Boeuf Bourguignon

Method

1. 01

   Dry and season the beef

   Heat the oven to 160°C. Pat the beef dry and season with 3 g salt and 1 g pepper. Prepare the vegetables and keep the remaining salt and pepper separate.

   

2. 02

   Render the bacon

   Cook the bacon in a heavy ovenproof pot over medium heat for 5–6 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer it to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.

   

3. 03

   Brown in uncrowded batches

   Add the oil and raise the heat to medium-high. Sear beef in three batches for 4–5 minutes each, turning to brown several faces. Transfer each batch to a clean bowl; do not cook the centre through yet.

   

4. 04

   Build the sauce base

   Lower to medium. Cook onion and carrots in the pot for 5 minutes, then add garlic for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and flour and cook 2 minutes until no dry flour remains.

   

5. 05

   Deglaze and return the meat

   Pour in wine and scrape up the brown fond. Boil 3 minutes, then add stock, thyme, bay, beef, bacon and their juices. Bring just to a simmer; the liquid should nearly cover the meat.

   

6. 06

   Braise gently in the oven

   Cover and braise at 160°C for 2–2.5 hours. Check after 1 hour; the broth should barely bubble. If needed, add reserved adjustment water in 50 ml additions to keep the meat nearly submerged.

   

7. 07

   Cook the mushroom and onion garnish

   During the braise, simmer pearl onions with half the butter and 150 ml water for 15 minutes. Uncover and evaporate the water. In a separate pan, brown mushrooms in the remaining butter for 8–10 minutes.

   

8. 08

   Boil the potatoes

   In the final 25 minutes of braising, cover the potatoes with 1.5 L water and add 5 g salt. Bring to a boil, simmer 15–20 minutes until easily pierced, then drain and steam-dry for 2 minutes.

   

9. 09

   Check tenderness and finish the sauce

   The beef is ready when a fork twists through a cube with little resistance. Remove thyme and bay, fold in onions and mushrooms, then simmer uncovered 5–8 minutes. Add the remaining stew salt and pepper only as needed.

   

10. 10

    Rest and serve with potatoes

    Rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Divide the beef, vegetables and sauce among four plates, add warm potatoes and scatter parsley. The sauce should coat the meat yet still flow around it.