Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Think of this recipe as a blueprint for any bone-in beef braise; you certainly don’t have to use all three cuts like I do, but there are a few reasons to combine them. First, my local farm’s oxtail is sold with all of the tail pieces packed together, not just the uniform upper cuts, so I get some fat meaty chunks and a few thinner, bonier ones, too—full of flavor, but never enough for a family-sized meal. Second, short ribs can be quite heavy on the bone and with less meat than I’d like for the effort—even if it’s probably my favorite part of this braise—so I add them, but only one or two. And lastly, beef shin bones (also sold as “meaty soup bones”) are relatively inexpensive but they vary in size, so if I find a nice fat one I’ll pick it up and pop it in the freezer until I have enough other cuts to add it to. Mixing cuts is a simple way to get a rich, glistening, collagenous sauce and spoon-tender meat with varying textures and flavors. Serve with roasted carrots, boiled or mashed potatoes, even a steaming pot of cooked Puy lentils—just don’t forget the gremolata.

Serves 6, with plenty of leftovers

5 pounds mixed bone-in beef cuts (oxtail, short ribs, cross-cut shin bones)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ yellow onions, finely diced (about 2½ cups)
4–6 celery stalks, finely diced (about 2½–3 cups)
1 bulb fennel or a small peeled celeriac, finely diced (about 1½ cups)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
1½ cups dry white wine (Picpoul de Pinet, Albariño or Grüner Veltliner are good choices)
1 cup chicken or beef stock or water
1 tablespoon tomato paste or ¼ cup tomato purée
1 tablespoon balsamic or other wine vinegar

Gremolata:
1 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
zest of 1 organic lemon
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Arrange cuts of beef on a sheet tray and season liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a high-sided Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the meat in batches, browning evenly on all sides. Remove from the pot as browned and reserve on the sheet tray to collect any juices.

Using a pot holder and a long handled spoon, tilt the pot and spoon out almost all of the fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon behind. Add the onions, celery and fennel or celeriac, season with salt and pepper and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften and release their liquid, then add the garlic, herbs and bay leaves. Stir and cook until fragrant. Pour in the wine and stir; simmer until liquid is reduced by half, then add the broth and tomato paste or purée. Stir to combine.

Add the meat back to the pan with the bones facing up, nestling them in as tightly as possible. Cover tightly with the lid or 2 layers of foil and place in the oven for 2½ hours. At the 2-hour mark, uncover the pot, stir the vinegar into the sauce and raise the heat to 350°F; continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes, or until browned on top and the sauce has reduced.

While the beef browns, make the gremolata: Stir together the parsley, lemon zest and minced garlic in a small bowl.

Remove braise from the oven and serve with boiled potatoes, butter-braised carrots and freshly made gremolata.

NOTE: You can either serve immediately or refrigerate overnight (and up to 3 days) or freeze to serve when the spirit moves you. Make a fresh batch of gremolata while the braise reheats.

This recipe appeared in the Winter 2022 issue as part of a larger story, In Praise of the Braise.