Chuck Bondolo
The blueprint for a hearty beef pot roast that takes one hour to cook, three days to make, and a week to finish!
[…] a straightforward, zero-wastage, foolproof, one-pot party.
Stews and braises are Nikki’s thing, so I’m always on the lookout for something to call my own. And, of course, I found it in the land of Pompei and pasta pockets. The classic Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in red wine) calls for a firm, not too fatty cut of beef braised in a bottle of Piedmont’s famous Nebbiolo.
The end result is a sliced pot roast smothered in a deep, dark gravy, served on creamy polenta to offset the savouriness. But it’s a dish that keeps on giving. In fact, Nikki sees night one as little more than a speedbump en-route to one of the great leftover meals of all time: Chuck Bondolo with pappardelle (as pictured above).
The reason I call what follows a blueprint is that it’s all about getting ingredients to meld together. I’ve experimented with all manner of beef cuts and vegetables, herbs, and wine. And you can too. What really matters is the order of events. Get that down and you are limited only by your imagination.
My version starts with marinating the beef. It’s not something I do often because I don’t really believe it does much more than denature the outside millimetre or two of a beef cut, but in this case, that’s all we’re looking for. I first saw a similar method for a killer lamb stew that has multiple steps and a heap of discarded veggies. My version is a straightforward, zero-wastage, foolproof, one-pot party.
It’s the epitomy of Italian simplicity: a lesson in how time is the secret ingredient to great flavour. The total ‘active’ cooking time involved is less than an hour (prep included) but it’s going to take three days to make. We generally start the process on a Wednesday night, knowing the main cooking will happen on Thursday night and we’ll feast on the weekend. And then some.
There are many satisfying things about committing to this process, but most of all:
By doing a little bit every day (or evening after work) by Friday night you will have a meal on the table that’s worthy of sharing with VIP guests.
The marinade changes the physical surface of the meat so it browns very well, very fast. Essentially, it turbo-charges the Maillard reaction.
The blitzed vegetables not only thicken the sauce, they pack it with so much goodness I don’t think you need anything else on the side.
Quality meat protein is a luxury, but this method turns a cost-effective cut like chuck into a luxurious treat.
The name? Well, the wordplay on Bond is thanks to a longstanding nickname (Nebbiolo is like hen’s teeth in South Africa!) and beef chuck, from the shoulder, is the perfect cut. Better still, ask your butcher for a chuck eye. It’s the first cut after the rib eye. Andiamo.
Subscribe to access the full method for slow-cooking chuck so it’s meltingly soft but can still be carved and an intensely savoury sauce for spooning over the slices.