Beef Stew

In less or fewer words, this is my rendition of Merrilees Parker's recipe for Beef Bourguignon.

I've copied and pasted the original recipe w/my mark-throughs & modifications. (I love you Merrilees. Please forgive me for butchering your beautiful recipe.)

Ingredients:

• 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) good quality beef or Charolais beef, cut into 2-inch pieces.
• 1.5 pounds chuck roast cut/cubed

For the Marinade:

• 1 (750ml) 3/4 bottle Burgundian wine, like Pinot Noir or any cheap red wine. Like Barefoot Merlot.
• 2 large stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 fresh bay leaves or 3 dried bay leaves
• Pinch fresh thyme
• 2 or 3 large carrots, roughly chopped sliced diagnolly & unpeeled
• 2 large onions, peeled and quartered diced
• 1 bulb 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled and cut horizontally sliced
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

For the sauce:

• 2 ounces (50 grams) butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces (200 grams) smoked bacon, pancetta or lardons, chopped into small dices 3 slices bacon
• 4 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard Dijon mustard IS needed. It's needed bowl-by-bowl, so just have some on hand.
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2c flour
• 2teas Better than Chicken Bouillon & 2Tbl Better than Beef Bouillon
• 6 Cups of Water
• 1 teas Dried Thyme
• 25 grinds or 1teas ground black pepper

Directions:

Place the beef in a large bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Cover and marinade for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight, refrigerated.

*From here on out, I'm editting Merrilees's instructions. I'm rewriting them, as well as, providing my own pictures. Our recipes differ in the making so much, that it requires a full-on, re-written revision. Lest not forget... w/o Ms. Parker's Beef Bourguinon, my Beef Stew would simply not be. Let it be known, credit is due & paid in full.

(Moment of Silence)*

BEEF STEW:

(so let's just get into it, shall we)

A closer look into my marination process for beef stew.

After 8hrs. (at least) of Marinating Has passed:

Drain off the liquid from the marinade and reserve.
Pick-out and sort through the meat from the rest of ingredients.
Dry between paper towels.

Heat a dutch oven over med-heat w/3 strips of bacon.

Once the bacon is cooked, set aside for later use.
They can/will be crumbled and returned to the finished beef stew.

-  OR -

They can be made into B-Feast Burritos

(stay tuned for an upcoming post)

Continuing On...

Coat the dried, cut beef in 1/2c flour. 

Then return to a clean cutting board.

With the remaining bacon fat,

Crime Scene Body Outline

Heat over medium-high heat until Suh-Moe-Kin (smoking).

Add 1/2 of the floured beef.

Brown for 3min.

This is the part where patient/proper people will, in my mind, remove & reserve the browned beef into another bowl.

 

If you'd like to try to be (or innately are) inclined to be a square... Then, remove the 1st batch of browned beef to a separate bowl, lower the heat (so not burn the 1st batch of beef's leftover floured parts), evenly brown the 2nd batch of beef, and then return the 1st batch back to the pot. Ending up with slightly burnt beginnings to a potentially burnt-free stew, not to mention an extra bowl to clean & time wasted, is just not my style. If this is the kinda stuff you get off to, then be my guest and indulge yourself in these extras.

I say, "EFF THAT! I've done enough for this beef stew."

Make way.

 For the rest.

Cook until seared all over.

Toss and turn for 5 min.

Turn the heat to high.

Deglaze with the reserved wine

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

Stir. Stir. Stir.

Repeat until the mixture thickens like a gravy. 

Stir in all the marinated vegetables, garlic, & three bay leaves

Add reserved solids

Pour in 6c water

2teas Better than Chicken Bouillon

2Tbl Better than Beef Bouillon

1teas dried thyme

1teas ground black pepper

Cow & Chick Flava Flaves

BTB. I don't mean, "Bring That Booty," what I mean is

Bring To Boil.

Steam Bath

Cover

Set a timer

Cook and cover, on low for 90min.

Uncover.
Stir.

Cover again & cook for another 90min.

And again.

If you decide to crumble in the 3 cooked/set aside pieces of bacon, this is the time to do it.

Skipping this option or not, proceed regardless.

Ladle into a soup bowl. Time being, now or later.

add a FAT squirt of dijon mustard and stir through.

EAT and ENJOY in the company of bread or potatoes... or rice... or... or... 





Woah.