Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• 3 lb beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 6 oz thick-cut bacon, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 bottle dry red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 lb pearl onions, peeled
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Render the bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp and lift it out, leaving the fat behind.
2. Pat the beef thoroughly dry and season it. Brown it in the bacon fat in batches with room around each piece — crowded meat steams instead of searing, and the browning is most of the flavour. Set it aside.
3. Cook the chopped onion and carrot in the same pot until softened, about 8 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste for a minute.
4. Scatter over the flour and stir for two minutes to cook out the raw taste.
5. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom clean, and let it bubble for five minutes. Add the stock, thyme, bay leaves, the beef and the bacon.
6. Cover and cook in a 325°F oven until the beef pulls apart under a fork and reads about 200°F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
7. Near the end, brown the mushrooms and pearl onions in the butter in a separate pan until golden.
8. Stir them into the stew, simmer uncovered 10 minutes to thicken, and finish with parsley.

Notes