Beef confit is moist, melt in the mouth and full of flavour.
It's delicious hot or cold and is so simple to make, so it's perfect for entertaining a crowd too.
With very little hands on required, this makes the perfect lazy roast too.
Bon appétit!
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This beef confit is actually a confit brisket, so it is packed full of flavour. Aside from the really expensive cuts of beef, like prime rib or chateaubriand, you can't go wrong with a piece of brisket.
Whilst most of us might opt to cook the meat in the slow cooker or oven in beef stock, using the confit method makes the meat taste even better. And, if you think cooking the meat in fat will make it very greasy, you will be pleasantly surprised at how tender the meat is, easy to cut and not greasy at all.
THis recipe has been prepared to store it by modern methods, such as the refrigerator, so there will not be any need to salt the meat and cover it in fat afterwards.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Simple to make with little hands on preparation.
- Delicious hot or cold.
- Easy to adapt to use different meats and cuts.
🤔FAQs
The verb confire means to preserve or conserve and was often used to describe the process of preserving.
Meat was preserved often by salting it overnight and then slow cooking in fat. The fat was then used as a seal for the meat in a pot to preserve the meat. This is known as a confit.
Duck confit is probably the best known confit dish, using a mixture of salt and fat to preserve the meat. Duck is extremely fatty, so when it's cooked slowly all of the fat renders away. Traditionally the duck was then placed in bowl and completely submerged in the fat.
In this way the meat would keep for several weeks in a cool place or for several months in the refrigerator. Indeed, duck confit is widely available in supermarkets in France in huge tins.
Of course, this way of preserving isn't required so much when we have access to a fridge, however, it's still a great cooking technique.
Cooking food slowly in its own or added fat, keeps meat and vegetables very tender and ultimately removes most of the fat before eating too, as is the case for pork confit and layered confit potatoes too.
The verb can also refer to make sweets with sugar, this is known as confiserie. Jam, or fruit conserve is known as confiture.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Beef - a piece of brisket. In the UK this tends to come rolled and tied in supermarkets. Remove the string and unroll the meat. Although brisket was once a cheaper cut, it is still cheaper than most joint cuts. In my opnion it has great taste too.
- Fat - beef fat, also known as dripping.
- Salt - flaked sea salt.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
- Oil - vegetable oil or similar oil for searing the beef.
- Thyme - fresh sprig of thyme.
- Bay leaf - a dried bay leaf, as fresh leaves can overpower the flavour.
- Garlic - fresh garlic cloves.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- deep roasting dish - just slightly bigger than the meat
- large frying pan or skillet
- aluminium foil
- sharp knife
- chopping board
🔪 Instructions
Break up the beef fat with a knife and place in the roasting dish.
Put the dish in the oven at 150 C / 300 F / 130 FAN / Gas 2, to allow the oven to preheat and the fat to melt.
Flatten the garlic with the side of a sharp knife.
Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper and season on both sides just before cooking.
Put the oil in the frying pan over a high heat and add the brisket.
Turn the meat regularly for a few minutes to sear the meat on all sides.
As it is cooked in fat and covered in oil, it will not get any more colour in the oven.
💭 Top Tip
- It's really important to sear the meat and not skip this step. It's not about locking juices in or making it tender as the cooking process will take care of that. The main purpose of searing protein, such as beef, over a high heat with only a little oil, is to produce the Maillard effect. This is the chemical reaction that occurs between the proteins, or amino acids in meat and fish and the natural sugars. This is what gives the meat, colour and flavour.
Remove the roasting pan carefully from the oven and add the beef, garlic, bay leaf and sprig of thyme.
⏲️ Baking Time
Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2 hours.
As a guide, allow 1 hour of cooking for each pound or 500 grams.
Remove the foil after cooking and check that the meat is tender.
I use a dinner fork to see if it can be inserted easily.
Remove the beef confit from the fat and place on a plate or carving tray and cover with foil to rest before carving.
Drain off the beef fat for use another time. Store it in the fridge in a container.
🥗 Side Dishes
Simply serve with new potatoes, mash, rice or pasta or try some of these side dishes.
- Easy Roast Potatoes
- Confit Potatoes
- Crispy Potatoes Pavé
- Potatoes Dauphinoise
- Chateau Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Fondant Potatoes
- Potatoes Aligot
- Potatoes Rissole
- Potatoes Boulangere
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Sarladaise Potatoes
- Potatoes Parisienne
- Parmentier Potatoes
- Duchess Potatoes
🥙 Substitutions
- Fresh thyme - use a teaspoon of dried thyme.
📖 Variations
- Beef cuts - topside, silverside, short ribs, brasing steak.
- Meat options - belly pork, pork shoulder, lamb shoulder.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - place in an airtight bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months.
- To reheat - wrap in foil and reheat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4. For larger amounts, put the sliced confit brisket in an oven dish with gravy and cover with foil. This will stop the meat from drying out.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Cook a day or 2 in advance for cold cuts or to reheat as above.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More confit dishes
📋 Recipe
Beef Confit
Equipment
- deep roasting dish ust slightly bigger than the meat
- large frying pan or skillet
- Aluminium foil
- kitchen roll
- sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 1 kg brisket
- 250 g beef fat
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic
Instructions
- 1. Break up the beef fat with a knife and place in the roasting dish.
- 2. Put the dish in the oven at 150 C / 300 F / 130 FAN / Gas 2, to allow the oven to preheat and the fat to melt.
- 3. Flatten the garlic with the side of a sharp knife.
- 4. Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper and season on both sides just before cooking.
- 5. Put the oil in the frying pan over a high heat and add the brisket.
- 6. Turn the meat regularly for a few minutes to sear the meat on all sides.
- 7. Remove the roasting pan carefully from the oven and add the beef, garlic, bay leaf and sprig of thyme.
- 8. Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2 hours. As a guide, allow 1 hour of cooking for each pound or 500 grams.
- 9. Remove the foil after cooking and check that the meat is tender.
- 10. Remove the beef confit from the fat and place on a plate or carving tray and cover with foil to rest before carving.
Notes
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
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Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Beth
I make a lot of beef, so I'm always excited when I find a new recipe. I can't wait to make this!
Yu
The flavor of this beef confit is so delicious! The richness of the beef is well-balanced with all the seasoning; everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Aimee Mars
My husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy so I'm always looking for new recipes. I got so excited when I stumbled across this recipe and it turned out great! He loved it. Will be making this again soon.
Quynh
I seared the beef in a pan before placing it in the oven. It was super tender and flavorful. We had it for dinner with roasted vegetables.
Ashley
Holy moly this is delicious! I'm looking forward to making this again for a larger group of people so I can impress them. 😉
Toni
I love how flavorful this is! Such a perfect meal for the whole family!
Ann
Looking forward to trying out this method of cooking style. Thanks!
Bobby
This beef confit was so good. I made it in advance and it reheated really well! Thank you!
Sisley
Really lovely beef recipe. The whole family loved it.
Mimi
So tender and delicious. This is a perfect dish to serve during the holiday season.