minutes to evaporate most of the alcohol.
- Now add the herb bundle, gently crushing bay leaves between your hands to release their aroma. This step is optional.
- Return the beef to the pot. The liquid should reach no more than one-third to one-half of the meat’s height. If needed, add a little more wine or some beef stock.
- Cover the pot tightly with a heavy lid. Ideally, transfer it to the oven and cook at 130–150°C (265–300°F) for about 2 hours. Alternatively, cook on the stovetop over the lowest possible heat. The liquid must never boil—it should stay around 80–90°C (175–195°F). A slow cooker machine works beautifully here, especially at lower temperatures, though cooking time will increase.
- After about one hour, gently turn the meat so the exposed side is submerged. The brasato is ready when a fork slides into the meat effortlessly.
- Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow meat to cool to about 60°C (140°F) so it can reabsorb some of the cooking juices. At this point, to avoid mistakes, it would be better to have a kitchen thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the meat. If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer: As a general guideline, let the meat rest at least 20–30 minutes off the heat, still in its cooking liquid and covered. At this point, it should feel warm but no longer hot to the touch. You should be able to hold your hand close to the surface without discomfort, and the meat should no longer release aggressive steam. This resting time allows the fibers to relax and the juices to redistribute, making the meat much easier to slice without falling apart.
- Now take the meat and place it on a cutting board because you will need to cut it into slices.
- Discard the herbs from the pot and blend the remaining sauce using an immersion blender, then adjust salt to taste.
- Slice the meat slowly and carefully into slices that are thick enough to hold their shape. Because the meat is so tender at this stage, very thin slices are likely to fall apart. Always use a sharp, non-serrated knife: a smooth blade will cut cleanly through the fibers, while a serrated knife would tear the meat and ruin the slices.
- Arrange the slices on a serving platter and generously spoon the sauce over the top.
- Serve immediately while your Brasato is still warm.
