Classic Pot au Feu, what cut to purchase?

[thecuriousone]

Hello All-

I want to try a classic pot au feu. What cut should I look for at the market? Should I plan to tie it myself?

I also want something that will leave me enough for sandiwches for the rest of the week.

What internal temp should I strive for? I'd like it barely pink in the center. Thanks for any help.

[Grub]

I'm sorry I've got no answers -- just a question. But maybe it'll help get the thread going though...

Is the classic pot au feu served first as a clear soup, consisting of the stock and veggies -- and then as a main course, consisting of the stock, veggies and the meat, plus boiled potatoes? Or, classic or not, has anyone ever had this dish served up in that manner?

I tried making pot a feu a while ago and didn't do too well with; I called it pot au poo.

[Busboy]

"In France, pot-au-feu is the symbol of family life." -- Escoffier

OK, I don't feel like doing my real work, and it's a perfect day for pot-au-feu here in DC, so I looked through a couple of cookbooks. The results:

Interestingly, the LaRousse Gatronomique calls for flank, sirloin and chuck steak (it's oddly written), as well as marrow bone -- a flourish adopted by Keller in his adaptation, which is made with short ribs.

Julia's much more elaborate recipe calls for Rump Pot Roast, but allows for several similar cuts, including sirloin tip, bottom round and chuck. She also adds pork, chicken and sausage.

Escoffier reccommends a combination of chuck and top ribs, but will settle for bottom round, chuck or flank. He also mentions a provencal version made with mutton.

Patricia Wells has a recipe with veal breast

My guess is that if you were French housewife back in the day, looking to make a warm family dinner on a drizzly afternoon, you'd go with whatever the butcher had that looked tasty and inexpensive.

None of them separate the broth into a separate course, btw, thought they do separate meat and vegetables and skim the broth before service.

[Torrilin]

My guess is that if you were  French housewife back in the day, looking to make a warm family dinner on a drizzly afternoon, you'd go with whatever the butcher had that looked tasty and inexpensive.

None of them separate the broth into a separate course, btw, thought they do separate meat and vegetables and skim the broth before service.

←

The cut ordinarily sold as "swiss steak" in the US makes a good pot au feu. I cannot for the life of me remember what other cuts made for good pot au feu from when we had a quarter of a cow, but there were several. The ribs and marrow bones seem like an excellent idea too (dratted butcher didn't give us the bones!). Ribs can be quite fatty, so it might be best to separate the meat, veggies and broth, and chill the broth overnight to defat it.

IIRC, the cow was grass fed. The meat was around select grade for marbling quality, but the flavor of the stewing cuts was amazing. Much richer and beefier than I ordinarily expect without bones.

Emily

[ned]

I'm pretty sure Steingarten wrote a piece on this. . .

[Franci]

I graduated from the French Culinary Institute. At school we use to add to the pot au feu alway the shin, the "chicken steak" piece or if you go on fresh direct what they call top chuck shoulder roast, you can use thick flank, or beef cheeks if you find, short ribs of beef and knuckle plus marrowbones.

[jackal10]

Your original request for the meat to be barely pink in the centre is a bit of a contradiction. IF you use a tougher, more flavoursome cut, then you will need to cook it more for it to be tender enough "to cut with a spoon". Typically this might be 12 hours cooking with an end temperature internal to the meat of say 80C/175F. It won't be pink.

However a more modern, pink style would be to use a more tender (and less flavoursome) joint, such as rib eye, and only cook it to 58C/135F for medium rare. Again the longer (say 12 hours) the better, but I would cook the vegetables separately, and also start with a well flavoured stock. At these low temperatures you will get little extraction, and just warm rather than cook the veg.

Edited September 18, 2006 by jackal10 (log)

[Franci]

Ops, I didn't read about your request of pink meat! Yes, it is a contraddiction, don't make pot au feu

[wesza]

Just returned from a 2 month hiatus from posting on eGullet, longest since 2003 and am pleased to contribute to this topic.

"Pot au Feu" classically is a dish the requires very long slow simmering, long enough to effectively break down the collagen's in the beef being used. It may be consolidated with Chicken if preferred.

The classical cut of beef generally used in Europe and the United States. certainly in France, Germany, Austria was popularly called when sold retail in New York City as. "Flanken Style Shortribs" from the Chuck.

Butchered from the 1st five ribs of the ribcage always cut across the bones.

I enjoyed this dish at places like Luchows, Manny Wolf's, all Kosher Restaurants and everywhere else it was on the menu. It was mostly served with egg noodles, 1/2 chicken, carrots, celery, onions, parsnips and soup greens with cracked pepper and horseradish served in a large bowl, and dished into a soup plate.

As a home dish it may be prepared with any cut of beef, cooked your way but I feel that traditionally it's served as I posted.

Irwin