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The main dish, Regional

Beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce

Beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce is a slow simmered dish for 6 people, built on three cuts of beef, root vegetables, and marrow bones. It takes 50 minutes of active work and can be fully prepared the day before, broth included, so serving day stays relaxed. Rated easy and costing €5.60 per person, success comes down to a gentle simmer and a gribiche whisked like a mayonnaise.

A real pot au feu, with its broth, marrow bones, and a gribiche that wakes everything up.

Beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce
For
6 people
Work
50 min
Total time
5 h
Prep
Prepared the day before
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€5.60
Calories per person
690 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach

Pot au feu is the kind of dish that brings everyone together without ever feeling heavy, with meat that falls apart under a fork, soft vegetables, and a broth perfumed with bouquet garni. Here, three different cuts, chuck, short ribs, and shank, give you a range of textures, from melting shreds to gelatinous richness. The marrow bones, poached at the last minute, add that small pleasure of spreading them on toasted bread.

This is a family meal dish through and through, the kind you serve on a winter Sunday or over the holidays, when you want something hearty without being stuck in the kitchen all day. The gribiche, with its hard boiled eggs, capers, and cornichons, brings the acidity that lifts the broth and keeps it from feeling too rich. A simple menu around it, a green salad before and cheese after, is plenty.

The schedule

What happens when, so you can be with your guests instead of in the kitchen.

  1. The day before 3 steps, 3 h
  2. The same day 1 step
  3. Before the guests arrive 1 step, 35 min
  4. When it's time to serve 1 step, 10 min

The day before, you simmer all the meat in its broth, then let it cool and refrigerate everything, it is the longest step but needs no watching. In the morning, you make the gribiche, which keeps well chilled until serving time. Right before guests arrive, you reheat the broth with the meat and cook the vegetables, then poach the marrow bones just before serving.

The ingredients

6 people

Butcher

  • Beef chuck 1 kg
  • Beef short ribs 800 g
  • Beef shank 800 g
  • Marrow bones 6

Fruits and vegetables

  • Carrots 6
  • Turnips 4
  • Leeks 4
  • Parsnips 2
  • Celery stalks 2
  • Onions 2
  • Bouquet garni 1
  • Parsley, chervil, chives 1 bunch

Pantry

  • Clovesoften in the pantry 3
  • Coarse saltoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Cornichons 80 g
  • Capers 2 tbsp
  • Mustardoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Neutral oiloften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Wine vinegaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp

Dairy

  • Hard boiled eggs 4

Allergens Eggs, Mustard, Celery

The recipe, moment by moment

The day beforeWhat's better after resting overnight in the fridge.

  1. Put the meat into a large pot of cold water, bring to a gentle simmer, and skim thoroughly.

    Keep skimming as long as impurities rise, you will end up with a broth as clear as tea.

  2. Add the onions studded with cloves, the bouquet garni, the celery, and the coarse salt, then let it cook at a gentle simmer. 3 h

    A simmer means just a few bubbles, hard boiling makes the meat stringy.

  3. Let the meat cool in its broth, then refrigerate the whole pot.

    The meat soaks up the broth as it cools and stays very moist.

The same dayDuring the day, whenever you get a moment.

  1. Make the gribiche by mashing the hard boiled egg yolks with the mustard and vinegar, whisking in the oil, then adding the chopped egg whites, cornichons, capers, and herbs.

    Whisk in the oil like a mayonnaise, in a thin stream, whisking constantly.

Before the guests arriveThe last hour, right before the doorbell rings.

  1. Skim the fat off the broth, reheat it with the meat, and cook the carrots, turnips, leeks, and parsnips tied in bundles. 35 min

    Add the tied leeks toward the end, they cook in twenty minutes.

When it's time to serveThe final touches, right in front of your guests.

  1. Poach the marrow bones in a ladle of broth for ten minutes, then serve the sliced meat with the vegetables, the broth, and the gribiche. 10 min

    Serve the marrow bone on grilled bread with a little flaky salt.

Our tips to get it right

  • Use a large pot so the meat is well covered with liquid, it cooks more evenly and the broth stays clear.
  • Keep the celery stalks whole or in large pieces during the long simmer, you can remove them or serve them depending on your taste, they flavor the broth without falling apart.
  • If your gribiche splits while you whisk in the oil, add a spoonful of warm water and whisk hard, it usually comes back together.

The variations

  • Swap the shank for oxtail for an even more gelatinous broth, the cooking time stays the same.
  • For a quicker version, cook the meat the same morning in a pressure cooker, about 45 minutes instead of three hours.
  • For kids, serve the meat and vegetables without the broth, with just a little mild mustard on the side.

What to serve it with

  • Toasted bread for the marrow bones
  • A simple green salad before
  • A glass of light red wine

Storage

Pot au feu keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator, meat and broth together in a sealed container. It freezes well, meat and broth separate from the vegetables, which turn soft once thawed. Reheat gently over low heat, the gribiche does not freeze and should be made fresh.

Questions about this recipe

Why skim the broth at the start of cooking?

The foam holds impurities from the meat that would cloud the broth and dull its flavor. Skim regularly during the first fifteen minutes and the broth stays clear from then on.

Can you swap out one of the cuts of beef?

Yes, oxtail or beef shin work very well instead of shank or short ribs. Always keep at least one gelatinous cut like shank for a flavorful broth.

How do you plate this nicely for guests?

Slice the meat once it has cooled, it cuts more cleanly, then warm the slices in the broth before plating. Arrange the vegetable bundles around the meat and serve the broth separately in a tureen.

Do you actually eat the celery stalks?

They mainly flavor the broth during the long simmer and turn fibrous along the way. You can remove them before serving or chop them small if you want to keep them in the dish.

Can a beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce be made ahead?

Yes, it's even recommended. The recipe needs 50 min of work in total, split up like this, the day before, 3 steps, the same day, 1 step, before the guests arrive, 1 step, when it's time to serve, 1 step.

How long does it take to make a beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce?

Allow 5 h in total, including resting and cooking time, of which 50 min is actual work. The recipe is rated "easy".

How many calories are in a beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce?

About 690 kcal per person, for a recipe meant for 6 people. The calories are calculated by Kiloach, your kilo coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a beef pot au feu with gribiche sauce cost?

About €5.60 per person, that's €33.60 for 6 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains eggs, mustard, celery. Remember to ask your guests about their allergies before putting your menu together.

To round out your menu

Build a menu
Cherry clafoutis The dessert

Regional

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  • 20 min of work
  • Prepared the same day
  • Very easy, €1.10 per person

290 kcalcalculated by Kiloach

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