Merlot Braised Beef Recipes

MERLOT BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 F.
• Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan that's just large enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Roast for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the wine, stock, flour, sugar and mustard in a medium-sized pot and whisk until well combined. Mix in the onion, garlic and thyme.
• Bring to a boil, boil 2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
• Once the short ribs have roasted for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and drain away the excess fat.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
• Pour the wine/stock mixture over the ribs.
• Cover and bake for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
• Skim any fat from the surface of the ribs before serving.

MERLOT BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine beef, sliced onion, celery, garlic, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, juniper berries, wine, thyme and pepper; cover and marinate in refrigerator doe 12 to 24 hours.
• Remove beef; sprinkle with flour and set aside.
• Strain marinade through sieve into bowl, pressing solids; set marinade aside.
• In skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown beef in batches.
• Transfer to bowl.
• Add 1 tbsp butter to pan.
• Stir in sugar, cook until deep nutty brown.
• Stir in reserved marinade and stock, averting eyes to avoid splatters.
• Add beef, carrots and salt; cover and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beef is tender, about 1 ½ hours.
• Meanwhile, in skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat; cook pearl onions until browned, 12 minutes.
• With slotted spoon, transfer to stew.
• Add mushrooms to skillet; simmer for 10 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with parsley.
• Popovers-----------------.
• In bowl, whisk egg with milk; stir in flour and salt until blended but still lumpy.
• Spoon into well-buttered jumbo muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
• Place in center of cold oven.
• Heat oven to 450F; bake for 25 minutes.
• With skewer, puncture each popover; bake for 10 minutes or until puffed.
• (Make ahead; Let cool; cover and set aside at room temperature for up to 8 hours. Reheat in 325F oven for 5-10 minutes).

PEPPERED BEEF TENDERLOIN WITH MERLOT

Steps:

• 1. For the beef: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Set a rack in a roasting pan. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While the pan heats, pat the meat dry and season it generously with salt. Roll the tenderloin in peppercorn mixture to coat, making sure to press the ends in mixture as well. Add vegetable oil to the skillet and heat just until smoking. Brown the meat all over, turning as each side reaches a deep mahogany, about 8 minutes in all. While the meat browns, toss the unpeeled shallots with the olive oil and scatter them in the roasting pan. Transfer the meat to the rack (save the skillet) and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 125 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before carving.
• 2. For the sauce: Wipe any burned bits from the skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and the sliced shallots to the skillet and cook over high heat until tender, about 2 minutes. Add wine and vegetable broth and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Bring to a brisk boil and cook until reduced by about half. Meanwhile, in a small bowl make a paste with remaining 4 tablespoons butter and the flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the reduced wine mixture a little bit at a time. Return to a full boil and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
• 3. Slice the beef and arrange it on a platter with the roasted shallots. Drizzle some sauce over the meat and serve, passing the remaining sauce.

GRANDPA'S BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a thin layer of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the onions, and garlic to the hot oil and sweat them until very soft and very light caramel in color, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and reserve.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Pat the meat dry and season very liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the meat to a deep brown all over, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Peel the potatoes and very thinly slice them lengthwise into planks. Slice the tomatoes working over a bowl to catch their juices.
• Arrange 1/2 the onions over top of the meat, season with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon thyme. Arrange 1/2 the potatoes over the onions and dress the potatoes with a liberal drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, about 1 tablespoon, salt, pepper, rosemary, and a handful freshly grated cheese. Top the potatoes with 1/2 the tomatoes and their juices, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter a few leaves of torn basil. Repeat the layers. Do not add basil to the top layer of tomatoes.
• Cover the pan and roast the meat in the oven until very tender, 4 hours. Cool and store for make-ahead meal.
• To reheat: Reheat, covered, in a preheated 325 degree F oven until warmed through, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Take off the lid of the pot, drizzle the top of the meat with oil, sprinkle with cheese, and broil to lightly crust the top. Cut down through the layers of the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions to portion the meat, serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and pan juices.

BEEF BRISKET WITH MERLOT AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Pat brisket dry; sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy extra-large skillet over high heat. Add brisket and cook until deep brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer brisket, fat side up, to large roasting pan. Add tomatoes with juice and wine to skillet. Remove from heat, scrape up any browned bits, and pour mixture over brisket. Distribute onions, carrots, and garlic around brisket. Add prunes and thyme; drizzle with 1/2 cup prune juice and 3 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pan over 2 burners and bring to boil. Cover pan with heavy-duty foil; place in oven.
• Braise brisket until tender, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Uncover and cool 1 hour at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil and chill. Bring just to simmer over 2 burners before continuing.
• Remove brisket from roasting pan, scraping off juices. Place on work surface;cut across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices.Spoon off fat from top of pan juices. Place 1 cup vegetables (no prunes) and 1 cup braising liquid from pan into processor and puree. Return puree to pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon prune juice and 1 teaspoon vinegar to pan. Heat sauce; season with salt and pepper.
• Overlap brisket slices in 13x9x2- inch glass baking dish. Pour sauce over brisket, separating slices to allow some sauce to flow between. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
• Rewarm brisket, covered, in 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle brisket with parsley; serve.
• More info:
• Use a slender metal pin, like a turkey lacer, to check whether the brisket is tender. Insert the pin into the thickest part; if it meets no resistance, the brisket is done.
• What to drink:
• You used Merlot to cook the brisket, so why not pour a Merlot as well? Try the Yarden 2002 Merlot ($22), produced at a winery in Israel's Golan Heights. The kosher wine has ripe plum flavors and a spicy finish.

BEEF TIPS AND MERLOT GRAVY WITH BEEF AND ONION RICE

Steps:

• Whisk flour, 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and seasoned salt in a large bowl until smooth and toss the beef tips in the flour mixture to coat. Remove beef with a slotted spoon.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir mushrooms and 1 small chopped onion in oil until the onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in seasoned beef tips and cook and stir until the beef is browned and no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes.
• Pour in beef broth and whisk dry brown gravy mix into the beef mixture until smooth; stir in 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, parsley, and merlot. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; simmer until gravy has thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.
• About 25 minutes before serving time, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and cook and stir 1 small chopped onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir rice into the mixture and pour in beef consomme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer rice until tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes; let rice stand for 5 minutes covered before fluffing with a fork. Serve beef tips and gravy over the rice.

BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil is heating, pat beef cheeks dry and season with salt and pepper. Brown beef, without crowding, on all sides, about 20 minutes total, and transfer with tongs to a bowl. Pour off fat from pot, then add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and cook onion, carrot, and celery over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Stir cocoa powder into vegetable mixture, then add wine and scrape up any brown bits. Increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Return cheeks (with any juices) to pot and add tomatoes with juice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then braise, covered, in middle of oven until very tender, about 3 hours.

RED WINE BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Season brisket with salt and pepper; in batches, cook, turning occasionally, until dark brown on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Transfer brisket to a plate and discard fat from pot. Return pot to heat and add 2 teaspoons oil and shallots; cook, stirring, until shallots are browned, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add wine and simmer rapidly until reduced by three-fourths, about 15 minutes. Return beef to pot and add just enough water to cover meat (5 to 6 cups). Bring to a boil, cover, then place pot in oven. Cook until beef is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

WINE-BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix thyme, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and rub the mixture over both sides of brisket.
• Heat olive oil in a roasting pan over medium-high heat; place brisket in the hot oil and brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove brisket from pan and set aside.
• Place red onion slices into the hot roasting pan and cook and stir until onion is slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in beef broth, tomato sauce, and wine.
• Place the brisket back into the roasting pan and cover pan with foil.
• Roast the brisket in the preheated oven for 1 hour; remove foil and baste brisket with pan juices. Place foil back over roasting pan and roast brisket until very tender and pan sauce has thickened, 1 1/2 to 2 more hours.