Bouilli or pot au feu québécois is a traditional beef stew from Québec, Canada. Inspired by the famous dish ‘pot au feu’ from France—a simple stew made of root vegetables, beef, and pork belly simmered until tender.
As a kid, Ivisited my grandparentsonce or twice a year. They lived in a small and remote village far away in the forest called Lac-des-Aigles (Eagles Lake). We would always arrive in the late afternoon, and the cast iron pot would already be doing its magic on the stove for hours.A succulent and traditional meat stew calledBouilli was the typical welcome smell of my grandma’s place. Such a treat!
A Winter Stew
This recipe is a flashback to those pleasant visits to my grandparent’s place. My grandma would make this recipe from September, when the root veggies were fully grown, until the end of winter. As one knows, Quebec, my homeland, has inherited a lot from its cousins from France, including the language, justice system, and gastronomy. However, everything took a slightly different direction, and it’s also true with Pot au Feu.
French Pot au Feu vs. Canadian Bouilli
A popular peasant dish in both France and Quebec, this dish is considered by many to be anincontestablecomfort food. However, the French version often contains leeks, while the French Canadian version uses onions and adds green or yellow beans. Another difference is the type of meat; in Canada, we usually adda piece of salted pork belly(Lard salé), which is common in any Canadian stews. However, they solely use beef pieces and extra bone marrow in France.
TheTechnique
The recipe is simple; you only need a good old Dutch oven, patience, and an eye on the pot’s liquid. It’s a slow and long cooking stew with many veggies like rutabagas (or turnips), carrots, potatoes, beans, onions, and cabbage. But also plenty of beef cuts like chuck roast, Bottom Sirloin Flap, oxtail, brisket, and a piece of salted pork belly.
To prevent the stew from boiling, we cover the pot with thelid and always leave a tiny crack to let the extra heat escape. This way, you’ll get a perfect simmer, tender the meat, and steam the veggies to perfection without blurring the broth.
Bouilli is a “kind of” stew without as much liquid. It contains about half the liquid of a regular stew. The goal is always to check for the meat tobe covered by water,although the many veggies will stay on top of the liquid; there is no mixing. The secret here is to simmer gently and for a long time without moving the stew around. This way, you’ll collect all the residual water fromthe “steamed” veggies and steam them up without getting saggy.
The result is a tender and dreamy merge of all the ingredients with just a touch of the tasty brothtocover the bottom of the plates. Back in the day, Pot au feu used to be served in 2 different dishes: first, the broth or soup, and afterward, the meat and veggies as the main.
To Serve with…
The only personal touch of mine in this version of Pot au feu is the garlic clove sinceI’ve been living abroad in Spain… I have this habit ofadding garlic everywhere.
To Serve with
In my family, we like to serve this dish with a nice fresh, buttered white loaf slice of bread to accompany it and soak all that yummy broth. Other sides are pickled beets or pickles to get a little acidic kick. To make it more pleasant for the eyes, little bundles with the beans make them easier to pick up in the end, too.
Other Nice Stews
- MOLE MEXICAN BEEF STEW
- GUINNESS BEEF POT PIE
- BEEF BOURGUIGNON PASTA
So, let’s start and make good use of that iron cast!
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Bouilli or pot au feu québécois
5 from 31 votes
Total Time 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 553
Beef Bouilli or pot au feu québécois is a traditional beef stew in Québec, Canada inspired by the famous dish ‘pot au feu’ from France. A simple stew made of roots vegetables, beef and pork belly slowly cooked until perfection.
Equipment
1 big dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 k chuck roast, bottom sirloin flap, oxtail or brisket
- 300 g salted pork (pancetta)
- 10 carrots
- 400 g green beans (pack of 10 in string)
- 2 rutabaga or turnip
- 3 onions
- 1/2 white cabbage
- 4 potatoes
- 1 garlic clove (*optional)
- 1 bouquet garni
- 3 cloves
- salt and pepper
Metric – US Customary
Instructions
Start by searing the beef and pork with a bit of clarified butter or olive oil in a big Iron Cast pot, high heat until brown on each side.
Add the bouquet garni and cover the piece of meat (2cm over) with water.
Let simmerfor two and a halfhours, covered (leavinga small opening to let the heat escape and prevent the stew from boiling),making sure there is always water in the pot.
Cut all the veggiesinto thick pieces, except the carrots, potatoes, and onions (with cloves stuck in them).
Addall the veggies, except the green beans, on top of the meat, and make sure there is always enough water to cover the pieces of meat, salt, and pepper.Cover and simmerfor another 30 minutes.
Make little bundles with thegreen beansand attach them with the help of a string; add them on top of the stew, cover,and simmerfor 30 more minutes.
Check and adjust the seasoning (salt and pepper).
Notes
After 3.5 to 4 hours of slow cooking, the stew is finally ready, and the meat gets ultra tender and breaks easily. Take out the cloves from the onions and serve with some broth.
Sides to serve with this dish would be fresh white bread with butter and lovely pickled beets or pickles.
Author: Marie Breton
Calories: 553kcal
Course: Plato principal
Cuisine: Francesa
Keyword: beef, bouilli, pot au feu, quebecois, stew
Nutrition
Calories: 553kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 433mg | Potassium: 1760mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 13298IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 175mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition Facts
Bouilli or pot au feu québécois
Amount per Serving
Calories
553
% Daily Value*
Fat
25
g
38
%
Saturated Fat
8
g
50
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
3
g
Cholesterol
102
mg
34
%
Sodium
433
mg
19
%
Potassium
1760
mg
50
%
Carbohydrates
47
g
16
%
Fiber
10
g
42
%
Sugar
14
g
16
%
Protein
37
g
74
%
Vitamin A
13298
IU
266
%
Vitamin C
66
mg
80
%
Calcium
175
mg
18
%
Iron
6
mg
33
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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