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Beef Bourguignon

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Marinating time 6 hours
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 50 ml olive oil
  • 1 kg chuck steak 800g trimmed
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 250 g carrots peeled and cut to approximately a similar size as the onions
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 12 pearl onions peeled, kept whole
  • 200 g shortcut rind less bacon
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 400 g mushrooms quartered.
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • Plain flour a little to help absorb fat
  • 1 cup cold beef stock
  • Salt and cracked pepper to season

Equipment

  • I used a single Dutch oven for the stew. Alternatively you could use a slow cooker but you will need a frypan to do all that sautéing.

Method
 

  1. Assemble ingredients
  2. If the onions are bigger than say a 20 cent piece then take off a some layers
  3. Finely chop any of those onion layers
  4. In a bowl marinate the beef, thyme, bay leaf, carrots and pearl onions in the red wine; cover it and refrigerate for between 6 and 24 hours.
Ready to cook:
  1. Drain the meat and retain the liquid
  2. Heat the Dutch oven on the stove and add a little oil
  3. Evenly sauté the pearl onions and carrots for 5 minutes. Take out and keep on the side.
  4. Add a little more oil to the Dutch oven and sauté the mushrooms. Take out and keep on the side
  5. Add a little more oil and sauté the beef in batches. Take out and keep on the side
  6. Add a little more oil to the Dutch oven and on a lower heat sauté the chopped onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Do not scorch the onion.
  7. Take off the heat and add the tomato paste. Stir in.
  8. Add a little flour to absorb any oil of fat. Return the Dutch oven to medium heat
  9. Stir in the beef stock and dissolve any roux lumps before the liquid boils
  10. Meanwhile slowly bring the marinade to the boil. The beef juices will coagulate.
  11. Strain the relatively clear liquid into the Dutch oven and stir in
  12. Add the beef, pearl onions, carrots, thyme and bay leaf.
  13. Lid the pot and slowly simmer the stew for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally
  14. In a separate pan gently sauté the bacon pieces. Do not make the bacon crispy. When ready drain the bacon and add it to the stew for the last 15 minutes of cooking
  15. Check the tenderness of the beef after 2 hours. This can be done by selecting a piece of beef of the Dutch oven pressing it firmly between two fingers to see if the meat separates.
  16. Check the seasoning. Find, remove and discard the thyme and the bay leaf.
  17. When cooked serve the Beef Bourguignon with mashed potato and a steamed green vegetable.

Notes

I used the bacon fat (from the sautéing pan) in the mashed potato. 
Fried bread croutons are a tasty topping when plating up.