Stracotto (Italian Pot Roast)
When it comes to hearty beef dishes, Stracotto, or Italian Pot Roast is at the top of the list for most delicious! The beef is braised until tender in a tomato-based sauce with red wine, vegetables, and herbs and served with polenta or pasta for a truly unforgettable meal!The Italian word, stracotto, translates to “overcooked” in English and accurately describes the way in which the beef is cooked – braised for hours until super tender and flavorful. Stracotto di manzo is best served with creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta, such as pappardelle.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion finely diced
- 2 large carrots shredded or pulsed in a food processor
- 3 ribs celery shredded or pulsed in a food processor
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
- 1½ cups dry red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium beef stock
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 large bay leaves
- 5 large sage leaves
- 10 sprigs thyme tied
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Set the rack in the middle of the oven to accommodate a Dutch oven with its lid.
Prepare the beef:
- Cut the garlic cloves into slivers.
- Make slits in the roast and insert the slivers of garlic.
- Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels then season with salt and pepper. Any remaining garlic can be added to the pot along with the carrots and celery later.
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium heat with the olive oil.
- Add the chuck roast to the pot and sear until browned on all sides (about 15 minutes total) then remove the roast to a plate.
Cook the aromatics:
- Add the onions along with a 1/4 cup of water and a pinch of salt.
- Cook over medium heat while scraping the pot with a wooden spoon to remove all of the browned bits.
- After sauteing the onions for 10 minutes, add the celery and carrots and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.
- During the last few minutes, add any remaining garlic. If at any time the veggies start to burn, lower the heat and/or add a splash of water or beef stock to the pot.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute while stirring frequently.
Make the sauce:
- Add the red wine and bring to a simmer. Again, scrape the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge any remaining browned bits.
- Tie the thyme, sage, and bay leaves together or add to a sachet.
- Add the beef stock, plum tomatoes, cinnamon stick, and tied herbs and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, turn off the heat and add the roast back to the pot and cover. Place into the oven.
Braise the beef:
- Cook the roast for 3 hours then check for doneness. If it isn't tender enough, return it to the oven for another 30 minutes and check again.
- Once the roast is tender remove it from the pot and tent with foil. The roast can be cut into chunks or carefully sliced.
Finish and serve:
- To degrease the sauce, lay paper towels on top of the sauce to absorb the fat then discard or use a ladle to skim some of the fat.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper as required.
- Place the chunks of beef into a platter and top with sauce. You will have pleny of extra sauce to serve with pasta, polenta, or mashed potatoes if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Chuck roast makes the best pot roast due to its unique fat profile, but other leaner roasts such as rump roast, top round, and bottom round can also be used. Those cuts can be sliced instead of shredded.
- There will be enough sauce for the pot roast and 1 pound of pasta.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the fridge and can be reheated in the oven.