Full transcript
0:00I don't know if there's a better
0:01combination than beef, black pepper, and
0:04red wine. And in a Tuscan peposo, it
0:06turns into something incredible. For
0:09tender, crazy flavorful, and all in one
0:11pot. I'll use a few classical chef
0:14techniques to give it a deeper brown
0:16crust, juicier beef, and a richer wine
0:18braise that turns into an insanely
0:20delicious sauce. We might even put
0:23together a couple easy sides to go with
0:24it. And we're doing it in partnership
0:27with my friends over at Babbel. But
0:28first, let's talk beef. Sound good?
0:31Let's cook.
0:34I've got a few different cuts of beef,
0:35and the most common cut nowadays seems
0:38to be either a chuck roast or short
0:40ribs.
0:40>> [music]
0:40>> But the traditional cut for peposo would
0:43be beef shanks. And you can snag a chuck
0:45roast or beef shanks for about six to
0:47eight bucks a pound. While short ribs,
0:49yeah, they're a bit more. Whatever you
0:50decide to go with, you'll need a total
0:52of 4 lb. I always say this is a great
0:55recipe if you've got a few spare parts
0:58lying around, like a beef shank, a small
1:00chuck roast, and a few short ribs. You
1:01get the idea. The first thing I'm going
1:03to do is pat the beef down on all sides
1:06with paper towels. As I often say,
1:08moisture is always the enemy [music] of
1:10a good sear.
1:11Next, transfer the beef to a rack over a
1:13sheet tray lined with, you already know,
1:15parchment paper. Yeah, I use it
1:17everywhere. The kitchen's ruined me.
1:19What I'm going to do at this stage is
1:20season the beef well on both sides with
1:22salt. And as a good rule of thumb,
1:24figure 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 tsp of
1:27salt per pound. I'm using Diamond
1:29Crystal kosher, just an FYI.
1:31After seasoning, I usually like to set
1:33the rack to the side for a second and
1:35mop up all the salt that didn't make it
1:37with the sides of the beef. You've got
1:39this, my friends.
1:40Okay, at this point, we're going in the
1:42fridge uncovered for as little as 4 and
1:44up to 24 hours. And yes, for sure, you
1:46can just cube these, season everything
1:48up, and cook them right away. But dry
1:50brining is going to ensure every bite is
1:52seasoned, [music] and that outer surface
1:53will form that pellicle to the perfect
1:55maillard when it comes to searing.
1:57[music]
1:58And it's funny because so many of my
2:00friends recently keep telling me and
2:02they're starting to figure out like,
2:03"Man, if I just give a little bit more
2:06time and attention to cooking, the food
2:08is so much better." And you know what?
2:11They're exactly right.
2:13Now, when you're ready to cook
2:14everything, just pull it out of the
2:15fridge and let it sit for a just a
2:17minute or two and take the chill off.
2:19Everything looks great and you'll notice
2:21that shiny sticky film on there. That's
2:24that pellicle I was talking about. This
2:25is what you want to see for that
2:27beautiful sear. It's a good thing.
2:29In the meantime, let's knock out some
2:31mise. I always say so much about being a
2:33good cook is being a good steward of
2:34your time.
2:36I'm going to slice off the root end and
2:37smash eight garlic cloves.
2:40Next, I've got about a foot and a half
2:42piece of butcher's twine and on it I'm
2:44going to add six to eight fresh sage
2:46leaves on the stem,
2:48then two sprigs of fresh rosemary,
2:51and finally two bay leaves.
2:53Just wrap this up in a nice double knot,
2:56like you're tying your shoes. Now, the
2:58reasoning I'm doing this is so that I
3:00don't have to try and fish everything
3:01out at the end when I'm ready to serve
3:03it. Just keeps things cleaner. It's
3:04little techniques like this that always
3:06make meals worth remembering. Okay,
3:08while this recipe calls for a good
3:10amount of peppercorns since pupusa
3:12actually translates to peppery or full
3:14of pepper, I'm going to use a combo of
3:16pink, white, green, and black. They all
3:18have different aromas and flavor notes
3:19and combine to make an awesome balance
3:21of peppery flavors. Of course, you could
3:23just use all black peppercorns, no
3:25problem.
3:27All right, at this stage the mise is
3:29done and it's time to start cooking. But
3:31first, I've wanted to learn Italian
3:33pretty much my entire [music] life. My
3:35family's from Terracina, Sicily, right
3:37outside of Palermo and my grandparents
3:38spoke Italian all the time. But my dad
3:40only knew a few words and phrases so the
3:42language really never got passed down to
3:44me. And for me, it feels like a way to
3:46connect a little more with where my
3:47family came from. I just convinced
3:49myself I didn't have the time or that it
3:51was going to be way too hard.
3:53That's honestly what I like about Babel.
3:55I don't have to carve out an hour of my
3:57day to do it. The lessons are short
3:58instead of just memorizing a bunch of
4:00random words, I'm learning things I
4:02could actually use in a real
4:03conversation. The lessons are put
4:05together by more than 650 language
4:08experts, so there's actually some
4:09thought behind how you're learning. And
4:11this goes beyond just learning how to
4:13speak Italian. I cook Italian food all
4:15the time. I love the history and the
4:17culture behind it. And I think actually
4:19learning the language is only going to
4:21make me more passionate about the food I
4:22cook. So, click the link in the
4:24description and use code Chef Billy to
4:26get 20% off a Babel lifetime
4:28subscription. All right, back to cutting
4:30the beef. I'm going to cut our cuts of
4:33beef into large roughly 2-in cubes. A
4:36little bigger, a little smaller, [music]
4:38it's no big deal. I promise you could
4:41pull this off.
4:42For anything with a bone in it, just
4:44slice as close to it as possible and
4:46again, cut the beef into even size
4:49cubes.
4:50Just going to set those back on the rack
4:52for a second and for the bones, we're
4:54going to keep those. There's a lot of
4:56goodness in the marrow and in that bone,
4:58so bring those along with the cubed
4:59beef.
5:01And back over to the cooktop and I'm
5:03going to be cooking in probably my
5:04all-time favorite pot, the Rondeau.
5:07Nice and wide for more surface area so I
5:09can get a better sear on things. Okay,
5:12time to cook the beef. But first, I'm
5:14going to turn the heat down to low
5:16medium-ish and add in 1 and 1/2 Tbsp of
5:19those colored peppercorns.
5:21I'm going to toast these up for about 3
5:23to 4 minutes while occasionally moving
5:25them around the pan. This will help
5:26[music] make them more aromatic while
5:28also softening any bitterness they give
5:30off.
5:32You'll know when they're good because
5:33the smell will be incredible. [music]
5:35>> Oh gosh, yes. That smells so good.
5:38>> At this stage, I'm just going to add
5:40them to a mortar and I'll come back to
5:42visit these in just a minute. For now,
5:43I'm adding 2 to 3 Tbsp of beef tallow,
5:46but of course, olive oil or even avocado
5:49oil, they would work great here.
5:51Once the tallow has melted and still
5:53over that low to medium heat, let's
5:55perfume up this fat a bit with those
5:57smashed garlic cloves. It only takes
5:59maybe 30 to 45 seconds. That's it. The
6:02goal is to make the fat a little bit
6:03more garlicky while gently toasting up
6:06the garlic. Can I just say it smells
6:08ridiculous in here and I've barely done
6:10a thing yet. Trying to build in as many
6:12flavors that I can. Once they're just a
6:15hair brown, set them to the side in a
6:17bowl and now it's [music] go time. Boost
6:20that heat up to medium high.
6:22When it begins to lightly smoke, it's
6:24searing time. So, add in the beef cubes
6:26and be sure to spread them out a bit. We
6:28don't want to overcrowd the pan, which
6:30honestly is why the [music] rondeau is
6:32so great. Much more surface area. I'm
6:34going to cook these for roughly 2 to 3
6:36minutes per side on all sides. And it's
6:39completely fine to do this in batches.
6:41In fact, you should to get a proper
6:42sear.
6:44The goal is to get them beautifully
6:45brown just like [music]
6:48this. Yeah. That's the ticket right
6:51there. All that maillard is just going
6:53to make this that much more flavorful.
6:56And remember, we're not looking for some
6:58internal temperature here. So, it's
7:00really important to take the time to
7:02build that deep dark maillard brown
7:05crust on all sides. And if you're
7:07worried it's getting too brown a little
7:09too quickly, remember, you're in
7:11control. Just turn the heat down a
7:12little bit. No problem.
7:14Once you're done, set them to the side
7:16on a plate and then add in the next
7:18batch of beef. And I'm also going to
7:19roast off the bones with this batch.
7:21Doing this will help release more flavor
7:23and make it beefier and just more umami.
7:26It's a good thing and a great way to use
7:28them up.
7:29And while I'm waiting for these to sear
7:30up on all sides is when I grab the
7:32pestle and begin to break down the
7:34peppercorns. The goal is to get them a
7:36rough crack if you will. There's no
7:38precise way to achieve it. If half is on
7:40the smaller side and half is on the
7:42bigger side, fine. This recipe is super
7:44forgiving.
7:45All right, back to the beef. Once that
7:47last batch is seared up, set it to the
7:49side with the other seared beef.
7:51And you'll notice we still have a good
7:53amount of rendered beef fat in the pan
7:55and a whole bunch of delicious fond. So,
7:58let's get after that.
8:00Heat goes down to low medium, and after
8:02a minute or two of cooling it down, add
8:04the garlic back in
8:05followed up with the peppercorns. After
8:08just a quick stir or two is what I'm
8:09going to do a first deglaze with some
8:11red wine.
8:12Now, since this is a Tuscan dish, it
8:14makes the most sense to use a Chianti,
8:16since it's a wine made right in the
8:17heart of Tuscan. Sangiovese, also a
8:20great option. And hey, [music]
8:22if you've only got a Merlot Cabernet
8:23Sauvignon, use what you have. It'll
8:26still be delicious.
8:27All right, I'm going to add about a half
8:29cup or so and deglaze all that goodness
8:31off the bottom, and oh my gosh, does it
8:35smell so good.
8:36And over medium heat, I'm just going to
8:38cook it down until only a few
8:40tablespoons remain, which is also known
8:42as au sec or almost gone. And just to
8:45ruffle a few Italian feathers, I'm going
8:47to hit it with just 1 Tbsp of tomato
8:49paste, and I'm going to pince it and
8:51cook it for a few minutes until it turns
8:53a rust-like color, which you'll see in
8:56the streaks in the pan.
8:58This will just [music] deepen that umami
8:59flavor for our braising liquid.
9:02Now, we're going to pour in the rest of
9:03that bottle of red wine. Yep, that whole
9:06thing. And to ruffle a few more Tuscan
9:08feathers, I'm pouring in 1 cup of good
9:10beef stock. I've got a great homemade
9:12recipe if you want to check it out. I'm
9:14adding this in there just to cut some of
9:16the acidity and tannins as it cooks
9:18down, just to break it up a bit. It's
9:19the right move for this dish.
9:21Okay, hit it with the herb bundle,
9:23season with salt, and taste it. It
9:25should be very flavorful and for sure
9:28wine forward. It's a good thing, though.
9:30Best way to become a better cook is
9:31tasting things at as many stages as
9:34possible.
9:35Now, add back in the beef and all the
9:38juices and give it a quick mix.
9:40Let's turn the heat down to low and add
9:42on a lid and we're going to braise it
9:43for 2 hours. The other option, in the
9:46oven on a middle rack at 300° F for the
9:49same time.
9:51Now, peposo actually started as food for
9:54the brick makers of Impruneta who tossed
9:56tough cuts of beef, red wine, garlic,
9:58and a ridiculous amount of pepper into
10:00clay pots and let them slowly cook next
10:03to the kilns while they worked. Those
10:05same craftsmen were making the bricks
10:06used to build Brunelleschi's famous dome
10:09in Florence. And legend has it,
10:10Brunelleschi tried the dish and loved
10:13it. [music] So, this humble Tuscan beef
10:15stew basically went from kiln worker
10:17lunch to one of the great dishes of
10:19Italy.
10:20Okay, let's go have a look at the beef
10:22and wow, does it smell good in here, you
10:24all.
10:25This looks amazing and you are going to
10:28love it, promise. At this stage, I'm
10:30going to remove the lid and reduce for 1
10:32more hour to help concentrate some of
10:35the liquid while continuing to cook down
10:37the beef. If you're in the oven, same
10:39thing, no lid, 1 hour. After that amount
10:41of time and a house full of delicious
10:43aromas, let's come back and finish this
10:46up. It looks great and you can see the
10:48liquid has reduced a bit, but we're
10:50going to take it a step further.
10:52I'm going to set the beef aside
10:53including the bones in there. Um, here,
10:56how about keeping the marrow? The bones,
10:58they get tossed out. Now, for the
11:00liquid, I'm going to continue to cook it
11:02down over medium heat and maybe just for
11:045 to 6 minutes. And yes, I'm leaving the
11:06herbs in there.
11:08The goal is to thicken it up a bit and
11:10to maybe get right around nappe, which
11:12means it should coat the back of a spoon
11:15just like this. Perfect. Okay, time to
11:19add the beef back in, but first, let's
11:21remove that herb bundle out. No need for
11:23it at this point. Then, I'm going to
11:25finish it with 3 Tbsp of unsalted butter
11:27to give it that beautiful sheen. And
11:30then, just maybe 1 to two teaspoons of
11:32clean acid with freshly squeezed lemon
11:35juice. This will clean up any bitterness
11:37it may have, push back on some of those
11:38peppery flavors for balance, and just
11:40[music] brighten up the overall dish.
11:43Definitely do this.
11:45Now, add back in the beef [music] and
11:47toss it around. And yes, absolutely
11:50beautiful. Almost time to plate it up.
11:53Now, for some side dishes, because I
11:54know, honestly, you're going to ask me,
11:57and this is the beauty of video, because
11:59I can put things where they need to be
12:01in the right order to not bore you to
12:03death. But, for timing's sake,
12:05>> [music]
12:05>> I would make these right when you take
12:08that lid off for that final braise. And
12:10this is great to serve up over pasta,
12:12and whether it's dried or fresh, up to
12:15you. It's also great over mashed
12:17potatoes. It's definitely a classic
12:19pairing. But, my personal favorite has
12:21to be creamy polenta. I mean, it is the
12:23perfect match. Plus, it's so easy to
12:26make. I've got a great recipe you can
12:28check out on my site at billyparisi.com.
12:31I'll give a link up top and in the
12:32description below. Okay, to plate this
12:34up, you can serve it in a separate dish,
12:37garnished with a bit more pepper and
12:38some parsley just for a punch of green.
12:41The polenta can be on the side, or just
12:43add it right to the top of the polenta.
12:46But, either way, you're in for a good
12:48one, my friends.
12:49Now, to get this meal just right, my
12:52pistachio cake would be an amazing
12:54finish to this. You are going to love
12:56that recipe. I'll see you over there.
13:04>> [laughter]
13:05>> Oh my god, it is just waves of flavor.
13:09It's so tender.
13:11Oh my gosh, that sauce, dude. Make it.
13:14It is ridiculous. [music]
13:17Woo!