Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• Bacon or salt pork, 6 pieces or 8 ounces, sliced into lardons (small rectangular pieces)
• 3.5 TBS of rendered pork fat (substitutions: extra virgin olive oil)
• 3 lbs.Lick Skillet Farm grass-finished chuck roast cut into 2-inch chunks
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 1 large white onion, sliced
• Sea salt (to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 2 TBS flour
• 3 cups red wine (NOTE: the cooking process eliminates the alcohol)
• 2 ½ to 3 ½ cups beef stock
• 1 TBS tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
• ½ tsp thyme
• 18-24 small pearl onions, blanched
• 3 ½ TBS grass-fed butter
• 1 herb bouquet (4 springs fresh parsley, 2 springs thyme, 1 bay leaf)
• 1 lb. fresh white mushrooms, quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large Dutch oven, saute the bacon or salt pork lardons in 1 TBS of good fat until browned (approximately 3 minutes).  Remove the browned bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Dry the 2-inch chucks of beef (this leads to better browning) and, in batches, sear the beef on all sides in the Dutch oven. Remove the browned beef chunks and set aside with the bacon.

Place the sliced carrots and onions in the Dutch oven; saute in the fat until browned and all of the fat is absorbed by the vegetables, approximately 3 minutes.  Remove the cooked carrots and onions from the pot and set aside.

If there’s any excess fat remaining in the Dutch oven, drain or wipe it away.

In the now dry Dutch oven, place the browned beef and bacon. Season with ½ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Sprinkle the seasoned beef and bacon with flour. Toss until all of the meat is lightly covered.  Place in the center of the oven (preheated to 450 degrees) and cook for 4 minutes.

After 4 minutes, remove the Dutch oven containing the seasoned and floured beef and bacon, toss, and place back into the oven for 4 minutes.

Remove the Dutch oven of seasoned and floured beef and bacon from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees.

Layer the cooked carrots and onions on top of the floured beef and bacon in the Dutch oven. Pour the wine and beef stock into the Dutch over, just barely covering the meat and vegetables.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, and thyme. On the stovetop, bring the contents of the Dutch oven to a light simmer, then cover and place back in the oven.  Leave it there to simmer for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

In the last hour of cooking, bring 1 ½ TBS of butter and 2 teaspoons of oil to a medium heat in a skillet or sauté pan. Add the pearl onions and toss in the fat until they are browned, approximately 10 minutes. Then stir in ½ cup beef stock, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the herb bouquet. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the onions until all liquid has evaporated and the onions are tender, approximately 40 minutes.

Remove the tender onions and set aside.  Discard the herb bouquet and wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining butter and oil into the skillet and bring to a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for approximately 5 minutes, shaking the pan frequently to fully coat the mushrooms with butter. Then remove the skillet from the heat.

Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop.  In a similarly sized pot, place a colander and pour the contents of the Dutch oven into the colander. Return the strained beef, bacon, and vegetables to the Dutch oven. Add the onions and mushrooms to the pot.

Place the pot with the sauce in it over a medium heat and simmer for about five minutes. After skimming any excess fat, pour the sauce over the beef, bacon, and vegetables in the Dutch oven and simmer for an additional five minutes.

Garnish with parsley and serve with potatoes, rice, or noodles.