Pork, beef and lamb marinated overnight in dry Riesling, then layered with potatoes and leeks and baked three hours under a dough seal. Alsace's slow family dish, made with cuts from a Canadian meat counter and a dry Niagara or Okanagan Riesling.
I'm Alsatian, and baeckeoffe is one of our great family dishes: a big painted clay dish that goes in the oven in the morning and comes out at lunch, sealed with a rope of dough. It isn't hard, but it does ask you to start a day ahead.
Three meats and a night in white wine
Pork, beef and lamb sit overnight in dry white wine with onion, garlic, juniper and herbs. The next day they're layered with sliced potatoes, leeks and carrots, the marinade goes over the top, and a flour-and-water dough seals the lid for three hours in the oven. The meat falls apart and the potatoes drink up the wine.
Finding lamb shoulder, the wine and the pot
Lamb shoulder is the one cut you may have to hunt for. If your store has no lamb at all, use 750 g each of pork and beef: it's less Alsatian, still very good.
Alsatian Riesling and Sylvaner cost more here, but a dry Riesling from Niagara or the Okanagan suits the dish. Read the label for "Dry": an off-dry Riesling makes the whole dish sweet.
The clay terrine from Soufflenheim is rarely sold in Canada. An enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven of 5.5 to 6 L with a tight lid does the same job.
Why the dough seal matters
The dough keeps the steam in, so the meat braises in its own wine and the top layer of potatoes stays soft. Without it, the liquid boils off and the top dries out. Once it's sealed, leave it alone for the full three hours.
Making it in Canada
The 3 French ingredients, and what to buy for them in Canada.
Échine de porc, paleron, épaule d'agneau→Pork shoulder (butt), beef blade or chuck, boneless lamb shoulder
All three are braising cuts with fat and connective tissue, so they stay moist through three hours. Lean cuts like pork loin or beef round turn dry and stringy. Lamb shoulder chops work too: cut the meat off the bone and use the bones in the dish.
🛒 Metro sells a boneless Canadian lamb shoulder roast, and Walmart sells lamb shoulder chops in packs of about 0.3 to 0.6 kg. Pork shoulder and beef blade are at every meat counter.
Riesling ou sylvaner d'Alsace→Dry Canadian Riesling
The wine is both marinade and cooking liquid, so its sweetness ends up in every bite. Pick one labelled dry: an off-dry Riesling makes the dish cloying.
🛒 At the SAQ, Cave Spring Riesling Dry (Niagara, VQA). At the LCBO, Balance Dry Riesling (Niagara, VQA), or Joseph Cattin Riesling if you want one from Alsace.
Terrine de Soufflenheim→Enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven, 5.5 to 6 L
Thick walls and a tight lid matter more than the material. Use enamel, not bare cast iron: the wine reacts with bare iron during a long bake and turns the sauce metallic.
🛒 Costco.ca sells a Henckels enamelled Dutch oven of 5.8 L. Canadian Tire's Paderno 5 qt (4.7 L) is on the small side for the full recipe.
Good to know: Ask the meat counter to cut all three meats into the same 5 cm pieces, so they cook evenly.
Ready to cook?
Baeckeoffe
Pork, beef and lamb marinated overnight in dry Riesling, then layered with potatoes and leeks and baked three hours under a dough seal. Alsace's slow family dish, made with cuts from a Canadian meat counter and a dry Niagara or Okanagan Riesling.
Prep time
45 min
Cook time
3 hr
Resting time
12 hr
Total time
15 hr 45 min
Servings
8
Marinate the meats overnight, 12 to 24 hours, in the fridge.
Ingredients
Original recipe: 8 servings.
Instructions
Marinate. The day before, put the meats in a bowl with one sliced onion, the garlic, bouquet garni, juniper, cloves, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Pour over the wine, cover and refrigerate overnight, 12 to 24 hours.
Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 5.5 to 6 L enamelled Dutch oven or baeckeoffe dish.
Layer. Lift the meat out of the marinade and keep the liquid. Make a layer of a third of the potatoes and season lightly. Add half the meat, then half the leeks, carrots and second onion. Add another third of the potatoes, the rest of the meat and vegetables, and finish with the last of the potatoes. Tuck in the trotter if using.
Add the marinade. Pour over the marinade with its herbs. It should come almost to the top layer of potatoes; add water if needed.
Seal. Mix the flour and water into a soft dough, roll it into a long rope and press it around the rim. Put the lid on and press it into the dough.
Bake. Bake 3 hours without opening. The dough turns hard and golden, and you may hear the liquid bubbling inside.
Check and serve. Break the crust open at the table. The potatoes should be tender to a knife, the meat should fall apart when pressed with a spoon, and the juices should be bubbling and slightly thickened. If the potatoes are still firm, put the lid back on, without the seal, and bake 20 to 30 minutes more. Serve with a green salad.
Equipment
Staub 5.5 L round cocotte: A cocotte of 5.5 L or more with a tight lid holds the full recipe and stands in for the clay terrine.
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Notes
Even better the next day. Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat covered at 160°C (325°F) with a splash of water until bubbling, about 40 minutes. Health Canada's safe minimum for reheated leftovers is 74°C (165°F).
The whole bottle goes into the dish. Buy a second bottle of the same wine to drink with it: it's the classic pairing.
Use Yukon Golds. Russets fall apart into the juices over three hours.
If you skip the dough seal, put a sheet of foil under the lid and check the liquid after 2 hours.
Course: Mains · Cuisine: French · Adapted for Canadian kitchens
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