Tuscan PEPOSO | 500-year-old black pepper braised beef

If you want to taste history then making this authentic Tuscan braised beef dish will take you back to the Renaissance in Florence to when they were building Brunelleschi's dome. It’s a bold meat dish that uses an entire bottle of wine and loads of black pepper.
Get a TERRACOTTA POT for this recipe here: amzn.to/3iO9TTM (affiliate link)
Serves 4 as a main course
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
2 pounds of beef (Short rib, check, or brisket)
1 bottle of dry red wine
¼ cup of coarsely ground black pepper
4 cloves of garlic left whole
3 sage leaves
1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Preparation:
Remove the silver skin off of the beef if there is any and then cut it into large cubes. Sear the meat in a heavy bottom pot over high heat with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
Remove the browned meat and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and add most of the wine. Make sure to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until they dissolve. Return the meat to the pot and cover it with the rest of the wine if needed. The meat should be just covered with the wine.
Add the pepper, garlic, herbs and some salt and cover. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for two hours.
After 2 hours, remove the cover and let the liquid reduce until it’s syrupy and thick for 45 minutes to an hour. Be sure to stir to prevent it from burning. Serve the meat over a grilled piece of crusty bread or over some polenta or risotto.
This video chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:35 - The story behind Peposo
1:15 - Ingredients prep
1:54 - Browning the beef
2:21 - Putting it all together
3:05 - Why so much wine???
3:31 - Finishing cooking Peposo
4:45 - Serving it Tuscan Style
5:05 - Tasting
Disclosure:
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Photo of the Dome by Oleksandr Zhabin on Unsplash

[@rananamc]

Yes! I was just telling the hubs that I was waiting for a cold front for a braised beef like this!

[@actuallyitalian]

This will definitely hit the spot then!

[@rananamc]

@@actuallyitalian Just made this again on a cozy day. It hit in all the right ways! Hope to see you share more yumminess, but I know it's hard!

[@hasalukas]

Love that you kept it authentic. Cuisine has to be the best way to experience history. Thanks!

[@actuallyitalian]

I'm all for people experimenting and putting their own spin on things. However, it is good to understand the original recipe before making changes to it. I always suggest that people try it the original way and then make changes according to their tastes. They may find that there are no changes needed.

[@haraldodunkirk1432]

I love your fidelity to trad Italian recipes!

[@merk9569]

Since discovering this dish 3-4 months ago, it’s my go to comfort food. I crave it! I add one thing that the creators didn’t: mushrooms. I cannot eat a delicious beef stew without tasty mushrooms. It is outrageously delicious! Thanks for an excellent video and the history behind it.

[@cookandrideflorida]

I made this the other night and it’s delicious.

[@actuallyitalian]

Wow, I am so happy to read that! Thanks for supporting the channel.

[@dm9078]

I have done two other peposo recipes both were hits. Yours is next!

[@user-xl4zr1xw1o]

I like the recipe and you! Kind thanks!

[@anthonygm85]

I might make this with a pork roast as it's much cheaper then beef is right now, also I don't eat much beef at all, I made it with short ribs once before and that's a great meal to have

[@NathanHarrison7]

Awesome channel and recipe. Subscribed.

[@daniannello9266]

Love the history! Can’t wait to make it!

[@actuallyitalian]

Oh my god! It's tracker Danny! Let me know how it comes out!

[@franciet99]

Perfect for our upcoming cooler weather. I’m on the way to pick up the ingredients! Thank you!

[@actuallyitalian]

Let me know how. itcomes out!

[@jeffreyjohn1691]

Looks delicious! I’m gonna try making your recipe. Thanks for sharing

[@jeffreyjohn1691]

Well I made the dish. It came out pretty good. I let the meat simmer for 3 hours. The meat was so moist. I served it over mashed potatoes. My daughter said it tasted very sweet. I told her yes because I added a whole bottle of sweet red wine. She freaked out. Lol

[@BritalianEC1]

The pot could do with a thorough cleaning.😉

[@toma.israel]

Simply beautiful, thank you!

[@actuallyitalian]

It tastes better than it looks, too!

[@toma.israel]

@@actuallyitalian Just had it last night.. it was incredible! Thank you! 👊💥

[@actuallyitalian]

@@toma.israel Fantastic! Thanks for letting me know and I am really glad you enjoyed it.

[@fabioferrettidevirgilis5975]

Vorrei tanto questa ricetta in Italiano mi sembra buonissimo

[@actuallyitalian]

Poi te la darò! È buono!

[@Lou_Snuts]

Just an observation, but wouldn't it be more flavorful to toast the peppercorns for a few minutes in a dry pan to bring out the oils? Also, wouldn't it be more authentic to finish it off in the oven?

[@actuallyitalian]

Thanks for the comment Robert. I did toast the ground pepper but you can toast the whole berries. Or not toast them at all. As far as authenticity in the oven, sure I could have done that but I also could have done the whole process in a terra cotta pot as they did in the old days. I didn't have a suitable terracotta and I love using my dutch oven. As far as not doing it in the oven, I wanted to make sure it reduced the way it should and it takes less time to do so.

[@Lewesis]

I saw recipes of Tuscan peposo where they directly start braising the beef without searing it before. Is there are a major difference in flavor wether I sear the beef before braising it or not?

[@SuzanneWho]

Tried to go to your site - kept coming up with a security alert! Not happening on other sites.

[@NardeBanks]

Your web page link never opens

[@MaestroWenarto]

Italian beef rendang - may as well make the real beef rendang, saving a bottle of wine

[@danieldumas7361]

Boiling red meat until the "liquid" has reduced sufficiently sound pretty scary...

[@n.vinther3087]

I'v heard about aging beef, but 500 years is rediculous, and surely not safe.

[@actuallyitalian]

I lived, though.