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Pot-au-feu, traditional French meat soup with vegetables
Traditional pot-au-feu featuring tender beef and root vegetables in clear broth

Classic French pot-au-feu

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses Soups
The French 'meat soup' that is more than that: a complete meal. The secret is very slow simmering, during which the collagen in tough, sinewy beef cuts turns into gelatin. This gives the meat its tenderness and the soup its body.
🕒 Prep Time 20 mins
🍳 Cook Time 4 hrs
⌛ Total Time 4 hrs 20 mins
🍽️ Servings 6 servings
🔥 Calories 450 kcal
🌍 Cuisine French

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large pot (at least 5 litres)
  • Strainer

Allergen Information

⚠️ Celery

Instructions

1 ✓

Place the meat in the cold water and slowly bring to the boil. When scum rises, skim it off with a slotted spoon.

Tip: The scum consists of precipitated proteins; if you leave it in, the soup can be cloudy and slightly bitter.
2 ✓

Add the spices, onion, and the green part of the leek. Cook on the lowest flame (just simmering) for 3 hours.

Tip: Collagen turns into gelatin under heat and water, but it needs time. This makes chewy meat butter-soft.
3 ✓

Add the cleaned vegetables (carrot, celery, potatoes, white part of leek) whole or in large chunks. Cook for a further 30-40 minutes until everything is soft.

Tip: If you put the vegetables in at the start, they will boil to mush by the time the meat is tender. Timing is important.
4 ✓

Serving: Serve the strained broth in a separate bowl, and the meat and vegetables on a plate, with mustard, horseradish, and coarse salt.

Tip: According to French custom, the marrow bone contents are eaten spread on toast.

Recipe FAQ

The soup became cloudy, why?
You let it boil rapidly. Large bubbles break up the fat and proteins, forming an emulsion. You must only simmer (tiny bubbles) for clear soup.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Beef (shin, rib - bone-in, sinewy cuts)
  • 4 pcs Carrots
  • 2 stalks Leek
  • 2 stalks Celery
  • 4 pcs Potatoes
  • 1 pc Onion (skin-on, browned)
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 2 pcs Bay leaves
  • 3 sprigs Fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp Whole black peppercorns
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 3 l Cold water