Tag: RECIPE

Slow cooking Boeuf Bourguignon

Le boeuf bourguignon is a traditional French dish i have been struggling with for a long time. The meat was always hard and elastic, even after hours of cooking. The secret was in using a cast-iron casserole and cook it in the oven for 4-5 hours. The result is a perfectly cooked meat that melts in your mouth. I ate this one without using my knife.

Here is what i used.

• 600g of meat (impossible to translate the name of the pieces my butcher gives me for this: palleron or aiguillette depending on what he has).
• 100g of bacon, cut in little stripes. keep them big enough to find them. I usually ask for a big slice of bacon that i cut myself in ~0.2 inch stripes. like this or bigger, i also remove part of the grease.
• 4 Carrots
• Potatoes (i use a variety called “amandine”)
• 400 grams of Paris mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)
• 1 branch of thyme, 3 leaves of laurel
• 1 big onion, 2 garlic cloves.
• Salt, pepper
• 1/2 litter of red wine

If you have time, it is better to leave the meat for a night in a marinade, consisting of wine, onion, garlic, thyme, laurel. I usually don’t as i think of buying ingredients the day i want to eat it.

Cut the onion and garlic and cook it with a bit of oil, on the stove, until it becomes transparent (don’t burn it), remove it and keep for later
Cut the meat in big pieces (~1 inch side), and cook it a bit on the stove, with salt, pepper and a bit of wine, until it brownishes.
In the meantime you can cut the potatoes, the mushrooms and the carrots. always i pieces large enough not to melt during a long slow cooking.

Add all the ingredients on top of the meat, then add the wine and cover with water.

Cover and cook it in the oven for 4-5 hours at 180°C – 356°F.  This is if you use a cast iron casserole.
You should start looking at it after 2-3 hours, and add water to keep it close to the top of the potatoes. only during the last 30 min i stop adding water, but always make sure there is liquid around 1/2 the eight of your dish, it will become a little sauce.
try not to mix or move it too much while it it cooking or the potatoes will break and melt.
You know that the meat is ready when you can rip a part off with a fork.

enjoy!