Dan Souza's Boeuf Bourguignon

Recipes & Cooking

We wanted our boeuf bourguignon recipe to have tender braised beef napped in a silky, rich sauce with bold red wine flavor but without all the work that the classic recipe requires. We cook the stew in the oven, uncovered in a roasting pan, so that the exposed surfaces of the meat brown as it braises, allowing us to eliminate the time-consuming step of searing it beforehand. Similarly, we used the oven, rather than the stovetop, to render the salt pork and to prepare the traditional mushroom and pearl onion garnish. 


ingredients

Boeuf Bourguignon

  • 1 4-Pound Boneless Beef Chuck-Eye Roast Trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces (scraps reserved)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 6 Oz Salt Park Cut into 1/4-inch pieces (can substitute with bacon)
  • 3 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
  • 1 Pound Cremini Mushrooms Trimmed, halved if medium or quartered if large (can substitute with a few drops of soy sauce)
  • 1 1/2 Cups Frozen Pearl Onions Thawed
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1/3 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 4 Cups Beef Broth
  • 1 Bottle Red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
  • 5 Tsp Unflavored Gelatin
  • 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 Tsp Anchovy Paste Can substitute with fish sauce
  • 2 Onions Onions Chopped coarse
  • 2 Carrots Peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
  • 1 Garlic Head Cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1/2 Tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 1/2 Oz Dried Porcini Mushrooms Rinsed
  • 10 Sprigs Fresh Parsley Plus 3 tablespoons minced
  • 6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme

prep

INSTRUCTIONS: 



Toss beef and 1½ teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. 



 



Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place salt pork, beef scraps, and 2 tablespoons butter in large roasting pan. Roast on lower-middle rack until well browned and fat has rendered, 15 to 20 minutes. 



(Dan’s tip: A roasting pan is key in this recipe. Typically, you’d sear the meat first, which can be messy and time consuming. We wanted to make our modern beef burgundy more user-friendly for the home cook. A roasting pan in a low temp oven helps with the browning process.)  



 



While salt pork and beef scraps roast, toss cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and sugar together on rimmed baking sheet. Roast on lowest rack, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and vegetables are lightly glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl, cover, and refrigerate. 



 



Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle flour over rendered fat and whisk until no dry flour remains. Whisk in broth, 2 cups wine, gelatin, tomato paste, and anchovy paste until combined. Add onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, porcini mushrooms, parsley sprigs, and thyme to pan. Arrange beef in single layer on top of vegetables. Add water as needed to come three-quarters up side of beef (beef should not be submerged). Return roasting pan to oven and cook until meat is tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring after 90 minutes and adding water to keep meat at least half-submerged. 



(Dan’s tip: We use gelatin here to add richness in body and texture. It will help mimic a stock that’s been cooking for a long time.) 



 



Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl with cremini mushrooms and pearl onions; cover and set aside. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in remaining wine and let cooking liquid settle, 10 minutes. Using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface and discard. 



(Dan’s tip: We add wine twice in this recipe, once in the beginning and again at the end here. Adding wine at the end gives it a fresh, aromatic flavor.) 



 



Transfer liquid to Dutch oven and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to consistency of heavy cream, 15 to20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beef and mushroom-onion garnish, cover, and cook until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in minced parsley and serve. (Stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.) 



 



TIP: If the pearl onions have a papery outer coating, remove it by rinsing them in warm water and gently squeezing individual onions between your fingertips. Two minced anchovy fillets can be used in place of the anchovy paste. To save time, salt the meat and let it stand while you prep the remaining ingredients. Serve with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. 


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