Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stewed in Red Wine)

Boeuf Bourguignon is one classic French dish that everyone should know about. Sadly, I didn't even heard of it until "Julie and Julia". And back then, I know nothing about French cooking. Neither do I have a dutch oven (cast iron pot) nor an oven, so I shelved the thought away.

Through the years, the thought of preparing boeuf bourguignon came up a couple of times, but there was always either not enough time or I couldn't find the preferred cut of beef or some other excuses I came up with to cover up my irrational fear of preparing French cuisine. 

I was reminded of boeuf bourguignon again when they aired "Julie and Julia" on TV some time last week, but once again, when I went to the supermarket, they didn't have chuck or brisket! What are the chances? I was starting to think that there is some greater force at work!

So few days ago, 15th of August, I got to know that it was Julia Child's birthday. I told myself it is now or never! I've put it away long enough; I need to cross it off my bucket "To-Cook" list. We drove to the freakin' butcher and got me a hunk of brisket. So here it is finally, 7 years later, Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon!

Boeuf Bourguignon (serves 6)
(from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

   170g     Bacon, rind removed, cut into lardon
1.425L     Water

Preheat oven to 230°C
1. In a pot, bring water to a boil. Turn to low heat, add in the rind and bacon, simmer for 10mins. Drain and pat dry.

1 tbsp   Olive oil or cooking oil 
1.4kg    Lean stewing beef, cut into 2" chunks

2. In a dutch oven, sauté bacon in the oil over medium heat for 2-3mins till lightly brown. Remove and reserve. Reheat the pot until fat is almost smoking before continuing. 

3. Dry the beef chunks with paper towels, they will not brown if there is moisture. Sear them in the hot fat until browned on all sides. Remove and reserve.

1 large carrot, ~75g, sliced
1 large white onion, ~ 120g, sliced

4. Proceed to brown the sliced vegetables in the same pot. Pour out any excess fat when done.

1 tsp     Salt
1/4tsp   Black Pepper 
  30g     Plain flour

5. Return the bacon and beef to the dutch oven. Season with salt and black pepper and toss. Sprinkle in the plain flour and toss again to coat the beef chunks. 

6. Place the dutch oven, uncovered, on the middle rack of the oven for 4mins. Then toss the beef chunks again before returning to the oven for another 4mins. 

7. Remove the dutch oven. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C

  720g     Young red wine, full-bodied, or a Chianti
480-720g Beef stock

  15g     Tomato Paste
2 cloves Garlic, mashed
1/2tsp   Thyme
      1     Bay leaf, crumbled

8. Place the dutch oven back onto the stove. Add in red wine and just enough stock to barely cover the meat. Add in tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and the bacon rind. Stir well and bring mixture to simmer.

9. Cover the dutch oven, place it on the lower rack of the oven for 2.5-3 hours until the meat can be easily pierced. Adjust the temperature accordingly so the liquid is simmering gently.

10. Set a sieve over a saucepan, pour the beef stew through the sieve. Wash the dutch oven and return the beef stew content into it. Add in the sautéed mushrooms, if using (recipe below).

11. Over medium heat, simmer the sauce for 1-2mins and skim off any fat on top until the sauce lightly coats a spoon. If the sauce is too thin, reduce it by boiling over high heat or thinning it out with some stock if it's too thick. Taste and season accordingly. 

12. Pour the sauce over the beef and vegetables. Mix and simmer for another 2-3mins, basting the beef and vegetables from time to time. 

13. Garnish with parsley (optional). Serve with potatoes, rice or noodles.

Braised pearl onions and mushrooms sautéed in butter are usually added when finishing up the dish. I couldn't find any pearl onions at the supermarket so I omitted them.

(Optional) Champignons Sautés au Beurre

30g     Butter, unsalted
15g     Olive oil

450g   White mushrooms, fresh, quartered

1. In a skillet, heat butter and oil over high heat. Add in the mushrooms once the foaming subsides.

2. Toss and shake the pan for 4-5mins until slightly browned. Remove from heat.

Thoughts: This is such a long recipe! You can see why it was daunting to a younger me with zilt knowledge of French cooking? I still don't know much about French cooking now but I couldn't even pronounce boeuf bourguignon back then. Haha! I didn't know it started off as a "peasant" dish; I just always thought French cooking is difficult and not something that can be easily mastered by normal people like me! So I was naturally surprised when I realised how easy it is to prepare boeuf bourguignon other than taking a longer time to cook. Here are some thoughts and know-whys that helped me along.

• Simmering the rind and bacon first will render the fat, which in turn result in a nicely browned and crisp bacon when sautéing. It also reduces the splattering and apparently removes the risk of burning the bacon! This technique will come in handy for your perfect bacon slice. I just don't understand why so much water is needed. Maybe there has to be enough space for the bacon to move about. I'll try reducing the amount of water next time.
• In the recipe, Julia Child didn't specify using any particular cuts of beef. But typically in a slow-cooked dish such as stews or braises, the cheaper cuts of tough meat, full of connective tissues, are usually preferred. The long cooking time will break down the tough muscles and connective tissues, transforming them into soft, gelatinous, melt-in-your-mouth collagen that keeps the meat moist and tender. A quick internet search found that many recommend using chuck from the neck/shoulder area. My butcher didn't have any so I fell back on good old brisket that we're familiar with.
• You may already know this but it is essential to pat dry the beef chunks (and other meats) to achieve a good sear. The dry surface will start caramelising the instant it touches the hot pot, otherwise it will just be steaming away. Crowding the meat will also prevent proper browning, so if the pot is too small, sear the beef in batches.
• When deglazing the pot (after adding red wine and stock), be sure to scrape up the caramelised bits that got stuck to the bottom of the pot. They will add to the umaminess and help build the rich, complex, flavour we love.

Understanding and doing these steps properly will ensure a delicious pot of boeuf bourguignon. In fact, master them and they will ensure success to any other stews or braises. So to anyone who still hasn't muster the courage to cook boeuf bourguignon, I'll say just do it. Don't put it off as long as I did. As long as you keep these techniques in mind, this dish is a no-brainer!

This stew is traditionally served with boiled potatoes, but any form of starch is good. I especially love having crusty bread so I can mop up the flavoursome sauce on the plate! If there are leftovers (there shouldn't be, really), this is one of those dishes where the flavour deepens and tastes even better after reheating. That's also why boeuf bourguignon is one of the popular dinner party dishes. It's cost effective, can be prepared well beforehand, lures the guests with its intoxicating smell as the dish reheats and sets them asking for more with its robust flavours!

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