Savory Gourmet Flanken with Red Wine

Recently, while grocery shopping, I noticed an extra wide slice of “gourmet flanken” with a lot of beautifully marbleized meat on it. Once I tried it, there was absolutely no going back to regular flanken! This dish is truly Shabbos-Chanukah worthy… It’s so soft and juicy.

SERVES 8

• 4 pieces gourmet bone-in flanken (about 1 lb/450 g each)
• salt, black pepper, paprika, and Montreal steak spice, to taste
• ½ tsp dried rosemary (optional)
• 1–2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large Spanish onion, quartered
• 6–7 whole cloves garlic, peeled
• ⅓ cup red cooking wine
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ cup chicken soup (or water)
• ½ cup freshly chopped parsley

Wash flanken and pat dry. Season with salt, black pepper, paprika, and steak spice, rubbing spices into meat.

Heat oil in an 8-quart pot. Sear meat on a medium-to-high flame, 2 pieces at a time, for 3–4 minutes on each side. Add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley, sprinkling some additional Montreal steak spice over the meat.

Cover pot with a lid and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the flame to low and braise meat for 6–8 hours. The liquid should be simmering very slightly while cooking. Check on the meat every once in a while to make sure the flame isn’t too high and the liquid isn’t evaporating.

When done, you can transfer the meat to a 9x13-inch (20x30-cm) pan and keep warm in the oven at 200°F (90°C) until serving.

To serve, arrange meat on a platter. Drizzle with gravy and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Tip: I usually buy American beef, even though it’s more expensive, as it’s usually more tender than imported meat. But I tried this dish with imported beef and found that, with this low-and-slow method of cooking, you can’t really tell the difference… except for in your wallet!

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 721)