Beef Burgundy

Beef Burgundy is a classic French dish.   One of the nicest things about it is, that you can mostly prepare it a day or two before serving.  I did mine through the first five steps yesterday, so it is in the fridge just waiting to have the stock reduced and the garnish of mushrooms and onions prepared and added.  I can do that late today, just before company arrives, and hold it on very low heat for an hour or two.  

I have tried several beef burgundy recipes over the years, including the one from Julia Child's classic, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and one from French Laundry chef and owner Thomas Keller.  I have settled in on a recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Almost all of the recipes I have seen call for using Chuck Roast. You pull the roast apart at the fatty seams and using a knife, remove all of the fast and silverskin.  Then you cut the meat into chunks about 11/2" square.  Beware of buying stew meat at the butcher, as the pieces are generally cut too small and won't hold up to the several hours of braising required to produce the tender meat and thick silky sauce that you are going for.  

Here is the recipe from America's Test Kitchen:

Why This Recipe Works

Our beef burgundy recipe would have to live up to its potential, with satisfyingly large but tender chunks of beef in a sauce brimming with voluptuous wine and infused with aromatic vegetables, garlic, and herbs. For flavor, we rendered some salt pork until crisp and then browned large chunks of beef chuck roast in the rendered fat. For the braising liquid, we used a combination of canned chicken broth and water, enhanced with a small amount of dried porcini mushrooms and tomato paste. A full bottle of red wine (preferably a Burgundy, but a good Pinot Noir will suffice) was added to the liquid, which we thickened with a roux to finish our beef burgundy recipe

NOTE FROM THE TEST KITCHEN If you cannot find salt pork, thick-cut bacon can be substituted. Cut it crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces and treat it just as you would salt pork, but note that you will have no rind to include in the vegetable and herb bouquet. To make this dish a day or two in advance, see “Advance Preparation of Beef Burgundy,” below. Boiled potatoes are the traditional accompaniment, but mashed potatoes or buttered noodles are nice as well.

Ingredients:

Beef Braise

• 6 ounces salt pork, trimmed of rind (see Step 1 below), rind reserved, and salt pork cut into 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch by 1-inch pieces
• 10 sprigs fresh parsley leaves, torn into quarters
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 medium onions, chopped coarse
• 2 medium carrots, chopped coarse
• 1 medium head garlic, cloves separated and crushed but unpeeled
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed (optional)
• 4 - 4 ¼ pounds beef chuck roast, prepared as described in Steps 2, 3, and 4 below
• Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• ⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bottle red burgundy wine, (750 ml) or Pinot Noir
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

Onion and Mushroom Garnish

• Onion and Mushroom Garnish

• 36 frozen pearl onions, (about 7 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 10 ounces white mushrooms, whole if small, halved if medium, quartered if large
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leave

Instructions:

1. Bring salt pork, reserved salt pork rind, and 3 cups water to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Boil 2 minutes, then drain well.

2. Cut two 22-inch lengths cheesecloth. Following "Making The Vegetable and Herb Bouquet," below, wrap parsley, thyme, onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, porcini mushrooms, and blanched salt pork rind in cheesecloth and set in 8-quart nonreactive Dutch oven. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

3. Set 12-inch skillet with salt pork over medium heat; sauté until lightly brown and crisp, about 12 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon to Dutch oven; pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat and reserve. Season beef with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and brown half of beef in single layer, turning once or twice, until deep brown, about 7 minutes; transfer browned beef to Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into skillet and scrape pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; when pan bottom is clean, pour liquid into Dutch oven.

4. Return skillet to high heat and add 2 teaspoons reserved pork fat; swirl to coat pan bottom. When fat begins to smoke, brown remaining beef in single layer, turning once or twice, until deep brown, about 7 minutes; transfer browned beef to Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into skillet and scrape pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits; when pan bottom is clean, pour liquid into Dutch oven.

5. Set now-empty skillet over medium heat; add butter. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour until evenly moistened and pasty. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture has toasty aroma and resembles light-colored peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups water; increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened. Pour mixture into Dutch oven. Add 3 cups wine, tomato paste, and salt and pepper to taste to Dutch oven and stir to combine. Set Dutch oven over high heat and bring to boil. Cover and set pot in oven; cook until meat is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

6. Remove Dutch oven from oven and, using tongs, transfer vegetable and herb bouquet to strainer set over pot. Press out liquid into pot and discard bouquet. With slotted spoon, remove beef to medium bowl; set aside. Allow braising liquid to settle about 15 minutes, then, with wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface and discard.

7. Bring liquid in Dutch oven to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally to ensure that bottom is not burning, until sauce is reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 15 to 25 minutes.

8. While sauce is reducing, bring pearl onions, butter, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water to boil in medium skillet over high heat; cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, shaking pan occasionally, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and simmer until all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid released by mushrooms evaporates and vegetables are browned and glazed, about 5 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large plate and set aside. Add 1/4 cup water to skillet and stir with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. When pan bottom and sides are clean, add liquid to reducing sauce.

9. When sauce has reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, reduce heat to medium-low; stir in beef, mushrooms and onions (and any accumulated juices), remaining wine from bottle, and brandy into Dutch oven. Cover pot and cook until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve, sprinkling individual servings with minced parsley.

Advanced Preparation
Follow recipe for beef Burgundy through step 5. Using tongs, transfer vegetable and herb bouquet to mesh strainer set over Dutch oven. Press out liquid back into pot and discard bouquet. Let beef cool to room temperature in braising liquid in dutch oven, then cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 days. 

With slotted spoon, skim congealed fat off top and discard. Set pot over medium-high heat and bring to simmer; with slotted spoon remove beef to medium bowl and set aside. Simmer sauce briskly, stirring occasionally to ensure that bottom is not burning, until reduced to about 3 cups and thickened to the consistency of heavy cream.

 Continue with recipe from step 8.

Techniques

Beef Burgundy

1. Trimming the Salt Pork: Steady the salt pork with one hand, and with the other slide the blade of a sharp chef's knife between the rind and the fat, using a wide sawing motion to cut away the rind in one piece.

2. Trimming the Meat: (A) Pull apart the roast at its major seams (delineated by lines of fat and silver skin). Use a knife as necessary.

3. Trimming the Meat: (B) With a paring knife, trim off all visible fat and silver skin.

4. Trimming the Meat: (C) Cut the meat into large chunks measuring about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

Making the Vegetable and Herb Bouquet

1. Cut two 22-inch lengths of cheesecloth and unfold each piece once lengthwise so that each forms a 2-ply, 22 by 8-inch piece.

2. Lay the cheesecloth in a medium bowl, stacking the sheets. Place the designated ingredients in the cheesecloth-lined bowl.

3. Gather the edges of the cheesecloth securely and fasten with kitchen twine. Trim excess cheesecloth with scissors if necessary.