ThatDudeCanCook builds his boeuf bourguignon from scratch: roast the short rib bones with tomato paste for a homemade stock, render bacon for its fat, sear the beef, sweat onion and carrot, then flambé about half a bottle of Pinot Noir before the long, low simmer with a leek wrapped bouquet garni. The braise on the hob runs just over three hours. It adapts cleanly to a slow cooker because the hob work is all about building flavour up front, and the long, low part is exactly what a slow cooker is for. Finished with a roux thickener and a separate pan of glazed pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots, topped with crisp bacon and parsley.
Slow cooker notes: Original is a hob braise on a very low simmer for just over three hours under a cracked lid. Adapted to the slow cooker by keeping all the up front browning on the hob (bacon render, beef sear, onion and carrot colour, wine flambé and reduction, deglaze) because that Maillard layer is where the flavour comes from. Everything then transfers to the slow cooker for Low 8 hours or High 4 hours. The roux thickening, the glazed vegetable garnish and the crisp bacon finish all happen at the end, exactly as the source does them. Sonny also recommends letting the braise rest in the fridge overnight and reheating slowly the next day for a noticeably more tender result.
Ingredients
- short rib bones, trimmed off the short ribs (see below)
- neutral oil, for coating the bones
- rosemary salt or plain salt
- tomato paste, smeared over the roasted bones
- water, added to the roasted bones
- beef stock
- beef short rib, boned and cut into large cubes (chuck roast or beef shin also work)
- thick cut bacon, cut into large squares
- rosemary salt or plain salt, for seasoning the beef on all sides
- black pepper, cracked, on all sides of the beef
- onion, to flavour the braising liquid (removed before serving)
- carrot, for the braising liquid (removed before serving)
- 375 mlPinot Noir, about half a 750 ml bottle
- leek, use the green tops, rinsed for grit
- fresh thyme
- garlic
- bay leaf
- peppercorns
- butcher's twine, to tie the bouquet garni parcel
- fat skimmed from the braise, skimmed off the top of the cooked braise (add late)
- plain flour, a few tablespoons (add late)
- pearl onions, tips trimmed, blanched 45 seconds, popped out of their skins (add late)
- mushrooms, stems popped out, quartered (add late)
- bunched carrots, cut into small pyramid shapes by diagonal rolling cut (add late)
- butter, a couple of small pieces, for glazing the vegetables (add late)
- fresh parsley, leaves picked (add late)
Method
Optional homemade stock: bone the short ribs, keeping the meat for the braise. Toss the bones with a little neutral oil and rosemary salt (or plain salt) and roast at 205C (400F) for 40 minutes. Smear over tomato paste, toss to coat and roast a further 15 minutes.
~60 minMove the roasted bones and any stuck on bits to a stock pot, cover with water and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Strain. This is your beef broth.
~120 minCut the short rib meat into large cubes, leaving most of the intramuscular fat on. It shrinks a lot, so keep the pieces big.
~10 minCut the bacon into large squares. Drop it into a cold pan, then turn the heat to low or medium. Render slowly for about 10 minutes until half cooked. Lift the bacon out and reserve. Keep the bacon fat in the pan.
~10 minSeason the beef cubes with rosemary salt (or plain salt) and cracked black pepper on all sides. Turn the heat up a little and sear the beef in the bacon fat, browning on all sides. Transfer the seared beef to your slow cooker pot.
~12 minPour off most of the fat, leaving a film in the pan. Drop the heat to medium and add the chopped onion and carrot (no celery). Cook just until they pick up a light golden colour. Tip them in with the beef.
~8 minAdd about half a bottle of Pinot Noir to the pan. Carefully flambé to burn off some of the alcohol, then reduce for about 2 minutes, scraping all the brown fond off the bottom of the pan. Pour the wine and fond over the beef.
~5 minPour enough of the warm beef stock over the beef in the slow cooker so the meat is just covered. Make a bouquet garni: lay a couple of leek tops flat, pile fresh thyme, garlic, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns on top, then tie into a neat parcel with butcher's twine. Lower it into the pot.
~5 minCover and slow cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours, until the beef pulls apart with a fork. Lift out and discard the onion, carrot pieces and the bouquet garni.
~480 minSkim a few spoonfuls of fat off the top of the braise into a small pan. Add a few tablespoons of plain flour and cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you have a wet sand consistency. This is the roux.
~12 minBring the braising liquid back to a low simmer. Stir in one spoonful of roux at a time, letting the stew warm back up so you can see how much it has thickened before adding more. Taste, adjust with a pinch of salt and pepper.
~8 minPrep the garnish onions: trim a sliver off each end of the pearl onions, blanch them in boiling water for 45 seconds, then squeeze them out of their skins. Cut the bunched carrots into small pyramid pieces using a diagonal rolling cut. Pop the stems out of the mushrooms and quarter them.
~12 minDrop the pearl onions, garnish carrots and quartered mushrooms into a pan. Add enough beef stock to barely cover and a couple of small pieces of butter. Cook on medium high heat for about 12 minutes, reducing until the stock and butter glaze the vegetables.
~12 minCrisp the reserved half rendered bacon in a hot oven or pan for a couple of minutes until crunchy.
~4 minTo serve, spoon the braised beef and plenty of thickened sauce into bowls. Arrange the glazed pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms around the beef. Top with crisp bacon and a few parsley leaves.
~3 min