Italian-American Beef Braciole

At its core, braciole is a kind of involtini—a stuffed and rolled piece of meat. The details that define braciole can vary by region in Italy, and even by household. The meat type (pork or beef), the rolling size (one larger roll to share or smaller individual bundles), cooking method (braised, pan-fried, or grilled) and seasoning elements (breadcrumbs, chunks of cheese, or fresh herbs) are examples of the different directions this seemingly simple meat bundle recipe can take.

The version I have created here is inspired by the Italian-American versions I enjoyed at friend’s houses and restaurants where I grew up in New Jersey. It has roots in a classicragù napoletano, where meat is slowly simmered in a tomato sauce until tender, then served separately—the meat on a platter with some sauce, and the rest of the sauce used to dress pasta. Thin slices of beef are sprinkled with a seasoned breadcrumb filling and topped with a delicate slice of cured meat like prosciutto, all rolled together, tied up, and slowly braised in a simple tomato sauce until the meat practically melts in your mouth. It's a truly comforting meal worthy of a Sunday supper.

One of the biggest divides in the Italian-American braciole world centers around which cut of beef to use. The two main camps are those that favor flank steak and those that prefer top round. If you use flank steak, you place the filling over the large piece of meat—which has been butterflied and pounded thin—and roll it up into one big roulade. The entire rolled-up roast braises in one large piece before being sliced to serve. This is a great option for a larger group of people and for a satisfyingly showy presentation.

The other common way to make braciole is to use the top round cut of beef, which is a little less expensive than flank steak. Instead of being prepared as one long, thin roast, top round is sliced and pounded into multiple smaller steaks that are then rolled into individual bundles. They make for a fun and accessible assembly, while yielding enough for a family-sized meal.

I tested many versions of this recipe with both flank steak and top round beef slices, and found that while flank steak has great flavor, the texture is never “spoon tender,” which is my standard for success. I want the meat to be so freakin’ tender that you can literally eat it with a spoon. Every version of braciole with flank steak I cooked up was stringy and required a knife and fork, even after three hours in the oven. I decided flank steak was not the right cut for my recipe.

The top loin, on the other hand, is a tighter-grained piece of meat that can easily be cut into individual steaks (or purchased as pre-sliced steaks) and then pounded thin. It gets incredibly soft after braising in sauce for two or more hours. But, you need to keep an eye on the texture, since it can dry out and become tough if overcooked. In testing, I left one batch in the oven for three hours to see what would happen, and I found that while the flavor was great, the meat had turned dry.

With my braciole meat selected, I focused on the filling. I found a mixture of breadcrumbs flavored with fresh garlic, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano, olive oil, pine nuts, and a little crushed red pepper was assertive enough in flavor to hold up to the braised beef.

But, it turns out it doesn’t matter how good the filling tastes if most of it remains on the cutting board. My first attempts met this flawed fate. I at first layered the prosciutto directly on the steak with the breadcrumbs on top. As I rolled the steak up, the breadcrumbs spilled out and ended up all over my cutting board, leaving little inside the actual roll. Reversing the layering solved the problem: By placing the breadcrumbs directly on the steaks, and then the prosciutto, the breadcrumbs were held in place as I rolled the braciole up.

As much as the rolled meat is the centerpiece of the dish, I find the sauce to be the real star. Made from a simple base of onion, garlic, and white wine mixed with whole, peeled tomatoes, the sauce transforms into a meaty, velvety, rich sauce after simmering gently with the meat. It's an essential part of the dish, so make sure to serve the braciole with plenty of extra sauce on top. And if you have any left over, save it to dress your next bowl of pasta.