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Peposa Dell'Impruneta (Tuscan Black Pepper Beef)

Peposa Dell'Impruneta (Tuscan Black Pepper Beef)

Name: Peposa Dell'Impruneta (Tuscan Black Pepper Beef)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 6 beef short ribs (8 to 10 oz. each); 1 tablespoon kosher salt; 8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, freshly crushed; 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper; 3 sage leaves; 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary; 2 bay leaves; 2 cups red wine, preferably Chianti; salt to taste, to adjust sauce

Rating: 4.74 stars

47 Ratings
36 Reviews
11 Photos

The story goes that terracotta tile workers in Impruneta, Tuscany, would place this stew into clay pots and cook it in their still-hot kilns overnight where it would be ready in the morning. They used a lot of pepper because the meat was not always top quality. The amount of pepper is up to you--I used a ridiculous amount, but even so it wasn't overpowering.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

10 mins

cook:

3 hrs 30 mins

total:

3 hrs 40 mins

Servings:

Yield:

6 servings

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Place meat in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle all sides generously with 1 tablespoon kosher salt.

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Step 2

Place chopped garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar and mash with pestle until pastelike. Add tomato paste; mash until blended. Transfer mixture into bowl with beef and rub onto all sides of meat. Add crushed peppercorns and ground pepper. Distribute evenly over all sides of beef. Transfer to a deep skillet or Dutch oven bone side down. Tuck sage leaves, rosemary, and dry bay leaves between pieces of meat. Carefully add wine along the side of the pan to avoid washing over the top of the meat.
Step 3

Place pan over high heat and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low. Cover tightly. Cook until meat is fork tender, turning pieces every 30 minutes or so, about 3 1/2 hours. Transfer pieces of meat to a warm bowl.
Step 4

Increase heat to high and bring braising liquid to a boil. Simmer until liquid is reduced by about half or until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove bones from meat.
Step 5

When sauce is thickened, transfer meat back to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and spoon sauce over meat. Cook until until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Chef's Note:

Beef shank is traditionally used for this recipe, but the short ribs worked really well. You could even use chunks of beef chuck, but would need to adjust cooking time. Just remember, cook until a fork goes easily into the meat.

This is delicious served over polenta, but you could also serve it over rice or pasta.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

655 calories; protein 27.5g; carbohydrates 5.1g; fat 52.1g; cholesterol 116.2mg; sodium 1074.9mg. Full Nutrition

Reviews (36)

Most helpful positive review

Esther

03/04/2018

I used a chuck roast that I cut in pieces and cooked in a pressure cooker for 45 min after it got to pressure. I'm not sure if it needed that long but I wanted to err on the side of well-cooked. It was very tender and delicious. I served it with garlic quinoa from this site. Read More

Helpful

(5)

Most helpful critical review

Patrick S

05/31/2020

Mixed feelings about this recipe after the first time we tried it. The meat was just a bit too fatty for our tastes. Also, we noticed the flavor of the leftovers on Day 3 was much better than Day 1 after cooking. I will likely try this again in a few months with a leaner cut of meat and then intentionally reheat and serve on Day 3 after the flavors have had more time to meld. Read More

47 Ratings

5 star values: 39
4 star values: 6
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 1

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Esther

03/04/2018

Helpful

(5)

Christina Lopez Robison

02/19/2018

This was killer! Oh my! The aroma while it was cooking was unbelievable and the flavor just wakes up all your taste buds! We buy 1/2 sides of Black Angus raised on pasture with no hormones etc. It is very lean and must be cooked low and slow. This recipe was perfect for this beef. I made it while my husband was out-of-state to see if there was too much pepper for his tastes. (Translation: I get it all to myself - YUM!) I thought it was perfect as is but will probably will go a tad lighter on the pepper for my husband s tummy s sake the next time I make it. I have forwarded this recipe to Beam N Boys - where we buy our beef - so they can share it with their customers. It really is that good. Thank again Chef John! Read More

Helpful

(2)

John Lewis

03/07/2018

This was a big hit over cheesy polenta. It requires the full cooking time that Chef John specified and even though I used a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid I had to add some water to keep the liquid level high enough. I crushed the pepper corns in a coffee grinder that I use for spices. Read More

Helpful

(2)

louise

02/10/2018

Made this last night for Friday night supper. Absolutely delicious - so flavourful. And even though it seemed like an obscene amount of pepper it wasn t! I did have to adapt the recipe since I could only find strips of 1 short ribs for braising. I just cut them into pieces and followed the rest of the recipe. The only difference was that the cooking time until fork tender was 3 h 15 minutes. And a lot more bones to pick out! I served it over Maple Chipotle mashed sweet potatoes and it was devine. Will definitely make again! Read More

Helpful

(2)

Suds Mulligan

02/03/2018

Everybody loved this recipe and I barely changed anything and I ALWAYS change things. Read More

Helpful

(1)

KimcheeMomma

01/16/2018

I made this in the pressure cooker on high for 30 mins natural release then strained the sauce and reduced on the stove top because the peppercorns still had a little too much bite for my toddler. I thought this deserved a 5 but the hubs wasn t a fan so I knocked off a star. Perhaps the slow cooking reduces the peppers bite and wouldn t need to be strained for the little one. She did however love it as well:) this was really easy to put together and was super tasty! For those who might want the bone in option but the meat looks thin just ask the butcher if they have any in the back. When I buy it I only buy the really thick ones. I served with polenta which was an excellent choice for the sauce. Read More

Helpful

(1)

Pss77

03/31/2018

This is fantastic! I made it as written. I definitely had to de-fat as my short ribs were pretty fatty. The sauce is just delicious! Read More

Helpful

(1)

luvtocook

02/09/2018

Excellent! Made exactly as written Read More

Helpful

(1)

krikri

03/21/2018

Absolutely delicious Read More

Helpful

(1)

Patrick S

05/31/2020

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All Reviews for Peposa Dell'Impruneta (Tuscan Black Pepper Beef)

- of Reviews

Peposa Dell'Impruneta (Tuscan Black Pepper Beef)

Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories: 654.6

% Daily Value *

protein: 55 %

carbohydrates: 2 %

dietary fiber: 4 %

sugars:

fat: 80 %

saturated fat: 110 %

cholesterol: 39 %

vitamin a iu: 1 %

niacin equivalents: 48 %

vitamin b6: 23 %

vitamin c: 4 %

folate: 2 %

calcium: 4 %

iron: 23 %

magnesium: 13 %

potassium: 13 %

sodium: 43 %

thiamin: 8 %

calories from fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.