Nearly Classic Boeuf Bourguignon

Nearly Classic Boeuf Bourguignon

Kitchen Tips for Success: 

Heat: 

Every stove top is different, some run hotter, some cooler, but you want to aim for a heat slightly less than medium, (on my stove top that's a 4 out of 10). I know this sounds persnickity, but I find when sautéeing the meat and vegetables, too high of a heat makes for a black, burnt frond, not and nicly flavourful sticky-brown one. So when you scrape up the cooked-on bits at the bottom of the pan, instead of deep, warming flavour, you get bitter black bits flecked throughout the stew. I suppose like anything you cook, keep your patience, more is not better, and watch the heat. 

Salt:

I have a huge salt tooth, so trust me when I say be judicious with seasoning. Taste your ingredients. Depending on the producer and curing of the pancetta, some meats are super salty, some are moderately. The stock, especially if store-bought, can range with salt content. Even the tomato paste can vary. Also keep in mind, as the liquid cooks and concentrates, the salt will get more intense. For my (super salty) tastes, I only salt the meat before searing and the mushroom/onion mixture, and find that is plenty for my stew. 

Vinegar: 

This may be the most blasphemous of any classic boeuf bourguignon recipe, but I like to add a small splash of vinegar at the end. The sauce is rich and robust, and a little acid goes a long way to giving the sauce a bit of freshness. Not enough to taste vinegary, just enough to brighten the flavours (the same theory as adding a pinch of salt to baking a chocolate cake.)

Serves: 6
Chef level: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs stewing beef, cubed
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Lots of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, bacon fat, or duck fat
• 250 g bacon or pancetta, cubed
• 1 ½ cups red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrot, finely cliced
• ½ cup celery, finely sliced
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• ½ cup brandy or cognac
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups good quality beef stock
• 2 cups fruity red wine, such as Côtes du Rhône
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 large bay leaves
• 10 or so thyme sprigs, bundled in kitchen twine for easy removal
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups pearl onions, peeled
• 4 cups button mushrooms, cleaned and halved if large
• 2 tsp Sherry vinegar

How You Make It:

1. Heat the oven to 300°F
2. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper on the raw beef cubes, and set aside allowing meat to come to room temperature. Meanwhile, prep your ingredients.
3. In a large pot over medium/med-low heat, warm oil or fat. Add in bacon or pancetta and gently fry to soften but not crisp.
4. Remove bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain.
5. To the fat in the pot (there should be quite a bit thanks to the rendered fat of the bacon) add in the seasoned beef cubes, in batches, one layer at a time, and giving them plenty of space. Patience is required here, do not be tempted to throw all the meat into the pot, or flip the pieces too soon. You want the cubes to get a flavourful charred brown, not steamed to a weird beige-grey. This will take 2-3 minutes per side.
6. Remove each finished section to a plate, allowing for the juices to accumulate.
7. When all the beef is finished and removed from the pot, add in the onion, carrots, and celery. Stir to coat and gently cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
8. Add in the garlic stirring for 30 seconds to become fragrant.
9. Add in the cognac, you can ignite it if you are feeling dramatic, but there’s no real need.
10. Add in the tomato paste stirring to coat the vegetables, then sprinkle in the flour and stir, cooking for a minute to cook off the raw flour flavour.
11. Pour in the beef stock and wine, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any cooked on bits. 
12. Return to the pot the cooked bacon, the beef and accumulated juices, the bay leaf and thyme, and the Worcestershire sauce. The meat should be almost entirely submerged, but it's ok if you see the top of some of the beef cubes. 
13. Cover with a heavy lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.
14. In a large saute pan, melt butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened.
15. When the stew is done turn off the oven heat, remove from the oven and add the mushroom-onion mixture, and return the pot to the heat-of stove to keep warm in the residual heat while you make your mashed potatoes.
16. Serve with the recommended celeriac puree, or rustic mashed potatoes, or whatever you like, and feel really good about yourself. 

Wine Pairing:

Traditionally, red Burgundy, or Pinot Noir, is the classic pairing. And if you opt for this archetypal match, you are most definitely going to enjoy success. 

I’ve had good luck with Cabernet Franc dominated Bordeaux blends. The wine's savoury notes of tobacco leaf, black pepper and ripe red fruit, echo the flavours of the earthy stew beautifully.