Ingredients
Beef, three cuts
- 800 gplat de côtes, short rib
- 800 gpaleron, chuck
- 800 ggîte or jarret, shin
Bones
- 3marrow bones, cut into 5 cm lengths
Aromatics
- 2onions, halved and each stuck with 2 cloves
- 1 headgarlic, halved
- 1bouquet garni: thyme, bay, parsley stalks, leek green
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- coarse salt
Vegetables
- 6carrots
- 4turnips
- 4leeks, tied in a bundle
- 1celery heart
- 6potatoes, cooked separately
To serve
- coarse salt
- Dijon mustard
- cornichons
- toasted bread, for the marrow
Directions
- Use three different cuts, which is the traditional instruction and a real one. Now the most important decision: start the meat in cold water, not hot. Put the beef and bones in a very large pot and cover with cold water by 5 cm. Bring it slowly to the boil over a medium heat, which takes 40 minutes or so.
- Bring it up slowly, because a fast boil emulsifies the fat into the liquid and clouds the broth permanently. Skim the grey scum from the surface constantly as it rises, for the first 20 minutes.
- Skim it patiently and thoroughly. This is what makes the difference between a clear golden broth and a murky one. Simmer, partly covered, for 3 hours.
- Wrap the marrow bones in muslin and tie them, or add them for the last hour only. The marrow melts away entirely if it cooks for hours, so it goes in late and is protected.
- Add the carrots and turnips for the last 45 minutes. Add the leek bundle and celery for the last 25 minutes. Cook the potatoes in a separate pan of the broth. Potatoes cooked in the main pot release starch and cloud the broth, which is why they are done apart.
- Strain a ladleful of broth per person, degrease it, and serve it first as a clear soup, sometimes with a slice of toasted bread. Slice the beef thickly and arrange the vegetables around it.
- Serve with coarse salt, Dijon mustard and cornichons, and nothing more elaborate. Those three condiments are the fixed accompaniment and they are what the plain boiled meat needs.
Technique
- The broth is better made a day ahead, chilled, and the solid fat lifted off.
- Some households add a chicken or a piece of oxtail to the pot.
- It is a dish for a crowd and does not scale down well.
Substitutions
- Any combination of long-cooking beef cuts on and off the bone.
- Muslin or a clean cloth to protect the marrow bones.
Variations
- With a boiling fowl added, as pot-au-feu à la poule.
- Petite marmite, the refined version served in individual pots.
- With oxtail or beef cheek.
History
Beef and root vegetables simmered in one pot, the everyday French family meal that also produced the broth for classic consommés.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pot-au-feu?
Pot-au-feu is a soup & stew from France: boiled beef and vegetables; the broth served first. Beef and root vegetables simmered in one pot, the everyday French family meal that also produced the broth for classic consommés.
How long does Pot-au-feu take to make?
Pot-au-feu takes 30 min of preparation and 4 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Pot-au-feu?
Yes, within limits. Any combination of long-cooking beef cuts on and off the bone. Muslin or a clean cloth to protect the marrow bones.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pot-au-feu?
Skim it patiently and thoroughly. This is what makes the difference between a clear golden broth and a murky one. Simmer, partly covered, for 3 hours.
