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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J walker says
This smells divine! I used a 14 hands merlot for the wine. I added a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and a few bay leaves. I can’t wait to try it because if it taste half as good as it taste…I will be more than happy. Also, I cooked this all in one pot. A Lodge cast iron enameled 3.6 qt casserole covered dish. The meat is a sirloin tip roast that I cut up into chunks.
J walker says
Me again, noticed a typo. It should say, “as half as good as it smells.” 😂
Dina says
Haha, no worries, I totally got what you meant 🙂
Dina says
I love your spin on this dish! Let me know how it turned out 🙂
Ebony says
Hi! Can I add mushroom to this recipe? Would I need to reduce the liquid?
Thanks
Dina says
Hi Ebony, yes you can defiently add mushrooms to this recipe. Keep the liquid quantities the same. Enjoy!
Nicki says
There is not many recipes that I keep going back to..but this one is spot on! Thank you for creating this recipe.
Dina says
That is so awesome Nicki! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the kind feedback 🙂
Jacob says
Thnks for the best recipe! I will try it and enjoy the braised beef waoo
Dina says
My pleasure Jacob. Enjoy! 😊
Jacob bwambale says
Is it a must that you have to use a pot or
Dina says
Hi Jacob, you definitely want to use some sort of pot or casserole dish with a lid. Preferably cast iron.
Martha Schneck says
excellent recipe. When my husband died, I struggled to reduce recipes that we enjoyed. He loved stews with vegetables, I liked the meat. This is perfect. I usually make it every other week and it remains my favorite.
Dina says
Hi Martha 🙂 Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! I hope you find more recipes you enjoy and that will help you in your process! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Lorraine says
My husband’s favorite meal. We love this recipe. We make this regularly. Thank you for your recipe.
Dina says
That’s amazing Lorraine! I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to write your kind words 🙂
Carol says
Great recipe and delish dish! My two pound sirloin steak needed additional liquid and about 2 1/4 hours to cook but not a problem and so worth it. The only tweak was about two pinches of cinnamon added to the other spices. Incredibly good flavor. Thank you so much Dina.
Dina says
Hi Carol 🙂 So happy that you loved this braised beef recipe! Glad that you were able to make it work with the adjustment. Thank you for your feedback and support! 🙂
Julie Yevsin says
This is definitely a 5 star! Don’t let those other comments make you think otherwise. I made it for my family today, and it’s definitely a keeper! Everyone loved it! Kids approved too. I has a lot of flavor! Everything is perfect about this recipe. So thank you for this amazing recipe!
Dina says
You are very welcome Julie! You just made my day with your awesome review of my braised beef! I am so happy that you and your family loved this recipe so much! Thank you so much for your support and I hope you find more recipes for your family to enjoy from my blog! 🙂
Allison says
Our family loved this. I used some fatty chunks of beef from Sam’s Club and it was perfect! I did lower the temp and increase the cook time (140°C for 3 hours) and it yielded lovely tender beef. Very easy and tasty recipe!
Dina says
Allison, I am so glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for taking the time to write your kind feedback 🙂
David K. says
This recipe is a waste of beef and wine. I tried this recipe once and that is the last time I make this dish Honestly, you will enjoy a hearty beef stew, pot roast or beef braciole more than this dish. Stews, pot roast, and beef braciole are all much more flavorful and make a more complete meal than the braised beef recipe presented here.
Dina says
Hi David, can you please specify what you did not like about the recipe? If there was a lack of flavor, that usually means you need to add more salt. But based on previous comments, there is no lack of salt in this recipe. Sounds like you like your food saltier (which can easily be adjusted). I am not too sure what you didn’t like about this recipe without giving more detail so I cannot help much.
Mikkel says
I was sure I put the correct amount of salt in. Perhaps I’m getting the other measurements wrong, since I’m European and don’t work with cups as a measurement. When I search, one cup is equal to 240ml ish. So 3/4 of a cup red wine is 180ml and 1/4 cup of water is 60ml. It just seems like a very little amount of fluids. At least when the dish was done there was barely any liquid left.
Dina says
Hi Mikkel, I am sorry to hear that. I know that Europen measurements are different than the ones we use in America. Did you happen to have more meat than the recipe called for? That could definitely change the amount of liquid at the end.
Narei says
Flavor was great. Cooked for 2hrs on 350 and it came out as jerky.. 🙁 way overcooked. Will try again with a fattier meat and more water
Dina says
Hi Narei 🙂 I have never had that happen to anyone who tried this recipe. It sounds like you may have cut your pieces really small that they cooked much faster or you didn’t have enough liquid with the beef. Hope that helps clarify. 🙂
Mikkel says
Waaaaaay to salty but otherwise very delicious! I will put something like a quarter of the amount in next time. I also gave it 45 minutes more so it looked better.
Dina says
Hi 🙂 Thank you for your feedback and happy to hear you found this recipe delicious! I haven’t really had much mention of this recipe being salty. Any chance you used tbsp instead of tsp? Or if a lot of the liquid cooks out it can make it taste saltier. Hope that helps 🙂
Helena Vicente says
I’ve made this recipe several times and its still one of the best. It is not salty at all. If it was salty for these people it was because they added more than the recipe called for or not enough beef.!
Thank you for a delicious beef dish!
Helena
Dina says
You are too kind Helena! 🙂 I am really happy to hear you loved this braised beef recipe so much! Thank you so much for your kind feedback and for supporting my blog! 🙂
Donna says
It was delicious! I just used salt, pepper, wine.
Dina says
So happy to hear that Donna! I hope this braised beef becomes a family favorite recipe! Thank you for taking the time to leave your awesome feedback! I hope you find many more delicious recipes to try from my food blog 🙂
Daisy says
This recipe has way, way too much salt. I cut the salt in half and it was still too salty. I suggest cutting the salt down to a total of 1/2 teaspoon, divided into two amounts of 1/4 teadpoon for each layer.
Dina says
Hi Daisy, I am sorry to hear that it was too salty. Everyone likes their food salted differently. I have never really heard anyone tell me this recipe is over-salted. Do you generally prefer your food less salted?
Tony says
Next time I will add beef stock instead of the water and cut the salt in half. Too salty for me and even I love salt! I also added carrots and potatoes and I used a 13% Russian Imperial Stout beer instead of wine. Highly recommend subbing for wine if you have a heavy imp stout on hand! Then again, I’m a beer head, not a wine-o.
Dina says
Hi Tony 🙂 Happy to hear you loved this braised beef! I have never heard that this recipe was too salty. Did you change up the quantity of salt from the 2 teaspoons? Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Sarah says
Hi, I was thinking of making this tonight but I’d be doing it with a cross rib roast instead? Do you think it will come out nice and tender still? I’ll be preparing it in my cast iron and I’m thinking of subbing beef broth for water for more flavor. Also do you have tips for cutting the beef into chunks, I’m going against the grain right? I don’t have any experience with braising and barely any with pot roasts. Thanks!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Sarah, yes a cross rib roast will work great. The trick is to cook low and slow and you will get very tender meat, so no need to worry about the cutting method 😊
Julie says
I have been braising beef like this for years & I am 65 years old. My mother taught me this & it used to be the only way until all the new fan dangled stuff came along like Crock pots, Instapots, Anyone using the new stuff is missing out on a real braised beef roast. Instead of wine I use two cans of beef broth & toss in 3 bay leaves with 6 whole cloves of garlic. It’s the best braised beef you will ever enjoy & it makes a perfect rich brown gravy over mashed potato’s. Forget being in a hurry & cook it the old fashion way, like mom & grandmas. This way gets all the stars…
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for your feedback Julie.
Christopher says
For those reluctant to use wine in this, consider a bottle of brown beer, that is not a lager. There will not be any alcohol left after cooking when using either wine or beer. if you use water it will be a bit bland. And remember salt drags out the flavor.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the recipe tip Christopher!
Liliya says
I have a question
I want to skip the wine
Do I need to add more water
Does the water need to cover the meat ?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Liliya, if you use only water, it may be a bit bland. I would use beef broth instead. just use the same amount of total liquid in the original recipe, but only do beef broth. I hope this helps and you enjoy the recipe!
Liliya says
If I decide to use red wine
What brand I can buy in Fred Meyer
I never buy wine do idk which one would be best
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Lilya, Fred Meyer has a ton of different red wines so it can be a bit confusing if you’re not too familiar with it. I haven’t ventured out too much myself since I only use wine for cooking purposes. But I usually stick to pinot noir. Erath brand is good. So is Bogle Vineyards and Barefoot Cellars. I hope that helps 🙂