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Braciole help

  • b

Last night I made Emeril's braciole (bracciole?) recipe, except instead of using small round steaks I used a large, thin one cut especially for braciole. After browning, I let it simmer for about two hours, but the meat was dry and not all that tender.

By the way, it was a decent recipe, but there was too much garlic in the filling, and I love garlic.


Any suggestions? Thanks.

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  1. I don't know too much about bracioles or braises but I know that it is important to use a heavy pot: did you use a dutch oven or something similar? Sorry I can't help anymore but that's all I know.

    1 Reply
    1. re: digkv

      Thanks, digkv,

      I did use a Lodgelogic 7 qt. emanel on cast iron dutch oven, and tried to use gentle heat that still simmered. At first I used the stove-top, but then decided to turn the oven on to 325 to keep the outside cooking along with the inside.

      I'm going to try reheating the leftovers tomorrow night, for an hour or more, at 300 for an hour or so at 300, after heating things up on the stove. We'll see if things soften up a bit more.

    2. I always use pork for my braciole, it's much more tender than beef. Then simmer in tomato sauce for 3 hours or so. It barely stays in one piece, which is how we like it.

      2 Replies
      1. re: coll

        Thanks. That sounds much better. I'll use pork next time.

        1. Update.

          I decided to see if braising the leftovers for a while would help. I braised them at 300 for about two hours in the oven, turning the meat half-way through. It was significantly better. Tender, and this cut of meat isn't going to be juicy, I guess. Very tasty, though.

          1. I have found that you really need to use a good tender meat... sometimes do a little extra tenderizing as well. This was a childhood memory favorite of my hubby. But since his mom used to buy them from the local italian deli, I had to improvise. I have not seen the Emeril recipe before. I took the Everyday italian recipe from food network and combined it with another one so the filling was parsley, pine nuts, sharp provolone, parmasean, garlic and I am not sure what else. it did come out tender and tasty and served it with tiny gnocchi. I can try and dig up the more exact recipe if you want. I do remember the meat being a little too thick, so I made a note to make it with a thinner sliced meat that is maybe wacked a little bit with the tenderizer. HTH

            4 Replies
            1. re: Mel

              Thanks, Mel,

              I did find Giada's recipe, and I think I'll like using the filling better because it's cheesier and the garlic won't assault you. Emeril's was really over the top even for a garlic-lover like me. I'm surprised the reviews were so fabulous. I did pound the meat with a mallet before filling and browning, but I think the cooking time in the recipe was just too short.

              I also like the idea of flank steak instead of round, although the leftovers of the first batch after longer braising were much more appealing. I'll have to make it again soon while the other is fresh in my mind to compare.

              Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recip...

              1. re: bear

                i made it again over the weekend and paid attention to the meat that I used. This time I used a round steak, sandwich cut... it was perfect. they made perfect little bundles, held together well, but when ready to eat were fork tender.

                1. re: Mel

                  Did you brown them first? Also, do you remember how long you let them simmer?

                  1. re: bear

                    i browned them up on all side, and then I let them simmer for about an hour with the lid on, then another 1/2 hour with the lid off to thicken. You need to stir them around once or twice while simmering. This helps them cook evenly, but also helps thickens it as some of the cheese and breadcrumbs fall out into the sauce.