Traditional Beef Bourguignon with Chuck Roast

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Charolais beef chuck roast for braising
• 200 g whole smoked slab bacon
• 75 cl dry AOC Burgundy red wine (Pinot Noir)
• 500 ml beef broth
• 4 pieces fresh sand-grown carrots
• 2 pieces yellow onions
• 18 pieces pearl onions
• 300 g fresh white button mushrooms
• 4 cloves fresh garlic cloves
• 40 g all-purpose flour (T55)
• 1 tbsp no-salt-added double concentrated tomato paste
• 30 g pasteurized unsalted butter (82% butterfat)
• 2 tbsp refined sunflower oil
• 1 piece fresh bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley)
• to taste coarse grey sea salt
• to taste freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Cut the beef chuck into even five-centimeter cubes. Carefully pat each piece dry with paper towels to remove any surface moisture and guarantee a beautiful sear.
2. Remove the rind from the smoked slab bacon and cut it into even one-centimeter thick lardons. Peel the carrots and cut them on the bias into thick slices. Peel and slice the yellow onions. Crush the garlic cloves without mincing them finely.
3. Place the bacon lardons in a cold cast-iron Dutch oven with one tablespoon of sunflower oil. Turn the heat to medium to gently render the fat until the lardons are crispy and well browned. Remove the lardons with a slotted spoon and set them aside on a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
4. Increase the heat under the Dutch oven so the fat is very hot. Add the beef pieces in a single layer without overcrowding, working in two or three separate batches so the temperature does not drop. Let each side sear undisturbed for three to four minutes to form a beautiful dark nut-brown crust. Transfer the meat to the plate with the lardons.
5. Lower the heat to medium and toss the sliced onions and carrots into the pot. Sweat them for five minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spatula to deglaze the caramelized browned bits. Add the crushed garlic cloves and tomato paste, then stir briskly for one minute to toast the tomato paste.
6. Return the beef pieces and bacon to the Dutch oven along with any juices they may have released. Sprinkle the wheat flour evenly over the surface. Stir gently over medium heat for two minutes to coat the meat and toast the starch, which ensures a thickened sauce without the taste of raw flour.
7. Pour the Burgundy red wine and hot beef broth into the pot, vigorously scraping the sides and bottom. Bring to a rolling boil for two minutes uncovered to evaporate the harsh alcohol, then use a ladle to skim off the gray foam that rises to the surface.
8. Submerge the bouquet garni in the center of the pot, add a pinch of coarse salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Put the lid on the Dutch oven, then bake at one hundred and forty degrees Celsius or set your stovetop to very low heat. Let simmer for three continuous hours without stirring vigorously, maintaining just a lazy quiver.
9. While the meat braises, prepare the bistro garnish. Peel the pearl onions. In a small saucepan, place the pearl onions with a pat of unsalted butter, two tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Cover with a parchment paper cartouche (a round with a hole in the center) and cook over medium heat until the liquid has completely evaporated, then roll the onions in the remaining butter to brown them evenly.
10. Brush the white button mushrooms clean, trim the sandy ends of the stems and cut the caps into even quarters. Heat a skillet over high heat with the remaining unsalted butter and the second tablespoon of sunflower oil. Briskly sear the mushrooms for four to five minutes without salting them initially to prevent them from boiling in their own juices, until they are well browned and crispy on the edges.
11. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Pierce a piece of meat with the tip of a knife: it should slide in without any resistance, a sign that the collagen has completely melted. Carefully transfer the beef pieces and carrots to a shallow dish using a slotted spoon, then remove the bouquet garni.
12. Place the Dutch oven over high heat and let the sauce reduce for six to eight minutes while whisking gently, until it develops a glossy, syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper.
13. Return the beef, carrots, bacon lardons, caramelized pearl onions and sauteed mushrooms to the boiling sauce. Let the Dutch oven rest covered off the heat for ten minutes so the flavors meld perfectly before serving directly at the table.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

643.2 kcal

Protein

59.83 g

Carbohydrate

15.32 g

Fat

28.53 g

Fibre

2.22 g

Calcium

19.54 mg

Iron

1.18 mg

Magnesium

24.86 mg