Along with Choucroute (here), Baeckeoffe is another savory pillar of Alsatian cuisine. This regional pot-au-feu includes tender pieces of meat, herbs, spices and seasonal vegetables simmered in white wine for several hours. This is a big, robust dish that is perfect to feed a large gathering. Baeckeoffe means “baker’s oven” in Alsatian, as home cooks would prepare it and carry it to the local baker to be cooked in their oven (the only oven in the village, at that time). The key here is to dough-seal the lid of the pot to ensure it’s completely hermetic and retains all the juices and aromas inside, just like a papillote.
SERVES 8
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium leek (whole), finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 bay leaves
5 whole juniper berries
2 cloves
½ tsp celery seeds
1 sprig of dried thyme
5 sage leaves
1½ lb (680 g) boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1¼” (3-cm) chunks
1½ lb (680 g) boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 1¼” (3-cm) chunks
1½ lb (680 g) boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1¼” (3-cm) cubes
3 cups (710 ml) dry white wine (ideally, an Alsatian Pinot Gris)
2 tsp (12 g) salt, divided
2 tsp (4 g) fresh ground black pepper, divided
1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter
4 lb (1.8 kg) potatoes (russet or Bintje), peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) water
The day before cooking, place the onions, leek, carrot, garlic, bay leaves, juniper berries, cloves, celery seeds, thyme, sage, beef, pork, lamb and white wine into a large zip-top bag. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, seal and chill overnight.
The next day, grease a 9-quart (8.5-L) Dutch oven with the butter. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C, or gas mark 2), with a rack in the middle.
Lay a quarter of the potato slices at the bottom of the dutch oven. Top with one-third of the meat and vegetables; leave the liquids at the bottom of the zip-top bag. Repeat this step twice until no meat or vegetables remain, and finish with a fourth layer of potatoes. Pour the white wine marinade all over. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of ground pepper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and water until they come together. Roll the dough into a long log, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick—long enough to go around the top rim of your dutch oven. Gently press the dough around the rim. Lay the lid on top, and press to seal.
Bake for 3 hours, until the dough around the lid is golden brown. Break the seal, discard the dough and serve.
NOTES: The meat and vegetables need to marinate overnight in the white wine, so start the day before. A baeckeoffe customarily made use of odds-and-ends; so you can add other stewing meat cuts if you wish as long as the ratio of beef, pork and lamb remains the same. I sometimes throw a halved pig foot boasting collagen, to give a thicker texture to the simmering broth.