Recipe: Beef Burgundy

Name: Beef Burgundy
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 225 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2.2 lb (1 kg) beef cheeks from Salers cattle (if possible); 21 oz (600 g) chuck from Salers cattle, all cut into 4 cm cubes; 5.25 oz (150 g) fresh farm pork breast; 2 onions cut into mirepoix; 1 carrot cut into mirepoix (small cubes); 2 garlic cloves, degermed and crushed; 18 small onions known as « pearl onions »; 2.1 oz (60 g) type 55 flour; 1 bouquet garni; 1.1 qt (1 litre) tannic red wine (Côtes du Rhône or Cahors style), originally old Burgundy; 1.1 qt (1 litre) prepared unthickened veal stock; Salt and freshly ground pepper

By chef patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (57 reviews) · 🍳 50 made it

Recipe Beef Burgundy - Chef Patrick Asfaux — Photo: Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 45 min

Cook 180 min

Total 3h45

Servings 6 serv.

This dish has been so badly handled here and around the world that I'm sure many people no longer really remember what this magnificent recipe is. It's the one I'm proposing to you, and I'm confident because when your guests and customers rediscover this iconic dish, they will be very surprised to find its original qualities in tasting it. Just a little bit of history. This dish was created in the nineteenth century in Burgundy to use what were called second-category meats cut into large chunks, such as chuck, chuck steak, cheeks, and so on. Everything well seasoned and cooked slowly. Unlike many incorrect recipes for preparing « Beef Burgundy », the meats are not marinated. In fact, if they were, they would then be called estouffade.

Ingredients for 6 servings

Adjust for

servings

2.2 lb (1 kg) beef cheeks from Salers cattle (if possible)
21 oz (600 g) chuck from Salers cattle, all cut into 4 cm cubes
5.25 oz (150 g) fresh farm pork breast
2 onions cut into mirepoix
1 carrot cut into mirepoix (small cubes)
2 garlic cloves, degermed and crushed
18 small onions known as « pearl onions »
2.1 oz (60 g) type 55 flour
1 bouquet garni
1.1 qt (1 litre) tannic red wine (Côtes du Rhône or Cahors style), originally old Burgundy
1.1 qt (1 litre) prepared unthickened veal stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Step-by-step directions

1 Choose an ovenproof pot (a Dutch oven for example), then place it on the heat with a little oil or goose fat. Add your pieces of meat and brown them well so they are nicely roasted on all sides. Then add the mirepoix of carrots and onions, the crushed garlic cloves, the bouquet garni and let sweat gently covered for 10 minutes.

2 Preheat your oven to 355°F (180 °C) (350 °F).

3 Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the wine and flame it. Once there are no more flames, pour in the veal stock, season with salt and pepper, and add a sugar cube (for acidity).

4 In your pot where your meat is resting, now add the flour (singer), coat the pieces well, let it cook a little, then add your mixture (wine and stock). Stir, then bring to a boil, check the seasoning and put in the covered oven for two hours.

5 You will then have time to peel your small onions. Pour them into a saucepan, cover with water, add salt, pepper and a tablespoon of caster sugar. Cover with parchment paper and let reduce until your onions begin to caramelize, then transfer to a small dish (glazing).

6 Cut your pork belly into lardons and put them in a saucepan of cold water that you will bring to a boil, then cool them under cold running water (blanching). Drain them, then sauté them in a pan with a mixture of butter and oil. Drain them and place on absorbent paper, then transfer to a small dish.

7 After two hours, remove the pot from the oven. Remove the bouquet garni, skim the fat from the top of the bourguignon and carefully transfer the meat pieces one by one with a skimmer and fork.

8 Blend the sauce for 2 minutes and strain it through a fine sieve (strainer) into another saucepan. Add the meat pieces, onions and small lardons, and bring back to a gentle boil.

9 Serve this beef Burgundy with fresh pasta, boiled potatoes or even better with a sauté of mushrooms (porcini for example) and small croutons of French bread fried in oil. You can also replace the beef with horse, wild boar or bison meat. If you want to add some creativity, before blending your sauce, add a small jar of blackcurrant berries or 1.75 oz (50 g) of blackcurrants (fresh or frozen), then blend and strain. Serve your beef Burgundy, for example, with celeriac purée or sautéed salsify.

A chef's advice

At 180 °C, the meat reaches the collagen gelation point in 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes. Beyond that, it becomes fibrous. The secret: check the tenderness with a fork around 1 hour 50 minutes, never exceed 2 hours. Beef Burgundy is made with your eyes and hands, not with a timer.