Friday, November 17, 2017

Peposo dell'Impruneta - Making Bad Beef Better Since Before Columbus

Some recipes have amusing, or romantic stories for how they came to be, but this peposo isn’t one of them, unless you consider making bad quality beef taste better by covering it in black pepper, amusing or romantic.

As the story goes, the workers who made terracotta tiles in the city of Impruneta, would place this stew into clay pots, and leave it their still-hot kilns overnight, where it would be ready the next morning. Since they were often stuck using less than fresh meat, copious amounts of black peppercorn was used to make the beef palatable.

Luckily, this recipe adapts quite nicely to fresh meat, and produces one of the more uniquely flavored braised beef dishes I’ve ever had. The amount of black pepper is up to you, but even the ridiculous amount I used wasn’t overpowering. The acidity and sweetness of the reduced wine balances everything beautifully.

I hear that beef shank is the traditional cut of meat to use, but short ribs worked really well. You could even use some beef chuck, cut into two-inch pieces, but you’d have to adjust the cooking time. Having said that, forget the time, and keep cooking until a fork goes in easily. Regardless of which cut you use, or how fresh it is, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 6 portions:
6 bone-in beef short ribs (about 8 to 10 ounces each)
1 tablespoon kosher salt to coat the beef
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, freshly crushed
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
3-4 sage leaves
3-4 small sprigs rosemary
2 cups red wine, preferably Chianti
2 bay leaves
salt to taste, to adjust sauce
- Simmer on low, covered, about 3 1/2 hours, or until fork tender. Turn occasionally.

48 comments:

Cliff and Sherri said...

Probably made about over 100 of your recipes! Made 2 of them last night (Caldo Verde and Italian Chibatta bread). Can't wait to try this! I have been pimping your site and recipes for the last 6 months to everyone I know who cooks- so if you notice an uptick in viewership from Southeastern Michigan- it is because of me! (Love the way your film it- it is like the viewer is "helping" you with preparation. Look forward to every video!

noah394 said...

Is there a reason you don't sear the meat first here as you do in some other slow-cook/braising recipes?

PS Huge fan, thanks for the years of good recipes!

Unknown said...

Chef John, will my 12 inch skillet be deep enough to prepare this dish?

Anonymous said...

Chef John you're always teaching us to brown the mean before we simmer. Why didn't you do that here?

Unknown said...

Hi Chef John,

In a recipe like this, is there any reason why the beef isn't seared first for additional flavor? Is it just unnecessary given the flavor bomb of ingredients here?

Thanks

forkboy said...

This was my food wish SO long ago! Woot!

Unknown said...

Chef Jon, can you please show me how to make the nipple of venus candy like the one shown in the movie Mozart. I have always wanted to learn how to make these, they look so delicious.

Anthony said...

I am so making this after Thanksgiving. Like, the day after.

Enza Denino said...

Hello chef john,
Have you ever had the Canarian Mojo sauce over potatotes. or my favourite: Mojo over chicken (its a bit silly :P)
You should give Mojo Canario a try once (if youve never had it), it tastes amazaing!

Enza Denino said...

Hello chef john,
Have you ever had the Canarian Mojo sauce over potatotes. or my favourite: Mojo over chicken (its a bit silly :P)
You should give Mojo Canario a try once (if youve never had it), it tastes amazaing!

Unknown said...

Will my 12 inch skillet be deep enough for this dish

K said...

Chef John, my boyfriend and I watched this last night and decided that we must make it tonight. Can we adjust the ingredients for two servings without it affecting the final product? Or would it be better to stick with the original recipe and only use 2 short ribs and just have extra sauce (oh well)?

klep said...

Chef John, do you reckon you'd need to change anything in this recipe to apply it to some pork shoulder?

Anonymous said...

Looks amazing, looking forward to trying it.
One question, why don't you brown and sear the beef before adding the wine?

Frimmy said...

This looks really good. Would beef stock work as a substitute for the red wine? Or what would you suggest in place of wine?

tonkaslim said...

Looks like a dish my (Romanian) grandmother used to make. She served it over mashed potatoes. I think it had paprika instead of black pepper, but this looks fantastic. Thanks Chef. Can't wait to try!

Pudytat said...

How is this not incredibly salty with a full tablespoon of salt in it??? Or, is that salt washed off and just never stated in this video and receipt?

Danbs1217 said...

Mmmmmmmmm. Trying this over the weekend. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Would this recipe work with oxtails?

dandelion said...

Tank You Chef just what I was looking for!

Rick said...

Hi Chef John,

My food wish is the Colombian dish Posta Negra a la Cartagenera, known in Venezuela as Asado Negro. It's a piece of slow cooked beef in a really dark and tasty sauce. I had a go at making it a couple times and it didnt come out right.

I'd be really grateful if you could make a video showing us all how to make this excellent, traditional South American dish.

Thank you,

Richard

Mark said...

I wonder if this would be good if I do the braising in the over instead of on the stovetop?

Mike T said...

Just finished eating it along with your polenta recipe. Absolutely delicious! We didn't take a picture because (1) a flat plate isn't flattering for polenta and (2) we were ravenous after smelling it all day.

Unknown said...

Prepared this dish tonight. It was delicious. Thank you. Also made the Polenta, with chicken stock, that too was delicious. I'm from South Africa so I usually make traditional "pap" and I really liked this version. It worked with the braised short-ribs.

Unknown said...

Made it yesterday, finishing it off in our vintage West Bend Bean Pot, as we had to leave the house, and didn't want an open flame on the stove. left it until the next day to reheat, and serve...OMG good. Thanks.

John said...

Amazing flavor. A++

A tremendous amount of rendered fat. Seriously, fat accounted for about half the volume of the sauc. We ran the sauce through through a strainer and fat separator.

rainydaypictures said...

Can you make Adjaruli khachapuri? Pictured here: http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20171120-georgias-addictive-cousin-to-pizza

tom said...

@K do you have something against leftovers? 😉

Unknown said...

So my fantastic butcher gave me flanken cut ribs instead of English cut like you have in the video. Is this going to drastically change my cooking time? Or do I just need to go get some more correctly cut ribs?

Unknown said...

Could I add some beef stock to this, or would you suggest use all red wine with no stock?

Unknown said...

Hello John,
Love your channel.
Just watched the Croissant recipe.
Nice but alot of work.
I am subed to this channel below.
Thought you might like to see the Scottish version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxdIZ9IeRuk
Stay well my good man.
Krink.

Unknown said...

Anyone have an idea how to convert this recipe to a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot? Thanks.

Unknown said...

Chef, have you thought about making an app? I love watching your videos, bit find it frustrating to have to frig around in the browser on my phone getting groceries! I would be more than happy to pay for such a luxury btw. You are the best!

dnana said...

Hi, Chef! I made this and it's wonderful, so fragrant and tasty over buttered noodles!! I had a little problem keeping the simmer down on my gas stove with a cast iron dutch oven, finally had to use the smallest burner (4500 BTU). I am thinking I'm going to try either braising in the oven next or using a slow cooker. I wasn't a fan of short ribs, so I'm going to look around for something comparable and larger, haha, we didn't have enough leftovers! Thank you!

pwilly said...

Made this tonight and I must say I thought the garlic dominated the flavors. I love braised short ribs and I think I’ll stick with browning them first and cooking them in a dutch oven on low heat in the oven. One suggestion I’d make is to pull or cut away that membrane that sticks with the meat when it falls off the bone.

lemonbomber said...

Wow.
These were better than they even looked in the video!
Had to special order the short ribs from my butcher but he cut them up just like yours.
This recipe was fantastic and great for leftovers!!

Unknown said...

The Peposo wowed 6 dinner guests last night. The peppery flavor of this beef was amazing. Thanks for the recipe.

Beth said...

Tried this yesterday and had the family over--was a huge hit! Served 10 people and had no leftovers.

Holland said...

I made this last night for a nice at-home New Years Eve meal for guests. Simple elegant, delicious. I'm not an everyday cook but this was easy, even for me, and literally provided a fine dining experience. Even the leftovers were magic. A really beautiful and satisfying meal. I substituted garlic mashed potatoes for polenta and served with grilled asparagus. Perfect.

Unknown said...

Made this twice over the holidays. The first time, it was such a success that my wife asked me to do it again for our big friends-and-family gathering between XMas and New Year's. It was a teaser dish, so in small ramekins I served about 30 people with just a few bites of meat layed over mashed potatoes, with a spoonful of that potent sauce. MMMMMMMM - mmmmmmmmmmm !!!

Every single person asked for more, even those who were originally turned off by the pepper component (yeah, I know... how can these guys be my friends, huh?)… So needless to say, there were no leftovers. And there is no way I will be able NOT to make that dish again next year!

I have now had 3 different people hounding me for the recipe, and I directed them to this page.

Just a fantastic dish!

Pabloatpoly said...

Making this now, for the first time. I added about an ounce of dried chopped porcini mushroom and 1 small thinly sliced shallot to the braising liquid, because I had them. Both pair well together and should pair nicely with red wine, black pepper, and the herbs called for in the recipe. I'll also be trying my hand at making your polenta recipe for the first time.

Unknown said...

Why do you not brown the meat first?

peachy said...

Several comments inquire as to why this beef isn't seared first and I didn't see a response from Chef John so I'm gonna venture a guess. To get a good sear on beef it must be dry before the sear. This beef will not be dry as it has been rubbed with the garlic/tomato paste and to try and sear it would just burn that paste on the outside of the beef.

This sounds delicious and I can't wait to try it. (Thumbs up!)

Granny said...

This has become a go-to for weekend recipes! We generally have friends or family over, and there is a long game/chatting period for adults and kids with snacks, laughing, running, etc. While we begin the braising long before arrival, at least 90 minutes of it is while we have company. Once the cooking sauce is reduced & poured over the meat, anywhere from seven to eleven folk have all their eyes on the table, where most of the side dishes are also inspired by your recipes, Chef John. Those eyes express sheer bliss while eating, and always ask for my recipe. I'm all, "you grandkids have such short memories. I get these, not from my great-gramama, or my granny or my mom. I get all this from YouTube, where Food Wishes with Chef John cooks, AND from his blog, linked below the video. If you are going to spend all that time on your phone, you can look up all this stuff. Maybe you'd remember, that without Chef John, your Granny and Papa are ... hungry." ;-)

Leila said...

Hi Chef! My husband and I cook your recipes exclusively!

Can we use a brisket for this recipe? Are there any modifications needed?

Thank you!

Leila said...

Hello Chef,

Can I use a brisket for this recipe? Any modifications needed?

Thanks!

Sana Anwar said...


I made this last night for a nice at-home New Years Eve meal for guests. Simple elegant, delicious. I'm not an everyday cook but this was easy, even for me, and literally provided a fine dining experience. Even the leftovers were magic. A really beautiful and satisfying meal. I substituted garlic mashed potatoes for polenta and served with grilled asparagus. Perfect.


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docjosh said...

This may have been the easiest, most delicious recipe I have ever made.
Aside from too much pepper for my taste, the quality of the meat and overall flavor was beyond any food I've ever eaten in a restaurant. Seriously.
I had some leftover Malbec. Worked just fine.
Thanks Chef John for an unbeatable recipe.