Beef Bourguignon
Prep Time: 40 Minutes + overnight
Cooking Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
This is French country cooking at its finest. A real Autumn/Winter dish, served with mash and glazed carrots (or greens). Whichever good quality wine you use to marinate the beef overnight, serve the same with the dish the next day. I make this with shin of beef, or use chuck steak (shoulder) and cook for an extra 45 minutes.
Ingredients for Marinade
- 1 kg shin of beef cut into 6cm x 1cm thick pieces
- 1 banana shallot peeled & sliced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled & crushed
- 2 springs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves torn
- 2 parsley stalks crushed
- 8 pepper corns crushed
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 bottle of Rhone wine
Ingredients for Bourguignon
- 1 tbs beef dripping, duck fat, or vegetable oil
- 250g button mushrooms, stalks removed, wiped over a damp cloth, cut in half
- 125g salt pork or pancetta cut into 2cm long match sticks
- 2 cloves garlic peeled & crushed
- 750 ml good beef/veal stock
- The reserved strained marinade
- Bouquet garni
- Sea salt & black pepper
- 1 tbs cornflour mixed with 2 tbs cold water
- 2 tbs chopped parsley
Method
1 Marinade the beef in a covered, non-reactive dish in the fridge overnight.
Method
1 In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the duck fat on a low heat, cook until it renders its fat and goes crispy.
2 Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve.
3 Add the shallots and brown.
4 Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and nicely coloured, add to the bacon.
5 Turn the heat up to medium and add the beef dry on a cloth.
6 Season the beef with salt and pepper.
7 Brown the beef with the garlic cloves and remove from the pan.
8 Add the marinade, beef stock, and bouquet Garni
9 Bring to a simmer, remove any impurities, and cover with a lid.
10 Cook for 2 hours, then check if tender.
11 Stir in the cornflour.
12 Skim off fat, add the mushrooms, shallots and bacon, then stir well.
13 Place in a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
