This juicy Braised Beef recipe is so tender and flavorful. The beef is browned in hot olive oil, then covered in spices, garlic, sauteed onion, and braised in red wine.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
I absolutely love this Braised Beef Recipe, especially for a nice dinner with friends and family in the cold weather months. Comforting and flavorful, this dish looks amazing and will warm you from the inside out.
- TASTE: The meat and onions are deliciously savory. Flavored with onions, garlic, and sweet red wine, this dish is full of great flavors.
- TEXTURE: The beef is oh so tender with a delightfully crisp outside. The sauteed onions are caramelized and soft, with everything in a light braising sauce.
- TIME: This recipe takes about 2 and a half hours to make. Most of that time is spent braising.
- EASE: This is actually a very easy dish to make and you can set it braising and walk away, making it convenient, too.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Beef– The cut of beef we are using is Chuck pot roast (boneless). The slow stewing process breaks down the connective tissue and tenderizes it nicely.
- Spices- We’re using Cumin, Paprika, Kosher Salt, and Black Pepper to add savory, slightly spicy flavor to this beef dish.
- Vegetables- Onion and pressed fresh Garlic add pungent, delicious flavor.
- Red wine– This is the braising liquid that will help cook the beef and add wonderful flavor.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute the red wine- You can also make this recipe with some balsamic vinegar and a stout beer, like Guinness, in place of the wine.
- Add bacon fat- For more flavor in your beef, brown the meat in bacon fat.
- Make it in the slow cooker- Once you’ve browned the beef chunks and sauteed the onion, place the beef, onion, garlic, and spices into your slow cooker. Then add the red wine and water, cover, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Make it in the instant pot- Place the browned beef chunks, sauteed onion, spices, pressed garlic, water, and red wine into the instant pot and cook and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes.
How to Make Braised Beef
- Cut the beef. Cut the beef into large chunks.
- Brown it. Brown the beef chunks in a skillet filled with hot olive oil. Then remove from the pot and set aside.
- Saute the onions. Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are fully cooked (or translucent).
- Layer the ingredients in the pot. In a Dutch oven pot, begin layering the ingredients in the following order: 1/2 browned beef chunks, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, then half the sautéed onion and half the pressed garlic. Repeat once more.
Pro Tip: Layering the ingredients allows for even cooking and a mixture of flavors and spices during the cooking process.
- Add liquids and cook. Add the red wine and water to the meat and place the lid on top. Place the pot onto the cooktop and bring it to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours at 360 degrees Fahrenheit and cook until the meat is cooked through and fork-tender. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the beef into uniform sized chunks- Doing this ensures even cooking and avoids smaller pieces overcooking.
- Make sure to brown the beef- This step is important because it gives the beef a delightful crust on the outside.
- Don’t rush it- You want to take your time making this dish because braising is a slow cooking process that tenderizes the meat making it juicy and delicious.
FAQs
Braising, also known as pot roasting, involves slowly cooking meat in a covered pot with some sort of liquid, such as broth or wine. This process typically takes several hours.
You can use many different liquids to braise beef, most of which add additional flavor to the dish. Try red wine, beer, balsamic vinegar, apple cider, beef broth, or water.
Serving Suggestions
Because this homemade Braised Beef is so versatile and complementary, it goes with anything. Here are some tasty ways to enjoy it.
- Salad: Start the meal off with a Cucumber Radish Salad, Spinach Salad Recipe, or Broccoli Cranberry Salad.
- Bread: Serve this Braised Beef with some Focaccia Bread, Super Soft Brioche Dinner Rolls, Cornbread Muffins, or Rustic Bread.
- Sides: Enjoy it alongside a side dish, like these Scalloped Potatoes, Sauteed Garlic Asparagus, or Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli.
- Desserts: End your meal with a cool weather favorite, such as Chocolate Creme Brulee, Tiramisu Cake (VIDEO), Pumpkin Cheesecake (VIDEO), or Homemade Apple Pie.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can brown the meat and saute the onions ahead of time, storing in the fridge until you’re ready to braise them.
Storing: Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat until warmed through.
Freeze: Freeze this Braised Beef recipe in gallon-sized ziplock bags for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature. Then reheat in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop.
More Savory Main Dishes!
This post has Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this recipe.
This recipe was originally posted on Dec 13, 2016, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
Full Recipe Instructions
Braised Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 3- 3 1/2 lb Beef chuck pot roast boneless
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin divide
- 1 tsp paprika divide
- 2 tsp salt divide
- 1 tsp black pepper divide
- 1 large onion divided
- 2 garlic cloves divide
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Cut the beef into large chunks.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Brown the beef chunks. Then remove them and set aside.
- Cook the onions in the same skillet until they are fully cooked (or translucent).
- In a Dutch oven pot, begin layering the ingredients in the following order; 1/2 browned beef chunks, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, then half the sautéed onion and half the garlic (pressed).
- Repeat step 4 with the remaining beef chunks.
- Add the red wine and water to the meat and place the lid on top. Place the pot onto the cooktop and bring it to a boil. Place the pot into the oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours at 360 Fahrenheit. Cook until the meat is fully cooked through.
Notes
- Cut the beef into uniform sized chunks- Doing this ensures even cooking and avoids smaller pieces overcooking.
- Make sure to brown the beef- This step is important because it gives the beef a delightful crust on the outside.
- Don’t rush it- You want to take your time making this dish because braising is a slow cooking process that tenderizes the meat making it juicy and delicious.
Nutrition
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Bill Z. says
Made this for my wife and I. Simple, easy to follow recipe with relatively few ingredients . Wow! Ate until I couldn’t possibly eat any more. Absolutely loved it. Thanks much.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Bill 🙂 Happy to hear that you and your wife loved this braised beef! I hope this will be a repeat recipe in your home and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Kathleen says
I will be making this for dinner! I’m new to making recipes that include wine in the recipe. Do you go with cooking red wine or regular red wine that you can drink? Thank you.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kathleen, I personally never use cooking wine. I recommend only using the red wine you can drink. It will bring your dish to the next level 🙂 Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Christine says
Since my oven won’t be available, can I make this recipe using only the dutch oven???
Thanks!!!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Christine, you can definitely make this entire recipe on the cooktop alone 🙂 Once the wine has come to a simmer, cover the meat with the lid and let it slowly cook on the lowest heat for a few hours until fork tender. I hope you love this braised beef recipe!
S says
This was so yummy! What a great way to cook chuck other than a pot roast with rosemary, potatoes, etc. Even my picky husband thought it was tasty. I cooked it at 325 like nick c did except for more like 3.5 hours because I lost track of time. I couldn’t use wine though so I used Better than Beef Bouillon and a very diluted mixture of red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and tomato paste….. Haha.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you! So happy that you and your husband loved this braised beef recipe 🙂 Glad the changes worked out for you! Thank you so much for your feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my food blog 🙂
Tim B. says
This dish was delicious! Very flavorful! Have made it with rice and garlic mashed potatoes!
simplyhomecooked says
So happy to hear you loved this braised beef recipe Tim! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback and I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Jane Mossa says
Hi – This looks amazing and I’m dying to try it, but I’m not a big fan of cumin. Is there another spice I can add besides that? Thank you!!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Jane, you can either leave out the cumin or try replacing it with paprika. Cumin is a little hard to substitute. Hope that helps 🙂
Meena Ben says
Thank you for the recipe! Can I substitute beef broth for red wine?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Meena, you can definitely use beef broth instead. But I recommend using the wine as it is one of the main ingredients that bring this dish so much incredible flavor.
Rohan Maxwell says
Hi am new here and i thank u for the knowledge u give us
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Rohan, I am glad you found my blog. I hope you find plenty of recipes to enjoy 🙂
T says
This is a great recipe, and it works great with beef short ribs, too. Once the liquid gets low, I’d add another half cup of water. When the cook time would finish I’d add a small amount of water and scrape the renderings. One of my favorite dishes at the moment. What’s the number on serving sizes in your calculations? I’m going back on keto, and the low carbs will keep this in my kitchen Arsenal.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the kind feedback! If you loved this recipe, you would probably also enjoy our braised beef short ribs (VIDEO) recipe too! As for the serving sizes, the recipes card says it serves 6. But I will be honest, those are going to come out to 6 very generous servings. If you’re doing keto, I would just weigh the meat to get the most accurate calculations.
Emily says
I’m planning on making this this weekend. I’m new to cooking with a Dutch over. Could you just brown the beef in the Dutch oven and not dirty a dish or would you get better seat in a skillet?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Emily, yes you can definitely brown the beef in the Dutch oven! I hope you enjoy my braised beef recipe!
Irene says
Made this for me & my husband and it was delish!
Question for you though:
I’m planning on making this for a family dinner (8-10 people). According to the recipe, I’ll need about 6 pounds of meat. I only have a 4.4 quart dutch oven. Will overcrowding the pot be a problem? Or should I cook it in 2 batches?
Any advice would help!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Irene, If your dutch oven fits all that meat, overcrowding shouldn’t be a problem. It might just develop more juice, which is actually a good thing. More flavor!:) I hope you love this braised beef recipe!
nick c says
Thanks for recipe. I followed exactly and it was delicious. I then tried again lowering oven to 325 and going for 2 1/4 hours. It was much better.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Nick, I am happy that you found this braised beef recipe delicious! I hope you find many more delicious recipes on my blog 🙂
Ana says
Loved this recipe! So tender and delicious. Defienetly a family favorite.
simplyhomecooked says
Ana, I’m so glad your family loved the braised beef! Thank you for the kind feedback 🙂
Natasha says
Best braised beef recipe ever! Thank you so much for including nutrition facts!!!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you, Natasha! I’m glad you enjoyed this braised beef recipe!:)
Matthew says
I had braised beef once at a restaurant and have been craving it but never dared to attempt it at home. Finally took the plunge on a weekend. This was absolutely outstanding. The meat was incredibly tender and the flavor was to die for, especially the onions which were around the edges of the dutch oven. Threw in some little potatoes with bout 35 minutes left to cook so they would get some of the flavoring. I’ll absolutely be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Matthew thank you so much for leaving such kind feedback!I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Roxanne Gaulden says
I have never put my Dutch Oven in the Oven. Won’t it burn the handles? I have TFal cookware.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Roxanne, T-Fal uses Bakelite on some of its pans, that can’t be heated over 350F or it will be damaged. The pot itself can withstand the heat of the oven, but I’m afraid the handles are not oven safe.
Maggie says
HI Dina,
I don’t have a dutch oven so I’m wondering if I can make this in a cast iron skillet? I’m new to braising haha.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Maggie, If the cast iron is a pot with a lid, it will work just as well 🙂
Kazu says
Very good recipe. I made some minor adjustments for personal contraints (my stove is currently out of service and needed to use a crock pot instead) Ended up adding some fresh rosemary and thyme before braising. After the meat was cooked, I took out the meat, threw the stock into a processor and blended the onions and spices together, browned some butter and flour and made some gravy that was to die for. Thanks for the recipe. Definitely a keeper.
simplyhomecooked says
I love your twist on this recipe Kazu, might just have to give that a try next time I make this! Thanks for the awesome review.
Kenneth A Capron says
Can you recommend a red wine. I’m not usually a wine drinker.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Kenneth, my go to red wine is the one pictured in the recipe. Rex Goliath pinot noir.
JnettMcB says
My roast was a little bigger about 6 lbs. I did alter it somewhat. Instead of using 2 pots I just browned in the Dutch oven, sauted the onions after the beef browned, added my garlic in with the onions a few mins then added the beef back in and followed the spicing instruction (scooted the onions around and on top of the meat). Deglazed with wine and beef broth (tad more due to bigger roast) and popped in the oven! Less dishes to wash…yay! Placed Dutch oven back on the stove once meat was done. Removed beef. Mixed cornstarch slurry with more beef broth (about 1/2.cup broth to 1TBSP of cornstarch) and added to the juices to make a gravy (emersion blender to smooth it out). YUM-O! Served over mashed taters and side of sauted veggies! Meal for.a KING! Thanks so much for the recipe! It’s a keeper!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for taking the time to write so many kind words. Love hearing reviews like this! Glad you found this recipe so delicious 🙂