Braised beef with a thick, gravy-like sauce, with mushrooms, leeks, carrots and other vegetables, served over a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. This is the dish to have on a cold winter evening. So comforting, so delicious, it will make you forget about the snow and the cold. Make sure you make enough as I am sure many of you will run for seconds.
Similar to my braised chicken recipe, this recipe does not require thickening of the sauce after braising. Seriously, who wants to do that after 3 hours of patiently waiting and drooling? You want to open the lid of the braising pan and start devouring that braised beef asap.
In this recipe, I make a simple roux that will thicken the broth before braising. I love the simplicity of this method and the excellent results I’ve been getting with it. There may be some separation during cooking so make sure to give that sauce a quick stir when serving. That’s all.
This braised beef must be eaten with mashed potatoes. Rice, quinoa, buckwheat, pasta – all will go well it, but mashed potatoes and this beef are a match made in heaven. Try this garlic mashed potatoes recipe, it’s fantastic.
Braised Beef with Gravy-Like Sauce and Vegetables
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 2 1/2 lbs beef (e.g. chuck, shanks or brisket, cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 3 cups button mushrooms (rinsed, whole)
- 4 carrots (medium, peeled and cut into large pieces)
- 2 leeks (white and light green parts only, sliced 1/4" thick)
- 1 vidalia onion (large, peeled and chopped)
- 4 shallots (peeled and cut in halves)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 garlic heads (optional)
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 4 cups beef broth (or beef stock, heated)
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- Chopped fresh herbs (for garnish)
Instructions
- Start preheating the oven to 350F.
- If you like garlic and want to add a couple of full heads, it's a creamy deliciousness once cooked, do as follows. Remove as much loose skin as you can. Cut off about a quarter to one third from one end. Garlic heads will go in the braising pan later, while some of the cut off pieces can be used in this recipe in place of the two required garlic cloves and the rest can be saved for other uses.
- Heat the olive oil with two tablespoons of butter in a braising pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the braising pan and set aside.
- Add the onions, mushrooms, shallots, carrots and leeks. Saute until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue sauteing for another minute.
- Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and let it melt, while constantly stirring. Turn the heat down to low. Have the broth ready. Add the flour and stir briskly until it is fully incorporated. Pour in the broth, turn the heat up to medium high and let the liquid mixture come up to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, constantly stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken. It shouldn't take long, less than a minute. Remove from heat.
- Add the pepper and nutmeg, stir, then salt to taste. Stir in the red wine vinegar. The sauce may taste a little too tart right after you add the vinegar, but it will be perfect by the time it's done cooking.
- Nestle beef pieces and garlic heads, if using, in the sauce, spreading them out evenly. If using, place the garlic bulbs cut side up. Garlic smell can be quite strong, so add those bulbs only if you love garlic and have a good ventilation in the kitchen. If you place it cut side down, the sauce will get infused with garlic too much.
- Cover and braise in the oven at 350F for 3-4 hours. I think the beef only gets better if cooked a little longer.
- Serve with freshly made mashed potatoes, garnish with chopped fresh herbs, and enjoy.
Regan Lowe
Hi!! I am going to try this recipe for the first time. What meat would be the best? I know you brisket, shank or chuck but what would be the preferred meat. Are beef short ribs an option?
Thank you so much,
Regan
victor
Regan, any cut that is well-marbled or has a lot of connective tissue would really benefit from braising. Beef short ribs are fantastic when braised but can be a little fatty sometimes so trim off some fat if there is too much. I don’t think there is a preferred cut, all of those will work great and have a slightly different appeal. If I were to pick a beef cut for braising, I’d say beef shanks. They are not too fatty and have a lot of connective tissue that gelatinizes and makes the meat super tender and very flavorful. Trimmed brisket and short ribs would be my close next pick. Super flavorful cuts. I have a recipe for braised brisket on my blog. Chuck is good if it’s well-marbled (choice and higher, angus is very good).
janet
This recipe was so delicious!!! Perfect flavors all came together after 4 hours the meat was so tender with perfect amount of gravy. I served over parmesan polenta with fresh parsley on top! Yummy and so easy!!
victor
I am happy that you liked it. Enjoy and be sure to try my other recipes.
Doug
When making I like adding some dried fruit e.g.. apricots, prunes and one or two orange peels.
victor
Sounds delicious.
Thelma Louise
This looks really good and I’m thinking about trying it this weekend.
Question: Is 350 degrees correct? That seems high for a 3-4 hour braise. When I think of braising I think “low and slow” — 275-300 degrees.
Thanks in advance.
victor
Thelma, 350F is definitely correct and works well for my old electric oven. I use this temperature for all my braising. Now, as they say, every oven cooks differently and yours may be way more efficient than mine so keep an eye on your beef and start checking at 2 1/2 hours. I’ve had many people have success with this and other braising recipes but there were a couple of comments where people found the time at this temp a little too long and a lot of liquid evaporated. It just supports the idea that all ovens cook differently.
Now, I’ve tried 275-300F and the beef never was tender enough to my liking. 350F seems to work perfectly though.
Thelma Louise
Thanks for getting back to me Victor. 🙂
victor
You are very welcome.
David Cameron
I looked so good and so juicy over the potatoes. I made it tonight following the 350 degrees for3-4 hours. Closer to the 4 hours and there was not a drop of liquid left and was on the verge of burning. Either cook at a lower temp or for a shorter time. I was really bumbed. It tasted more burnt than delicious, My bad. I should have checked it more often.
victor
David, if you started with enough liquid, I think the lid on your braiser may have a large gap somewhere and too much liquid got evaporated. It’s also possible that your oven cooks hotter than the set temperature. Both things have happened to me. After 4 hours, I still have a good amount of liquid left… looks like you may need to do some troubleshooting.
Terri
This recipe is everything the reviews say it is. Absolutely delicious.
victor
Glad you liked it. Enjoy!
Rebekah
This was so delicious! I followed your recipe exactly, and I’m blown away by the flavor. Thank you for sharing!
victor
You are very welcome.
Brooks
I made this on a cold, wet winter day – absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
victor
You are welcome.
MaryAnn Coy
Hi Victor, I’ve tried twice to leave a comment but neither seems to be waiting moderation. So just wanted to say this was outstanding. Had to make some changes for medical reasons and work around for ingredients I didn’t have plus some others I had on hand after inventorying fridge and freezers. There’s a raging snowstorm outside so a quick market trip was not an option. Served this with fresh natural cider and that complimented it perfectly. Hubs requested it for Christmas dinner next year. My only caveat is the specified cuts of meat were way too fatty even trimmed, but a steak and a piece of lamb shoulder were marvelous. I think next time I’ll use a lean pot roast for it. I did add some seasonings, we can’t have salt but Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb, Liquid Smoke, cloves, and fresh ground pepper, extra garlic, and Low SodiumSoy Sauce in the gravy only, were excellent. This would be good with Lamb,Venison, or rabbit too. I will add more nutmeg next time, it’s great in my Christmas Pie, I just should have added more, here. Or I have Mace as well. Thank you for this great recipe, haven’t had this in years. Also saved your braised Chicken recipe and your recipe for ribs.MAC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ & ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️&❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️‼️
victor
Thank you, MaryAnn. Your comment went through OK. Thank you for the kind words and detailed feedback. Good tips, thank you for those.
MaryAnn Coy
👍👍❤️❤️‼️Fabulous! Hubs loved it. 3 bites in requested it for Christmas Dinner next year. This can easily prepped ahead and assembled in the morning. Once in the oven, covered, it needs no more attention than a slow cooker, except removing the cover at the 3 hour check and let it brown for the last hour. You have to brown the ingredients anyway so a slow cooker won’t really save much time or effort. Used a lasagna pan well lined with heavy duty foil, with a foil lid, because that’s what I had, worked perfectly. I used an assortment of meat pieces after cleaning out the freezer (beef and lamb!) I can recommend this for lamb or venison even a brace of rabbit and the results will be excellent. If I bought meat for thi, I’d go for a hearty bottom round pot roast, the short rib and brisket were way too fatty for me. We are on low Sodium diets so the only salt I used was a very low sodium soy sauce in the gravy/sauce only. I used extra garlic and onions, celery, and parsnips in addition, and baby Bella mushrooms (my shopper bought sliced, worked fine). If you choose not to use mashed potatoes, small round potatoes or chunked all purposed could be added here. Two ideas I got from my French Canadian Mother. I dredged the meat in seasoned flour ( Mrs Dash Garlic and herb, freshly ground pepper, reserved flour for gravy, it gets thoroughly cooked here). Then studded 2 extra chunked onions with whole clove, for added flavor, tried the nutmeg, next time I will use more or use mace instead. Made extra gravy by doubling that section of the recipe. Used the remained oil from browning the meats and vegetables, plus a mix of olive oil and butter. Added Liquid Smoke, LS Soy, Balsamic Vinegar, and freshly ground pepper to the gravy/sauce. Flavor was amazing. Roasted @ 375°F for 3 hours covered,,plus an additional hour uncovered, could have gone longer, or been held warm easily. We let it stand 30 minutes to finish the potatoes. Then served, it was sublime, and the roasted garlic was wonderful. This could be served over crusty artisan bread( my Mother used thick sliced of homemade bread) or over thick sliced sourdough bread, rice, polenta, or noodles as well! Next time, I might add some sweet potatoes. Recipe can be doubled or trebled easily for large gatherings. Just use bigger pots or it make twice.Recommend highly, it is not hard or complicated, no fancy cooking skills needed, just follow the recipe.we used a stir fry pan to brown everything and then layered the components. Gravy evenly over everything plopped the garlic heads on top with a pat of butter on each. Smells wonderful while cooking. We were setting up a slow cooker of country style ribs for Hubs lunches, while waiting and couldn’t believe how good this smelled.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️‼️
victor
Very happy to heat it, MaryAnn. Thank you for such detailed feedback, I enjoyed reading it. Liked your tips too.
Kathleen
Best Stew EVER! My husband was very impressed
Ruth
Discovered your website today and tried this out. Lovely! I live in a country where food still comes from the market and is often seasonal and I also have to eat clean for my health. I love that your recipes use natural, easily available ingredients to make tasty dishes! Can’t wait to try others out.
victor
Thank you for the kind words, Ruth. I appreciate them. Happy cooking!
Kristen
I’m sure it would’ve been delicious if it turned out like yours, with all that yummy sauce! Unfortunately I decided to cook it for 4 hours so the meat would be super tender. Guess I should’ve checked it at 3 hours. It was totally burned with no sauce left whatsoever. I followed the recipe exactly! We still ate it, but with burned parts of the beef and no delicious gravy on the mashed potatoes. Be careful and check it at 3 hours!
Sue
Does it need to be sturred while braising?
victor
No, you don’t need to. I like how the tops get a little browned, it adds more flavor. If you do, you won’t get that. But nothing wrong with stirring just do it carefully.
Lauren S.
I tried to get brisket but they had none in my grocery store. Next best thing was short ribs! I hope it still comes out good. I’m making it tomorrow, wish me luck.
victor
Good luck! Let me know how it turns out. My absolutely best way to cook short ribs is to smoke them though. Check out my smoked shorts ribs recipe and make that if you can.
Lauren S.
Hi quick question-im making this with short ribs & was just wondering if I u think it will be too fatty? I will separate the fat if it is but any thoughts?
victor
Trimming fat off will help. I like making braised brisket, it’s excellent. There is plenty of fat in brisket but when braised a lot of it will render off. Some fat will remain but I never felt like it was bad or untasty. You can always trim the remaining fat off on the plate.
Amy
Hi Victor, can this recipe be cut in half? Would the cook time be the same?
victor
Amy, you can cut it in half but the braising time will be the same.
Mindi
I’m making this right now, so the answer won’t help this time, but for future reference: what do you do with the garlic after it cooks? Do you take it out completely? Work the garlic into the stew? I’m a little confused. Excited to try this out though!
victor
Hi Mindi,
I serve it on the side. Using a fork, I squeeze it out little by little and enjoy with the dish. You can also squeeze it out and incorporate into the stew. You can also place peeled garlic cloves into the pan before cooking and by the time the beef is done, the garlic will almost disappear… mash what larger pieces are left over. If you are not a garlic lover, add a few peeled cloves, 3-5 will do. Hope this helps.
Kim
This was seriously the best roast beef I have ever made. I made a few changes only due to ingredients I had on hand, subbed chicken broth for beef and added bouillon and Kitchen Bouquet but this was so tender and flavorful I will never make a beer roast any other way!
Stacy
Can this be made in a slow cooker
victor
Hi Stacy, yes, you can. The flavor will be a bit different but you won’t be disappointed.
Loise
Awesome!! Added a few herbs near the end and a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and it was wonderful. At 3 1/2 hours had to add a can of chicken broth as it was really thick. (Didn’t have more beef stock)@. Do recommend beef stock as it is really rich. Turned out extraordinary.
Bern
See that this recipe takes 3-4 hours, can I use my Instant Pot to make it?
victor
You can but it won’t have the same flavor/texture.
Drew Porterfield
Added a 1/2 cup of roasted tomatoes for color and a splash of soy sauce instead of salt. Amazing!
Thanks for the recipe!
Helen Locke
Going to try this but love braised steak
MaryAnn Coy
One of the meat pieces I used was a steak, it was excellent. Would go for flank, skirt, round, lower fat flavorful cuts. Comes out for tender and very flavorful. I did add some seasoning though.
Misti
We just made this for Christmas dinner and it was fantastic!!! Three teenage boys give thumbs up!
Sue F
Read the recipe and knew it would be perfect for buying ingredients at out local farmers’ market. Thank so much for it.
Jenny
In the oven now, I can’t wait. It smells amazing, my sauce doesn’t look anything like the picture though. It is kinda grayish, what did I do wrong?
victor
Good deal! The color of the sauce will change as it cooks. But if it’s not dark brown enough for you, you will need to brown the beef, the onions and the flour more next time. That’s where the color comes from.
Bryan
Great recipe. I didn’t use the leeks or the optional garlic. I followed everything else as listed.
I served it with a side salad (a simple basalmic dressing) and a Belgian Farmhouse Ale. One of the best meals I have made. Thanks for the recipe.
victor
You are very welcome, Bryan. Love Belgian ale, sound like a great pairing.
Lyn Flemming
Delicious!!
ShakingBird
Thank you fnother superb offering! Definitely the best beef recipe I’ve ever made! Succulent, savory, and the veggies were perfect. Although, I think I’ll quarter the onion next time so the chunks don’t disappear.
You’re my favorite resource for recipes!
Kandy
Hi. I just found your recipes and have been spending my morning looking at them. I have to say that this one has really caught my eye (along with many poultry and pork recipes) and it looks glorious on top of the mashed potatoes. I will need to get some ingredients and look forward to making this for my family. Loving all your recipes!
victor
Hi Kandy, thank you for stopping by and dropping me a line. So nice of you. This braised beef recipe is one of our most favorite recipe, the seasonings are simple, but that’s on purpose, to keep the beef flavor prominent. This recipe is great when made with ‘beefy’ cuts like brisket, short ribs, chuck, shanks. My wife and I love braised beef shanks, though our kids don’t like the texture and prefer chuck and brisket. Lot’s of options here with beef cuts and seasonings. Try this recipe with my garlic mashed potatoes, I highly recommend this combination.
Steve Denvir
Did it last night. we loved it. Thanks Victor.
victor
Happy to hear that, Steve. Make sure to try the baked chicken legs, my latest recipe, they are fabulous.
Steve Denvir
Hi Victor, I do a beef stew which is very similar. But just before serving, I hit it with a Tbsp of red wine vinegar and one of Dijon.
Together, they really brighten up the dish.
victor
Thanks for the tip, Steve. Sounds like a great idea. I will try it.
Anna
My family loved this braised beef. I’ve tried many recipes but this one really stood out. I liked the nutmeg flavor on the beef, what a great idea to use it. I used freshly ground nutmeg, it’s so aromatic. The sauce was thick and delicious. I am not a big fan of tomato-based sauces so this one really hit the spot for me. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
victor
So happy to hear that, Anna. You are welcome.