Beef bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is an inexpensive and delicious dish. It uses the cheapest cuts of beef and bones. They’re full of collagen. Collagen proteins tend to stick together. When collagen is heated at low temperature for a long time, the collagen proteins no longer stick together, and the meat is no longer tough, but tender. The wine and fats will come between these collagen molecules and they can no longer re-attach, so the meat remains tender as it cools down.

1.Put three tablespoons of seed oil (your choice: sunflower, peanut, rapeseed, etc.) in a cast-iron casserole dish and, when hot, add about 800g of bone-in beef (the cheapest), a marrow bone (optional) and a slice of bacon. Scrape and stir on a 30-second delay for 4 minutes.

2.Remove the pieces of meat, preferably with a skimmer, and place them in a salad bowl.

3.Add 4 sliced onions to the meat juices and the crust of the casserole dish. When the onions start to toast, add 1/2 glass of water and scrape the bottom with a wooden spatula.

4.Turn off the heat and return the meat to the casserole. Add 2 sliced carrots and a bottle of red wine.

5.Cover and place in oven preheated to 90°C.

6.Cook in the oven for 7 hours.

7.Remove from oven and scrape down edges with a wooden spatula (this is where all the good taste comes from). Mix well. Let stand 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

8.Grill 200g washed and chopped mushrooms in a frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and butter. Make sure all the mushrooms touch the bottom of the pan (no overlapping). When they are golden brown, add them to the casserole.

9.Bake uncovered in the oven at 180°C for half an hour.

The Foolproof Formula for Braising Beef – Techniquely with Lan Lam – America’s Test Kitchen: https://youtu.be/t0ORhrvqvRw?si=g7Tj0aKmyO48ugJ7