Slow Cooked Beef and Red Wine Casserole

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Slow Cooked Beef and Red Wine Casserole

A hearty, rich stew with tender slow cooked beef, vegetables and red wine. The casserole is finished with gremolata, a zesty, fresh mix of parsley, garlic and lemon that brightens up the whole dish.

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 30

Total Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: European, Western

Keyword: beef and red wine casserole, beef casserole, beef stew, brussels sprouts casserole, steam oven casserole

Servings:

Calories: 693kcal

Ingredients

3 lb chuck steak or beef shin, boneless, diced into 1 1/2"/4cm pieces 1.4kg
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp fine salt
½ tsp cracked black pepper
4 tbsp olive oil divided
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
2 carrots peeled and diced
1 stalk celery finely diced
8 oz button mushrooms thickly sliced 200g
28 oz chopped tomatoes or crushed tomatoes, canned
½ cup dry red wine substitute with beef stock + 2 tsp balsamic vinegar for non-alcoholic
1 beef stock cube bouillon cube
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

Gremolata

3/4 cup flat leaf parsley firmly packed, leaves picked
2 lemons large, zest finely grated
1 clove garlic peeled

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix the flour, salt and pepper together in a shallow bowl or on a dinner plate. Thoroughly coat the meat in this mixture. Discard any leftover seasoned flour.
3 lb chuck steak, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp fine salt, ½ tsp cracked black pepper
Preheat oven to Combi Steam, 285°F/140°C, 30% (low) humidity.
While the oven preheats, heat a large, heavy based casserole pan on your cooktop, over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and brown the meat all over. You’ll need to do this in 2-3 batches, adding a little extra oil in between if the pan becomes too dry. Set the meat aside as each batch is done.
3 lb chuck steak, 4 tbsp olive oil
When the meat is browned, take the empty pan off the heat. Add 1 tbs oil, along with the onion, garlic, carrot and celery, and stir to combine. Scatter the mushrooms over the top of the other vegetables. There’s no need to clean the pan before this step; any browned bits of flour or meat which are left will be deglazed as the vegetables cook.
4 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 carrots, 1 stalk celery, 8 oz button mushrooms
Put the pan into the preheated steam oven and cook for 10 minutes to soften the vegetables.
Add the canned tomatoes, wine and stock cube to the pan and stir. Return the meat to the pan and make sure it’s mostly submerged in the sauce. Tuck the thyme and bay leaves into the sauce, then return the pan to the oven (no lid) and cook for 1½- 2½ hours. When it's done, the meat will be easily shredded with a fork and the sauce should be thick. Cooking time will vary depending on the age and toughness of your meat, hence the wide time range.
28 oz chopped tomatoes, ½ cup dry red wine, 1 beef stock cube, 3 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves
While the meat cooks, prepare the gremolata by finely mincing the parsley, lemon zest and garlic together. This mixture can be made up to a couple of hours ahead and stored in the fridge until serving.
3/4 cup flat leaf parsley, 2 lemons, 1 clove garlic
Serve the casserole hot, with mash, polenta or lots of crusty bread, and the gremolata sprinkled over the top.

Notes

The gremolata in this recipe is optional, but it really adds a brightness and freshness that offsets the warmth and richness of the casserole. I never serve the dish without it.
You can change the flavor profile in the casserole by swapping white wine for the red, or omitting the wine altogether and using stock. Red wine is the most traditional, but all of those options work well and are delicious.
Did you know not just the cut, but the type of meat you buy can affect how long it takes to get tender? Grain fed meat tends to soften faster, while grass fed takes a little longer. Use the cooking time as a rough guide; start checking the meat after an hour and a half but be prepared to go up to 2 1/2 or even 3 hours to get it very soft and 'shreddy'.
If there are leftovers I shred the meat back into the sauce and save it to serve over pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) another night.
This dish will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or freezes well for up to a few months. Thaw/reheat in your steam oven.

Nutrition