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An overhead shot of a serving of braised beef topped with braising liquid on a bed of potatoes and cooked vegetables on a stoneware plate. The plate sits alongside a dish of chives, a dish of pepper and gold silverware on a light grey surface.

Meltingly Tender Red Wine Braised Beef (Stovetop, Oven, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Jess Larson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours
  • Yield: serves 6
  • Category: Main Dish, Beef Recipes
  • Method: Braised
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Braised beef is one of my favorite things to make for dinner in the fall and winter. It’s cozy, comforting, and practically guarantees an impressive result – all with very minimal effort required.

This particular recipe is a slightly more budget-friendly version of my popular Damn Good Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, replacing pricier beef short ribs with a hearty chuck roast instead.

After an hours-long simmer with aromatic veggies, fresh herbs, and red wine, the humble beef chuck transforms into a succulent, fall-apart tender roast that practically melts in your mouth – it’s kind of like the best pot roast you’ll ever have!

I’ve included lots of braising tips and tricks in the blog post, above, and some alternate cooking methods are detailed in the Recipe Notes, below. ♡ Happy cooking!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2–3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3–3 ½ pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
  • 3 large carrots, peeled as desired & diced into chunky 1-inch pieces
  • 2 stalks celery, finely sliced
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled & diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
  • 2 cups dry red wine (see Recipe Notes, below)
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3–4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 10–12 sprigs fresh thyme
  • optional: flour slurry (2 tablespoons all-purpose flour whisked with ½ cup beef stock)
  • for serving, as desired: mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables or sautéed green beans, salad, etc.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the beef chuck roast: About 30 minutes – 1 hour before you’d like to begin cooking, pull the beef chuck roast from the refrigerator & allow it to come up to room temperature. Just before cooking, use a paper towel to pat all sides of the roast as dry as possible. Season liberally with kosher salt and ground black pepper – a good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat.An overhead shot of seasoned beef on a piece of white butcher paper on a wooden cutting board atop a light grey textured surface. Small dishes of salt and pepper sit alongside it.
  2. Brown the chuck roast: Add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-qt capacity) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot & simmering, carefully add the chuck roast. Cook 4-5 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Don’t forget to brown the skinnier edges! Once seared, transfer to a plate & set aside.An overhead shot of seared beef in a Dutch oven atop a light grey textured surface.
  3. Cook the aromatics: Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pot used to sear the chuck roast. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine. Cook 2-3 minutes, just until fragrant.An overhead shot of carrots, celery and onions in a Dutch oven atop a light grey textured surface.
  4. Deglaze and braise the red wine beef: Pour in the red wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook 1-2 minutes, then add the seared beef chuck roast back into the skillet, nestling it into the vegetables. Add in the beef stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, bay leaves, fresh rosemary and thyme. Stir to combine well. Bring the pot up to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cover and braise, stirring occasionally, for 3 – 3 ½ hours, or until the beef is tender – it’s ready once it shreds easily with the twist of a fork.An overhead shot of beef chuck braising with fresh herbs, vegetables, dijon mustard, bay leaves, tomato paste, red wine and beef stock in a Dutch oven atop a light grey surface.
  5. Finish the red wine braised beef: Once the red wine braised beef is tender, carefully transfer the roast to a plate or cutting board. At this point, you can remove & discard the spent herbs and bay leaves from the pot, as well. If desired, thicken the braising liquid. Skim any excess fat from the top of the braising liquid, then return to medium heat. Once bubbling, stir in the flour slurry. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until thickened as desired. Taste and season with additional kosher salt & ground black pepper as needed.An overhead shot of braising liquid in a Dutch oven atop a light grey marbled surface.
  6. Serve: Shred the red wine braised beef into 6 large pieces. Serve immediately. I always place the braised vegetables and beef on a warm pile of mashed potatoes, then drizzle the red wine sauce over top. Enjoy!An overhead shot of a serving of braised beef topped with braising liquid on a bed of potatoes and cooked vegetables on a stoneware plate. The plate sits alongside a dish of chives, a dish of pepper and gold silverware on a light grey surface.

Equipment

Notes

Jess’ Tips and Tricks:

  • Suggested red wine: For this red wine braised beef recipe, use a bold red wine that stands up to the rich flavor of the beef chuck roast. You don’t have to use the nicest wine here, but it should definitely be drinkable since it provides the base flavor of the braising liquid. I suggest a nice, medium-bodied Chianti or Merlot for this recipe. If you do not want to cook with alcohol, you can swap the wine for more beef stock, noting that your braising liquid may be a little less aromatic than described.
  • 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this red wine braised beef recipe comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance – it takes 10 minutes, tops! – & you can jump straight in to cooking during the week:
    • Prep the veggies: Dice 3 large carrots and 1 large yellow onion into 1-inch pieces. Finely slice 2 stalks of celery. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active prep)

Storage and Freezing:

  • Storage and Reheating: Leftover red wine braised beef and vegetables will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the  microwave until warmed through.
  • Freezing Instructions: This red wine braised beef is also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, transfer the cooled braised beef, vegetables, and red wine sauce to a freezer container (or divide it up between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions – Souper Cubes are my fave!). Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed through, adjusting as needed. If the red wine sauce is a little watery, simply allow residual water simmer out. If the red wine sauce sauce is too thick, simply add in a splash of water or stock until your desired consistency is reached.

Alternate Cooking Methods:

  • Oven Braised Red Wine Beef: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Rather than braising on the stovetop, transfer the covered pot to a 325 degree F oven. Braise in the oven for 3 – 3 ½ hours, until the beef chuck is fall-apart tender, then finish and serve according to Steps 5-6, above.
  • Crock Pot / Slow Cooker Red Wine Beef: Prep the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Once the pot is deglazed, transfer the seared beef chuck roast, vegetables, and wine to the slow cooker. Finish assembling according to Step 4, above. Slow cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the red wine sauce as directed in Step 5, which you can do right in your slow cooker. If your slow cooker has a searing/browning feature, you can use it to cook the entire red wine braised beef recipe (Steps 1-5) in the slow cooker.
  • Electric Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Red Wine Beef: Use your Instant Pot’s “Sauté” setting to prepare the recipe according to Steps 1-4, above. Cover & seal the pressure cooker and cook on manual high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow the pressure cooker to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes before carefully flicking the valve to its “venting” position to vent out any residual pressure. If the red wine sauce seems a little too liquidy, feel free to turn on the Sauté setting again, letting the sauce simmer down a little before finishing as directed in Step 5.

Find it online: https://playswellwithbutter.com/red-wine-braised-beef/