Pot au feu is a traditional French dish that, in fact, provides two dishes from the one recipe and, best of all, one pot! This is a straightforward recipe with step-by-step instructions to prepare early in the day. Easy, simple, and delicious!
The first dish is made with the meat and vegetables and served the same day and the second dish made with the beef bouillon is served the next day. So it is a very economical dish.
The quantities here are for eight people but of course, you can either halve the amount of ingredients if you need a smaller version. It makes a great dish for entertaining and can be the topic of conversation!
You will have a good stock or beef bouillon from this pot au feu recipe which you can freeze until you want to use it.
What Are The Best Ingredients For This Recipe?
The meat used should consist of two cuts of meat such as: Lean brisket, leg of beef, oxtail, blade bone, leg of mutton.
One of the pieces of meat should be a good lean piece and one on the bone. Ask your butcher for 3 bones as well, which will enhance the bouillon.
And, the vegetables are best fresh from the garden, but that is not always possible as we all know, but veggies freshly grown and stored properly will hold most of their flavor and nutrition.
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Classic French Pot au Feu: Pot On The Fire!
Ingredients
- 4.5 lb mix of meat cuts Lean brisket, leg of beef, oxtail, blade bone, leg of mutton (lean meat and on bone).
- 16 cups water
- 3 cracked bones more only makes it better.
- 1½ oz salt
- 10 peppercorns
- 1 lb waxy potatoes examples: russet, yukon gold, red potatoes
- 1 lb carrots
- 12 oz leeks
- 1 head of celery
- 1 small turnip
- 2 medium onions
- 2 cloves
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove garlic
Instructions
- Place the meat and beef bones into a very large heavy-bottomed pan.
- Add the water to cover the meat.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Bring this slowly to boiling point.
- Skim off the frothy scum as it forms with a slotted spoon, keeping an eye on it as it forms in the first hour. If you leave it, it can make your broth sour, as some impurities are in the foam.
- Usually, I prepare my potatoes separately to avoid them overcooking in the pot and breaking up into pieces.
- Peel and cut the carrots and leeks (remove root end) into 2-inch pieces and tie in bundles or place in net bags. (The reason for bundling or bagging the vegetables is for easy removal at the end of cooking. This way it is easier to strain the pot and remove the bones and pieces of meat to cut them up into smaller pieces.)
- Trim the outer leaves from the celery, wash, then chop into 3-inch pieces and tie into small bundles or bag.
- Peel, then stick the onions with a clove and place them in the pot.
- Wash, peel, then quarter the turnip and add to the pot.
- Place herbs, peppercorns, cloves, parsley, and bay leaf in a cheesecloth bag, then add to the pot. (Easy to remove.)
- As soon as the liquid is simmering, cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for at least 4-5 hours. It can be left to simmer all day on a very, very low heat. The lid may be lifted once or twice to ensure the liquid is covering the meat; add a cup of water if needed. Remove more foam if needed.
- To serve your pot au feu, remove the meat and drain.
- Cut into thick slices and surround it with the vegetables.
- It is good served with coarse crystal salt and French mustard.
- The pot au feu bouillon can be saved for another meal, so at this stage, simply leave it in the pan to go cold. Remove any fat that has solidified on the top. This can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for future use.
- Reheat to boiling and pour into warm soup dishes or cups and serve with crusty French bread or toast.
Notes
- Another idea that is very tasty is to add small diced vegetables to the bouillon and cook for about an hour before serving.
- For a tasty chicken version of this recipe, try poule au pot (chicken in a pot), which again is great for family meals and entertaining.
Loved it, tweaked it, or not your "cup of tea"... I’d really love to hear how it went for you.