The Wilderness Wife

Living, Cooking, Gardening, Crafting in Maine


Slow Cooker Pot Au Feu..Pot on Fire

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Slow Cooker Pot au Feu is the rustic French peasant version of Pot Roast

French rusitic beef stew, Pot Au Feu

Here in the North Maine Woods the nights are getting chilly and the days are crisp and dry.  It’s time to start thinking about fall and winter fair for the dinner table.  One of the family favorites is the French Canadian version of Pot Roast called Pot-Au-Feu. It translates to “pot on fire” and is a traditional rustic French stew that can be made with beef or pork. Traditionally in France it was considered “peasant fare” and was made with less expensive cuts of meat that required stewing for a long time.

Pot Au Feu has its roots in Maine’s French Culture

This is an old Maine dish that has its roots in the French Canadian culture that came to Maine when many French Canadians from Quebec emigrated to the shoe and textile manufacturing plants in central Maine and to the logging camps of the North Maine Woods in the late 1800’s.  There are large Franco-American populations in the cities of Lewiston, Augusta, and Waterville to this day.  Maine cuisine is greatly influenced by these hard working people and their French culinary heritage.

The Basic Pot Au Feu Formula

This is a stew made of less tender cuts of beef or occasionally pork. Although some of the seasoning ingredients may vary, the basic formula is:

  • Meat – low-cost cuts of beef or pork that need long cooking to tenderize them and often a marrow bone or oxtail added to enhance flavor
  • Winter Vegetables – any combination of carrots, parsnips, turnips, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, celery, and onions
  • Spices – bouquet garni, salt, coarse ground black pepper, allspice and cloves.

What is the best meat to use in a Pot au Feu?

Port au Feu is usually made with less tender cuts of beef, and also pork. Beef chuck roast is a good choice. Beef shank and rump roast are often use but any economical cut is going to work as the long slow cooker process tenderizes the toughest of meat.

What is a Bouquet Garni?

It’s an herb bouquet made of sprigs of thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and celery leaves tied together with a string or wrapped in cheesecloth then suspended in a soup or stew to give it more flavor. The bouquet garni is removed before serving.

Rustic Frenc beef stew, in a slow cooker.

Served family style in a pot or individually in soup bowls, pot au feu is yummy with crusty bread, and cider vinegar and dijon mustard as condiments.

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Pot-Au-Feu…. Pot on Fire

Beef stew, pork stew

A delicious meat stew with its roots in the Franco-American culture of Maine. It uses less tender cuts of meat, and root vegetables so its perfect for a chilly fall or winter day.

  • Author: The Wilderness Wife
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 hours
  • Total Time: 5 hours 20 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Stew
  • Cuisine: Franco-American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds of lean beef or pork cut in to 1 1/2″ pieces, less tender cuts of meat are perfect for this dish
  • 2 cups of beef broth
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic cut in half
  • 1 bouquet garni
  • 2 cups of carrots sliced in 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup of parsnips in 1 inch pieces
  • 2 med. onions thickly sliced
  • 1 cup leeks sliced in 2 inch pieces
  • 4 stalks of celery, cut in 2 inch pieces
  • 2 cups of potatoes, cut in 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks (use Yukon Gold, they hold up better to the cooking process than Russets)

Instructions

  1. Brown the meat on all sides in a saute pan.
  2. Put the meat in a large slow cooker with the beef broth.
  3. Add all the spices and vegetables around meat.
  4. Serve family style in a large pot or individually in soup bowls with a nice crusty bread, and mustard and vinegar as condiments.

Comments

  7. This really sounds good! My Ma just mentioned New England Boiled Dinner the other day and this sounds very similar:@)

    Reply

    • It is very similar… the difference is the seasoning and that New England Boiled Dinner is made with salty meats like ham, corned beef, etc.

      Reply

  9. I can’t wait for more hearty dishes, love them for this time of year. But to cooking and it warming up the kitchen instead of blasting it. PS – following you on Linky. Tickled you shared you creative inspiration with Sunday’s Best – you helped make the party a success!

    Reply

    • Thank you and I’ll be sure to share it. Thank you for the invite! It’s not so much my inspiration as the tradition of the French Canadian culture here in Maine. They have so many wonderful, hearty dishes that I will be sharing on this blog so be sure to come back for more.

      Reply

    • Today it is in the low 60’s here in northern Maine, and you can see the first signs of the leaves changing color. It’s the kind of day that’s perfect for making a soup!

      Reply

  12. Hi Sheryl,
    I just love your Pot Au Feu, it looks delicious and we will really enjoy this recipe. Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

    • It’s a gorgeous weekend here in northern Maine. A few showers this morning but the sky is clearnow; the sun is bright; and we are seeing the first hint of color change in the leaves. Oh how I love fall!

      Reply

  15. This reminds me of the stews my mom made for us years ago. I can almost smell that aroma.

    Thank you for sharing at Rural Thursdays this week. Have a lovely weekend. xo

    Reply

    • I know what you mean about the aroma! When I’m cooking this the whole house smells so yummy! The combination of those seasonings are a gastronomic potpourri. Of course, that creates the problem of Bill pestering to have supper at 3:30 in the afternoon!

      Reply

  16. Wow! Great recipe for Fall and Winter ~ I will over soon ~ can I bring my doggie? We live in MA ~ not far ~ LOL ~ (as the crow flies anyway) ~ (A Creative Harbor)

    Reply

    • It is yummy! It’s a very satisfying meal for those crisp fall days when you have been working outside cleaning up the garden or stacking firewood for the season!

      Reply

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