Boeuf Bourguignon

Made by mostly following Julia Child's recipe

Dinner Dec 13, 2024

Note: You pat dry the cubed beef to get a better sear, which will not happen if damp.

The quick 10 minutes in the oven step is to brown the flour and "covers the meat with a light crust."

Ingredients:

4oz Pancetta

2lb Beef Chuck Roast

1 Carrot

1 Yellow Onion Kosher Salt and freshly ground Black and White Pepper 2 tablespoons Flour 1 cup Pinot Noir

~2 cups Stock

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

4 Garlic cloves

3 Bay Leaves

2 Rosemary sprigs

2 Sage sprigs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) with a rack set to the lower-middle position.

Peel and slice the carrot and onion. Mash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef's knife. Cut the beef into 1-inch cubes.

Over medium heat, preheat a Dutch oven. Sauté the pancetta to render out some fat and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Pat dry the beef cubes with paper towels. Working in three batches, brown all sides in the hot pancetta fat. Once browned, remove to same dish as pancetta.

In the same fat, brown the sliced carrot and onion.

Return the beef and pancetta to the Dutch oven. Season to taste with salt and peppers (Julia's recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of table salt and a fourth a teaspoon pepper). Sprinkle on the flour and toss to lightly coat everything in the flour.

Set Dutch oven on the oven and heat for 5 minutes. Stir and heat for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and turn down oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

Add in the wine and enough stock so that everything is barely covered. Stir in tomato paste, mashed garlic, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, and one of the sage sprigs.

Bring to a simmer on the stove. Then cover and set back in the oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2½-3 hours.

Remove bay leaves and rosemary and sage sprigs/stems.

Mince the leaves of the second sage sprig and parsley and stir in before serving.

Final Notes:

Resist the urge to salt all the parts! I salted the beef and vegetables with some Kosher salt, and the dish got over salted. I didn't think I even salted those that heavily! But it was also my first time using that brand of pancetta, and I didn't taste it alone, so I have no idea how salty that was.

This was a really good base method for any future beef stews.

Boeuf bourguignon served with Lyonnaise potatoes.