Coffee and Cocoa Braised Beef Chuck, Deep and Dark

Coffee and cocoa in a beef braise sound like a gimmick until you taste what they actually do. Neither one makes the dish taste of coffee or chocolate. Both are bitter and tannic, and bitterness is the one thing a long beef braise usually lacks. Beef, onion, tomato and wine all sit in the sweet and savory range. Add a tablespoon of cocoa and a cup of strong coffee and the sauce gains a dark edge that stops it tasting flat by the third bite.

Restraint is the whole trick. We have had versions of this that tasted like a mocha, and they were unpleasant. One tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa and one cup of coffee for four pounds of chuck is the ratio that works. Past that you are making a dessert by accident.

Chuck is the cut because it has the most connective tissue of any common roast. Four hours turns that into gelatin, which is what gives the sauce its weight without a thickener.

Why coffee and cocoa work in this braise

• Bitterness is the missing note. Long braises drift sweet. Coffee and cocoa pull the flavor back into balance.
• Cocoa adds body, not just taste. Cocoa solids carry fat and fine particles that thicken a sauce slightly and give it a darker color.
• Bloomed in fat, not stirred into liquid. Thirty seconds of cocoa and ground coffee in hot fat with the tomato paste deepens both and removes their raw edge.
• Brown sugar and soy alongside. A little sweetness and a little salt give the bitterness something to push against.
• Vinegar at the end. One tablespoon off the heat brightens the whole pot and is the difference between rich and heavy.

Ingredients

For the beef

• 4 lb beef chuck roast (1.8 kg), cut into 3 inch chunks
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus black pepper
• 2 tbsp beef tallow or neutral oil

For the braise

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into thick rounds
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp finely ground dark roast coffee
• 1 tsp ground ancho chili or smoked paprika
• 1 cup dry red wine (240 ml)
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee (240 ml), cooled
• 2 cups beef stock (480 ml)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 2 bay leaves and 4 thyme sprigs

To finish

• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 oz dark chocolate (28 g), 70 percent or higher, optional

Substitutions: brisket or short ribs work with the same timing. Espresso powder can replace the ground coffee at half the quantity. For an alcohol free version, use an extra cup of stock plus 1 extra tbsp vinegar at the end.

Method

1. Salt and dry the beef. Season the chunks and leave them uncovered on a rack in the fridge for a few hours if you have time, or 30 minutes at room temperature if you do not. A dry surface browns, a wet one steams.
2. Sear hard. Heat the tallow in a Dutch oven over medium high and brown the beef in batches, 3 to 4 minutes a side, until a real crust forms. This is the only deep browning in the recipe and it matters. Set the beef aside.
3. Cook the aromatics. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of fat. Add the onion and carrots and cook 8 minutes until softening and picking up color. Garlic for 1 minute.
4. Bloom the dark ingredients. Add the tomato paste, cocoa, ground coffee and ancho. Stir constantly for 45 seconds. The paste will darken and the whole pan will smell roasted. Do not let it catch, since scorched cocoa is genuinely bitter in a way you cannot fix.
5. Deglaze. Pour in the red wine, scrape the bottom clean, and simmer 4 minutes until reduced by half.
6. Build the braise. Return the beef with its juices. Add the brewed coffee, stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, bay and thyme. The liquid should come about two thirds up the meat.
7. Braise low. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook at 300F (150C) for 3 hours 30 minutes, turning the pieces once at the halfway mark.
8. Check. The beef should shred under light pressure and read 200 to 205F (93 to 96C). Chuck needs the high end of that range. If it is still tight at 3 hours 30 minutes, it needs more time rather than more heat.
9. Skim and reduce. Lift the beef out. Skim the fat, fish out the bay and thyme stems, and simmer the liquid 12 to 15 minutes until it coats a spoon.
10. Balance it. Off the heat, whisk in the vinegar and the chocolate if you are using it. Taste. It should read savory first, with the bitterness sitting underneath rather than on top. Add salt now if it needs it.
11. Serve. Return the beef to the sauce and let it sit 15 minutes before serving, or refrigerate overnight, which is better.

Pro tips and common mistakes

• Do not add more cocoa. One tablespoon for four pounds. Two makes it taste like a mistake, and there is no way back.
• Use brewed coffee, not espresso shots. Espresso is more concentrated and more acidic, and it pushes the sauce sour.
• Watch the bloom. Forty five seconds of stirring, and off the heat if it looks close. Scorched cocoa ruins the pot.
• Chuck needs 200F and above. Pulling it at 195F like a lamb shoulder leaves it tight. This cut wants the extra few degrees.
• Cook it a day ahead. The fat sets and lifts off cleanly, and the bitterness mellows and integrates overnight.

Storage and leftovers

This is a braise that genuinely improves with a night in the fridge, so cooking it ahead is the recommendation rather than a fallback. It keeps 4 days in its sauce. Skim the set fat off cold before reheating gently at 300F for 25 minutes.

It freezes 3 months. Shredded leftovers make excellent tacos with lime and raw onion, or a filling for a pie under puff pastry. Reduced hard, the sauce alone is very good over polenta.

What to serve with it

• Mashed potatoes or soft polenta, either of which needs the sauce.
• Buttered egg noodles with parsley.
• Roasted root vegetables done on a separate tray so they stay caramelized.
• A big red, something with tannin of its own to meet the cocoa.

Nutrition

About 590 calories, 54g protein, 36g fat, and 10g carbs per serving. These are estimates and vary with the exact cut, trim, and any substitutions.

Frequently asked questions

Will this taste like coffee or chocolate?

No. At these quantities both read as depth and bitterness rather than as recognizable flavors. Most people who eat it cannot name what is in it.

Can I use instant coffee?

Yes, and it is convenient. Use 2 tsp of instant granules dissolved in a cup of hot water in place of the brewed coffee, and skip the ground coffee in the bloom.

What if my sauce tastes bitter?

Add acid and a little sweetness rather than more salt. Another teaspoon of vinegar and a teaspoon of brown sugar, both off the heat, usually rebalance it in one go.

Why is my chuck still tough after three hours?

It is not done. Chuck has more connective tissue than most cuts and needs to reach 200 to 205F. Give it another 45 minutes covered and check again.

Can I do this in a pressure cooker?

Sear and bloom in the pot first, then pressure cook 50 minutes with a natural release. Finish the reduction and the vinegar on the stove, since a pressure cooker cannot reduce.

Where to buy the beef

Chuck roll or shoulder clod are both good here, and grass finished beef has a slightly deeper flavor that stands up well to the coffee and cocoa. Ask a producer near you through our Find a Farmer directory for a chuck roast around 4 lb, and ask whether they sell tallow, which is the right fat for the sear.

More on the cut in our chuck roll guide and on the animal in the beef wiki. The technique is covered in our guide to braising. More beef braises: porcini and red wine pot roast and braised oxtail.