Baeckenoffa (Beef, Pork & Lamb Stew)

Baeckenoffa, which means “baker’s oven” in Alsatian dialect, is the kind of dish that was born from a tradition of dropping your casserole at the village bakery on Monday morning and picking it up hours later, slow-cooked to falling-apart tenderness in the residual heat of the bread ovens.

Three meats (beef, pork, and lamb) get marinated overnight in dry Alsatian white wine, then layered in an earthenware casserole over sweated onions, diced leeks, and sliced potatoes with a bouquet garni and crushed peppercorns.

The lid is sealed shut with a flour-and-water paste, trapping every wisp of steam inside for a four-hour bake that turns everything silky, rich, and deeply fragrant.

Bring it to the table sealed and crack it open in front of your guests. The rush of aroma is half the experience.

Chef Tips

• Marinate the meats for a full 12 hours or overnight. The wine tenderizes the tougher cuts and infuses them with flavor before they ever hit the oven.
• Use goose fat for sweating the onions if you can find it. It adds a richness that butter or oil can’t replicate in this particular dish.
• The flour paste seal is essential. It locks in moisture so nothing dries out during the long bake. Mix just enough water into the flour to make a pliable dough.
• Arrange the three meats separately in the casserole so each guest can try all three.