Pot-au-feu
Regarded as one of the national dishes of France and usually served as two separate courses from one pot: first the broth in a cup, then the meat and vegetables on a platter. The key lies in the choice of meat — several different cuts at once, because each gives something different: chuck gives flavour and lean slices, brisket gelatine and juiciness, and the marrow bones marrow for toast. And one rule: the broth must never boil, or it clouds.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Blanching 15 min
- Simmering the meat 215 min
- Vegetables 45 min
- Serving 15 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneBlanch the meat and discard the first water
Cover the meat with cold water, bring to a boil (about 10 minutes) and cook 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the pieces under cold water. That water carries off the grey scum and traces of blood — without this step a clear broth is much harder to get.
Ingredients: 700 g beef brisket · 700 g beef chuck · 8 pcs marrow bones · 4000 ml water · 3 tsp salt
Cover with fresh cold water and heat slowly
Put the rinsed meat in a clean, large pot (about 8 litres), cover with cold water and heat very slowly, about 20 minutes, until the surface barely trembles. Slow heating from cold gives the proteins time to set into scum on the surface instead of dispersing through the broth.
Ingredients: 700 g beef brisket · 700 g beef chuck · 8 pcs marrow bones · 4000 ml water · 3 tsp salt
Skim for the first quarter of an hour
Skim the scum from the surface with a slotted spoon for the first 15 minutes, until no more forms. Only then add the clove-studded onions, garlic, herbs and pepper. Salt goes in after an hour.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 4 pcs cloves · 1 pcs garlic · 4 pcs thyme · 3 pcs bay leaves · 1 tbsp peppercorns · 1 bunch parsley
Skim for the first quarter hour — aromatics after.Simmer three hours without boiling
Cook 3 hours with the surface barely trembling, topping up the water if it drops below the meat. Do not let it bubble — boiling emulsifies the fat and the broth turns cloudy, and it is then very hard to clear.
Ingredients: 700 g beef brisket · 700 g beef chuck · 8 pcs marrow bones · 4000 ml water · 3 tsp salt
Add the marrow bones for the last half hour
The marrow bones go into the pot with the turnips (in the next step), that is for the last 30 minutes. Prepare them beforehand: rub the cut ends with coarse salt, which keeps more of the marrow from melting out. Half an hour is enough for it to soften while staying in the bone.
Ingredients: 700 g beef brisket · 700 g beef chuck · 8 pcs marrow bones · 4000 ml water · 3 tsp salt
Cook the vegetables in the broth, in order
Leave the meat in the pot. Add the celeriac in large chunks and the whole carrots to the broth; after 15 minutes add the turnips and the marrow bones, and after another 15 minutes the bundled leeks, then cook 15 minutes more, 45 minutes in all. Vegetables added at the start would be purée after three hours. Meanwhile boil the potatoes separately in salted water.
Ingredients: 8 pcs carrots · 4 pcs turnips · 4 pcs leeks · 300 g celeriac · 800 g potatoes
Vegetables in order of firmness — leeks last.Serve the broth as the first course
Strain some of the broth through a fine sieve and serve it hot in cups, with toast. This is the first course and a separate moment of the meal — do not pour it over the meat. Meanwhile keep the meat, vegetables and bones covered in the hot broth.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Dijon mustard · 150 g cornichons · 2 tbsp coarse salt · 8 pcs bread · 3 tbsp grated horseradish
Serve the meat and marrow with mustard
Arrange the meat cut into thick slices, the vegetables and potatoes on a platter, stand the marrow bones upright and serve with mustard, cornichons, coarse salt and horseradish. The marrow is scooped onto toast and sprinkled with salt.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp Dijon mustard · 150 g cornichons · 2 tbsp coarse salt · 8 pcs bread · 3 tbsp grated horseradish
Marrow on toast with coarse salt — a pleasure of its own.
Before you start
Several cuts, not one
In France several cuts are usually combined: lean ones (chuck, shin), fattier gelatinous ones (brisket, short rib) and oxtail or cheek. Two are enough here: brisket for gelatine and chuck for flavour. If you can get oxtail or shin, add about 500 g — the broth will be even fuller.
Broth for the next day
This pot leaves several litres of exceptional broth. Cooled and skimmed, it is the base for onion soup, risotto and sauces. So it is worth making pot-au-feu in a big pot, even for fewer people.
Leftovers as a second dish
Pot-au-feu beef is the classic base for hachis parmentier (meat baked under mashed potato) or a salad with onion and vinaigrette. Another classic is boeuf miroton: slices of beef simmered in an onion sauce with a dash of vinegar and baked.
