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Modern French Stews
Recipe
5 hr

Modern Beef Burgundy

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Modern Beef Burgundy
Author: Andrew Janjigian

Recipe By Andrew Janjigian

Published on January 8, 2025

Most recipes for this French classic require you to stand at the stove tediously batch-­searing beef and sautéing vegetables. But what if the whole operation could move to the oven?

Time

5 hr

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted our boeuf bourguignon recipe to have tender braised beef napped in a silky, rich sauce with bold red wine flavor but without all the work that the classic recipe requires. We cook the stew in the oven, uncovered in a roasting pan, so that the exposed surfaces of the meat brown as it braises, allowing us to eliminate the time-consuming step of searing it beforehand. Similarly, we used the oven, rather than the stovetop, to render the salt pork and to prepare the traditional mushroom and pearl onion garnish.

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces, scraps reserved
Salt and pepper
6 ounces salt pork, cut into ¼-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved if medium or quartered if large
1 ½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 tablespoon sugar
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth
1 (750-ml) bottle red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 onions, chopped coarse
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 garlic head, cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed
10 sprigs fresh parsley, plus 3 tablespoons minced
6 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Toss beef and 1½ teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place salt pork, beef scraps, and 2 tablespoons butter in large roasting pan. Roast on lower-middle rack until well browned and fat has rendered, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. While salt pork and beef scraps roast, toss cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and sugar together on rimmed baking sheet. Roast on lowest rack, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and vegetables are lightly glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
  4. Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle flour over rendered fat and whisk until no dry flour remains. Whisk in broth, 2 cups wine, gelatin, tomato paste, and anchovy paste until combined. Add onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, porcini mushrooms, parsley sprigs, and thyme to pan. Arrange beef in single layer on top of vegetables. Add water as needed to come three-quarters up side of beef (beef should not be submerged). Return roasting pan to oven and cook until meat is tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring after 90 minutes and adding water to keep meat at least half-submerged.
  5. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl with cremini mushrooms and pearl onions; cover and set aside. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in remaining wine and let cooking liquid settle, 10 minutes. Using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface and discard.
  6. Transfer liquid to Dutch oven and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to consistency of heavy cream, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beef and mushroom-onion garnish, cover, and cook until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in minced parsley and serve. (Stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

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French-Style Pork Stew
Recipe2 hr 45 min

French-Style Pork Stew

Modern Beef Burgundy

Recipe By Andrew Janjigian

Published on January 8, 2025

Time

5 hr

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Modern Beef Burgundy

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½- to 2-inch pieces, scraps reservedSalt and pepper6 ounces salt pork, cut into ¼-inch pieces3 tablespoons unsalted butter1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed, halved if medium or quartered if large1 ½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed1 tablespoon sugar⅓ cup all-purpose flour4 cups beef broth1 (750-ml) bottle red Burgundy or Pinot Noir5 teaspoons unflavored gelatin1 tablespoon tomato paste1 teaspoon anchovy paste2 onions, chopped coarse2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths1 garlic head, cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed2 bay leaves½ teaspoon black peppercorns½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed10 sprigs fresh parsley, plus 3 tablespoons minced6 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

  1. Toss beef and 1½ teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. Adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Place salt pork, beef scraps, and 2 tablespoons butter in large roasting pan. Roast on lower-middle rack until well browned and fat has rendered, 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. While salt pork and beef scraps roast, toss cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and sugar together on rimmed baking sheet. Roast on lowest rack, stirring occasionally, until moisture released by mushrooms evaporates and vegetables are lightly glazed, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
  4. Remove roasting pan from oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. Sprinkle flour over rendered fat and whisk until no dry flour remains. Whisk in broth, 2 cups wine, gelatin, tomato paste, and anchovy paste until combined. Add onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, porcini mushrooms, parsley sprigs, and thyme to pan. Arrange beef in single layer on top of vegetables. Add water as needed to come three-quarters up side of beef (beef should not be submerged). Return roasting pan to oven and cook until meat is tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, stirring after 90 minutes and adding water to keep meat at least half-submerged.
  5. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl with cremini mushrooms and pearl onions; cover and set aside. Strain braising liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Stir in remaining wine and let cooking liquid settle, 10 minutes. Using wide shallow spoon, skim fat off surface and discard.
  6. Transfer liquid to Dutch oven and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to consistency of heavy cream, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in beef and mushroom-onion garnish, cover, and cook until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in minced parsley and serve. (Stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.)
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