Beef Bourguignon

Name: Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 4 h
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 1½ kg (3¼ lb) beef chuck (shoulder), in 5 cm chunks, large sinews trimmed; 15 g (2½ tsp) fine sea salt, divided; freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 150 g (5 oz) smoked bacon lardons; 2 carrots, in chunks; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 3 tbsp all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 750 ml (3 cups) dry red wine, a bottle of Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône; 400 ml (1⅔ cups) beef stock, Brown Stock or store-bought; 4 sprigs thyme; 2 bay leaves; 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter; 300 g (10 oz) small pearl onions or shallots, peeled; 300 g (10 oz) button or chestnut mushrooms, quartered; 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Beef braised in red wine until spoon-tender, with bacon, onions and mushrooms

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 1 h
Total: 4 h
Level: Some skill

Burgundy's great braise: chunks of beef browned deeply, then cooked slowly in red wine with aromatics until the meat yields to a spoon and the sauce is dark and glossy. Like Coq au Vin, its garnish of bacon, little onions and mushrooms is cooked separately and added at the end so it keeps its character.

Ingredients

Braise

1½ kgbeef chuck (shoulder) (3¼ lb)in 5 cm chunks, large sinews trimmed
15 gfine sea salt (2½ tsp)divided
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbspneutral oil
150 gsmoked bacon lardons (5 oz)
2carrotsin chunks
1onionchopped
4 clovesgarliccrushed
3 tbspall-purpose flour
2 tbsptomato paste
750 mldry red wine (3 cups)a bottle of Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône
400 mlbeef stock (1⅔ cups)Brown Stock or store-bought
4 sprigsthyme
2bay leaves

Garnish

30 gunsalted butter (2 tbsp)
300 gsmall pearl onions or shallots (10 oz)peeled
300 gbutton or chestnut mushrooms (10 oz)quartered
2 tbspchopped parsley

Allergens: gluten, milk, sulphites, celery
Origin: France (Burgundy)
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Pat the beef dry and season with 12 g salt and pepper. Ideally do this the day before.
Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). In a large (5–6 L) casserole over medium heat, cook the bacon in 1 tbsp oil until browned, 6–8 minutes. Lift out and reserve for the garnish. 7 min
Raise the heat to medium-high. Brown the beef in 3–4 batches, without crowding, until a deep brown crust forms on at least two sides, 6–8 minutes per batch. Add the remaining oil as needed. Set aside. 28 min
Lower the heat to medium. Cook the carrots and onion in the fat until browned at the edges, 8 minutes. Add the garlic, flour and tomato paste and stir 2 minutes. 10 min
Pour in the wine, scraping up everything from the bottom. Boil 5 minutes. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaves and remaining 3 g salt, and return the beef with its juices. 5 min
Bring to a simmer, cover and braise in the oven until a piece of beef breaks apart under gentle pressure from a spoon, 2½–3 hours. The meat will be about 90–95°C (195–203°F) — far beyond safe; braised beef needs this to melt its collagen. 2 h 45 min
About 30 minutes before the end, make the garnish: brown the onions in the butter over medium heat, shaking often, 8–10 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and dry, 6–8 minutes. Stir in the reserved bacon. 16 min
Lift the beef out with a slotted spoon. Strain the sauce if you like a refined finish, skim off the fat and boil until it coats a spoon, 5–10 minutes. Taste for salt. 8 min
Return the beef, add the garnish and simmer 5 minutes. Scatter with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes (Mashed Potatoes), buttered noodles or bread. 5 min

Why it works

Chuck contains lots of collagen, which needs long, moist cooking at 85–95°C to dissolve into gelatin; that gelatin makes the meat tender and gives the sauce body. Searing in batches gives a deep crust, and the browned bits dissolve into the wine as it deglazes. A low oven heats the pot evenly from all sides, so nothing scorches on the bottom.

Common mistakes

Using lean stewing meat, which turns dry and stringy. Chuck or shin are the cuts.
Crowding the pan when browning; the beef steams and goes gray.
Stopping too early. If it isn't tender, it simply needs more time.

Variations

Daube provençale: Add a strip of orange peel, a handful of black olives and a can of chopped tomatoes; skip the mushrooms.
Stovetop: Braise on the lowest heat with the lid on, stirring every 30 minutes, for the same time.