Beef Bourguignon

Leagle49 posted the link for Ina Garten's Beef Bourguignon on another thread, and I followed his recommendation and made this last night. This is an absolutely fabulous meal, and so that it didn't get lost in that thread, I decided to re-post it on its own.

Thanks for resurrecting this. There is nothing better on a crisp fall evening than Beef Bourguignon. I like this recipe even better than Julia Child's. And it's really pretty easy too!

I find it funny that the recipe calls for unsalted butter AND canned beef broth!

LOL! Like getting a Big Mac with a diet soda! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Laugh.gif" alt="" />

Trust me, this recipe is neither healthy nor low sodium! I always use unsalted butter so that I can decide how much salt to add to my cooking, rather than having the butter make some of that decision for me.

Leagle...thank you so much for posting it originally! It's certainly not something I would eat regularly, as it is pretty unhealthy, but it's a definite special occasion dish.

Georgia, we don't even keep any salted butter in the house!

I have found that most recipes call for unsalted butter. Personally, I use salted, but then I like salt and don't have BP problems. I do have cholesterol issues so this recipe is definitely a special occasion meal.

Where would someone find the dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon? Trader Joes maybe?

...and bacon!!

I just used the Applewood Smoked bacon that I found at my grocery store, right next to the other bacon. It was thick sliced, and worked perfectly. I think all Applewood Smoked bacon is dry-cured, isn't it?

Happy birthday to your husband-I'm sure he enjoyed your choice for dinner
One question: I have never lit cognac (or anthing else) on fire for dinner
It sounds crazy but should I bring the pan outside? I
know-everyone can laugh but just afraid of a fire! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />
Thanks

No need to bring the pan outside. You're cooking this in a Dutch oven, so the cognac is way down in a deep pan when you ignite it. I did have my range hood on as the meat was smoking while I was browning it, so I turned that off before I put the cognac in the pan. You don't need to get the flame (I used a long bbq lighter) very close to the cognac for it to ignite, as it's really the fumes that burn.

I get the bacon at Trader Joe's. Such a dangerous store. I go in for a few items and come out with an overflowing cart. LOL

Leagle, is all Applewood bacon dry-cured, or is there a difference? Fortunately for me, our Trader Joe's is a fair drive for me, so I don't shop there often.

I don't think that all applewood bacon is dry cured. In a pinch I've used regular bacon and it worked fine.

Have to agree about Trader Joe's being a dangerous place, almost as bad as Wegmans!!

Update: We resurrected the leftovers of this from the freezer tonight, and it was just as good as it was the first time! This is absolutely the ultimate comfort food!

I have to try making it sometime... Never made it b4...

Brian, you'll love it. It's one of my favorite recipes.

I got Ina's newest cookbook for Christmas. Lots of new things to try!

Was about to make this for a celebratory dinner when I read the comments about Ina's recipe on foodnetwork.com...not well received I'm afraid. For anyone who made Ina's recipe did you find it too salty? Comments are that there are too many carrots and onions and that in the end it tastes just like beef stew not beef bourguignon.

I'm posting [color:"blue"]Julia Child's recipe for Beef Bourguignon[/color] for anyone who might want it:

Servings: 6
Difficulty: Difficult
Cook Time: Over 120 min
This recipe is adapted from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961) Video can be found here


Ingredients
One 6-ounce piece of chunk bacon
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine, young and full-bodied (like Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups brown beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
A crumbled bay leaf
18 to 24 white onions, small
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
Herb bouquet (4 parsley sprigs, one-half bay leaf, one-quarter teaspoon thyme, tied in cheesecloth)
1 pound mushrooms, fresh and quartered

Cooking Directions
Remove bacon rind and cut into lardons (sticks 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and lardons for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté lardons in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a flameproof casserole over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Heat fat in casserole until almost smoking. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the lardons.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the excess fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes.

Toss the meat again and return to oven for 4 minutes (this browns the flour and coves the meat with a light crust).

Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in wine and 2 to 3 cups stock, just enough so that the meat is barely covered.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove.

Cover casserole and set in lower third of oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with one and one-half tablespoons of the oil until bubbling in a skillet.

Add onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling them so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect them to brown uniformly.

Add 1/2 cup of the stock, salt and pepper to taste and the herb bouquet.

Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but hold their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet and set onions aside.

Wipe out skillet and heat remaining oil and butter over high heat. As soon as you see butter has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add mushrooms.

Toss and shake pan for 4 to 5 minutes. As soon as they have begun to brown lightly, remove from heat.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.

Wash out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms on top.

Skim fat off sauce in saucepan. Simmer sauce for a minute or 2, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons stock. Taste carefully for seasoning.

Pour sauce over meat and vegetables. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times.

Serve in casserole, or arrange stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

I made this New Year's Day, and was concerned about the salt. I didn't add any to the recipe and we still thought it a bit too salty, but delicious. Perhaps my bacon was extra salty?

When I make the recipe, I use applewood smoked bacon from Trader Joe's which seems to have a lot less salt than regular bacon. I also use low sodium beef broth.

I used Wright's applewood smoked bacon from my grocery store,we don't have s Trader Joes. Will surely use the low sodium broth next time.

I didn't find it too salty; I think the kind of bacon you use could make a huge difference. I also used kosher salt, which is what Ina uses; regular salt measures differently than kosher salt as the grains are smaller. This could be another reason that some find it too salty. If you use salted rather than unsalted butter that would also add more salt.

I don't know if any of these apply in your case; just throwing out ideas.

Thanks for the ideas. I always use unsalted butter and kosher salt ( although I didn't add any salt). I think the saltiness must have come from the bacon. What brand do you use.

I really don't remember what brand I used, but I'm thinking it was probably Smithfield, just based on what is prevalent in stores around here. It was a thick cut Applewood smoked bacon.

Maybe I just have a greater tolerance for salt than some <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

I just made this tonight - using Julia Child's recipe, for my mother in law who was visiting. It turned out great, and not salty at all, although I did not add any salt when the recipe called for it. I used regular bacon that I bought at the market, and a good quality Cotes Du Rhone red.

I will definitely make this again, although it is a special occasion meal only!

Thanks for reporting back on the success of Julia Child's recipe. Glad it turned out so well and was not salty.

Made this last night. We thought the meat came out a little tough. Did anyone else have this experience? We have plenty of leftovers; maybe it will be better on reheating. Loved the sauce flavor.

It's been several months since I first made it, but if I remember correctly, after the 1 1/4 hour cooking time, the meat wasn't tender enough, and I baked it for another period of time (not sure how much longer).

I also thought the short cooking time might be the problem. Even with the meat being a bit tough, I was able to make this after work and serve it for dinner that night. Next time, I'll try it as a "weekend meal" and let it bake a bit longer in the oven.

Ina doesn't do "lite". You can look at her and tell that!

You're absolutely correct, but for an occasional celebratory meal, there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence.