Your fave beef bourguignon recipes
Discussion
Beef stew really so not as posh but I make this Gordon ramsay recipe a lot in the winter and it's fantastic.
Made a big batch on Sunday and having some tonight with horseradish mash
http://www.gordonramsayhome.com.au/library/gr-beef...
Made a big batch on Sunday and having some tonight with horseradish mash
http://www.gordonramsayhome.com.au/library/gr-beef...
Here's mine, apologies for rough measures and that it isn't a purist's recipe, as I usually throw it together with what's available in the fridge and tweak as I go along.
The first bit is a bit of a chop & fry off cookathon, but once it's all in the pot you can settle down to a nice Sunday afternoon of DIY/COD/few pints in the pub/nice walk etc with a delicious stew ready a few hours later.
- 1 pack of diced braising steak (1kg would be a good amount to start with for 4-6 people, even better get some ox cheeks, oxtail, shin or short ribs shin or another for slow cooked unctiousness)
- 200g (or 4 rashers) of smokey bacon or smoked pancetta
- 1 large onion (traditionally you use whole shallots or small onions)
- 1 blob of butter or oil
- 1 or two cloves of garlic
- 1 big bag (500g) of small mushrooms, or big mushrooms quartered
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 500ml of good beef stock (I often use a stock cube or a few teaspoons of marigold's bouillon instead)
- 500ml-750ml of red wine
- 1 shot of brandy
- 2x bay leaves, maybe some sprigs of thyme or rosemary too
- 1 teaspoon to tablespoon of french mustard to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
I start by chopping the beef into 1 inch squares, then frying off and browning it in a big cast iron casserole dish - in batches if necessary (to stop it just steaming itself) with a small touch of oil or butter - not too much as you want to brown quite quickly to get some caramelised flavours.
Then I chop up the bacon or pancetta into 1/2 inch strips and fry it for a few minutes to start release the fat. Then add the onions and garlic to cook and brown slightly too.
I then add the beef to the bacon and onions and stir in the tablspoon of flour and cook this for a few minutes to brown the flour (careful not to burn!), sometimes adding a bit of butter if it gets too dry at this point.
At this point we're ready to add the liquid - I pour in all the wine and as much of the stock to just cover the ingredients with liquid, then give it a good stir and a scrape to allow the flour to mix thoroughly and get all the tasty crust off the bottom of the pan.
At this point I also add the herbs, mustard, salt and pepper and taste. I'm expecting the sauce to reduce so I "under-season" at this point as it will only get stronger. If it needs more later I'll add it then.
Some recipes tell you to add mushrooms at a much later point in the cooking - with abotu 1/2hr to go before serving. I don't like adding them in the early frying part as they soak up all the cooking fat, and I've not really noticed them shrinking too much if you put them in at this (adding the liquid) stage - so this is the point I add them!
Now this is where you can put this in the oven with the lid on at 120C for 2-3hrs.
I check every 40 mins or so to make sure things are ok - you want to be cooking the meat nice and gently and the sauce thickening, but not to end up too dry. I adjust by sliding open the lid to reduce the sauce, adding more stock if too dry (unlikely at low temps!). I aim for a dark coloured slightly runny, glossy sauce with meat that you can break with your fork.
That's usually it - If really necessary season at the end to taste and add the shot of brandy right at the end for an extra treat. I serve with mash, green beans, cabbage etc.
Good luck - I hope this is useful. I'm hungry now!
The first bit is a bit of a chop & fry off cookathon, but once it's all in the pot you can settle down to a nice Sunday afternoon of DIY/COD/few pints in the pub/nice walk etc with a delicious stew ready a few hours later.
- 1 pack of diced braising steak (1kg would be a good amount to start with for 4-6 people, even better get some ox cheeks, oxtail, shin or short ribs shin or another for slow cooked unctiousness)
- 200g (or 4 rashers) of smokey bacon or smoked pancetta
- 1 large onion (traditionally you use whole shallots or small onions)
- 1 blob of butter or oil
- 1 or two cloves of garlic
- 1 big bag (500g) of small mushrooms, or big mushrooms quartered
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 500ml of good beef stock (I often use a stock cube or a few teaspoons of marigold's bouillon instead)
- 500ml-750ml of red wine
- 1 shot of brandy
- 2x bay leaves, maybe some sprigs of thyme or rosemary too
- 1 teaspoon to tablespoon of french mustard to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
I start by chopping the beef into 1 inch squares, then frying off and browning it in a big cast iron casserole dish - in batches if necessary (to stop it just steaming itself) with a small touch of oil or butter - not too much as you want to brown quite quickly to get some caramelised flavours.
Then I chop up the bacon or pancetta into 1/2 inch strips and fry it for a few minutes to start release the fat. Then add the onions and garlic to cook and brown slightly too.
I then add the beef to the bacon and onions and stir in the tablspoon of flour and cook this for a few minutes to brown the flour (careful not to burn!), sometimes adding a bit of butter if it gets too dry at this point.
At this point we're ready to add the liquid - I pour in all the wine and as much of the stock to just cover the ingredients with liquid, then give it a good stir and a scrape to allow the flour to mix thoroughly and get all the tasty crust off the bottom of the pan.
At this point I also add the herbs, mustard, salt and pepper and taste. I'm expecting the sauce to reduce so I "under-season" at this point as it will only get stronger. If it needs more later I'll add it then.
Some recipes tell you to add mushrooms at a much later point in the cooking - with abotu 1/2hr to go before serving. I don't like adding them in the early frying part as they soak up all the cooking fat, and I've not really noticed them shrinking too much if you put them in at this (adding the liquid) stage - so this is the point I add them!
Now this is where you can put this in the oven with the lid on at 120C for 2-3hrs.
I check every 40 mins or so to make sure things are ok - you want to be cooking the meat nice and gently and the sauce thickening, but not to end up too dry. I adjust by sliding open the lid to reduce the sauce, adding more stock if too dry (unlikely at low temps!). I aim for a dark coloured slightly runny, glossy sauce with meat that you can break with your fork.
That's usually it - If really necessary season at the end to taste and add the shot of brandy right at the end for an extra treat. I serve with mash, green beans, cabbage etc.
Good luck - I hope this is useful. I'm hungry now!
Summary: It went really well. Delia recipe was the way and a good 3-4hr cooking time.
If I am honest, I maybe seared/sealed the braising steak a little too much to start with. So was maybe a little drier than i'd have liked.
More importantly we (the 8 of us and 1 only had 2 glass...)managed to hit 'irresponsible' amounts on the wine front (almost All burgundy):
If I am honest, I maybe seared/sealed the braising steak a little too much to start with. So was maybe a little drier than i'd have liked.
More importantly we (the 8 of us and 1 only had 2 glass...)managed to hit 'irresponsible' amounts on the wine front (almost All burgundy):
tomw2000 said:
Summary: It went really well. Delia recipe was the way and a good 3-4hr cooking time.
If I am honest, I maybe seared/sealed the braising steak a little too much to start with. So was maybe a little drier than i'd have liked.
More importantly we (the 8 of us and 1 only had 2 glass...)managed to hit 'irresponsible' amounts on the wine front (almost All burgundy):
Top effort If I am honest, I maybe seared/sealed the braising steak a little too much to start with. So was maybe a little drier than i'd have liked.
More importantly we (the 8 of us and 1 only had 2 glass...)managed to hit 'irresponsible' amounts on the wine front (almost All burgundy):
didnt see this post but my only comments without reading all is reduce the wine before marinating as this helps prevent the alcohol curing the meat, also sacrificial veg is a must with individually cooked veg added for plating, plus the sauce passed and clarified if you are being really posh. Elevates a peasant dish to another level *IF* you can be bothered with all the messing about.
As mentioned above. Delia Smiths recipe is absolutely the best. In fact, I had BB in France once, and I would wager that Delias recipe was better. You need a rich wine to use in it. I always use skirt beef too. Its got long fibres which lend well to long cooking times...... YUM YUM YUM!!!
Edited by rich83 on Wednesday 19th March 08:38
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