Name: Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 3 h 15 min
Total time: 3 h 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1.5 kg beef chuck; 2 tsp salt; 2 tbsp beef dripping or oil; 1 onion; 2 carrots; 2 tbsp plain flour; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 1 bottle red wine; 2 cups beef stock; 2 bay leaves; a few sprigs thyme; 150 g smoked bacon lardons; 300 g button mushrooms; 250 g pearl onions; a handful parsley

1.5 kg

1 Brown hard in batches and set aside 20m Dry the beef and give it room. This is most of the flavour.

2 Soften in the fat 10m

3 Stir in and cook out for 2 minutes 5m

4 Return the beef, add the liquids, bring to a bare simmer 10m

6 Braise at 150°C / 300°F until a fork twists easily 3h

7 Fold in the garnish and rest 10 minutes before serving 10m Cooked separately, the mushrooms and onions keep their texture instead of dissolving.

2 tsp

2 tbsp

1 tbsp

1 bottle

2 cups

a few sprigs

150 g

5 Fry until browned, separately 12m

300 g

250 g

a handful

Separate pans, one pot

Everything that goes into this benefits from browning, and nothing browns in a crowded pot. The beef, the aromatics and the garnish each get the pan to themselves. It is more washing up and it is the difference between a stew and this.

Notes

Wine you would drink. Three hours concentrates whatever is in the bottle, including the flaws.
The garnish goes in at the very end. Braised for three hours it turns to mush and there is nothing left with texture.
Genuinely better on day two. Cool it, refrigerate, and reheat gently.

Method

Brown hard in batches and set aside

Soften in the fat

Stir in and cook out for 2 minutes

Return the beef, add the liquids, bring to a bare simmer

Fry until browned, separately

Braise at 150°C / 300°F until a fork twists easily

Fold in the garnish and rest 10 minutes before serving

Separate pans, one pot

Notes