Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

• Beef chuck

  Arm pot roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, choice, raw

  3 lb or 1.36kg

• Salt

  Table

  2 ¼ tsp or 14g

• Pepper

  Spices, black

  ½ tsp or 1g

• Italian Bacon, Pancetta

  Boar's Head

  10 oz or 284g

• Onions

  Sweet, raw

  1 onion or 331g

• Carrots

  Raw

  1 large or 72g

• Garlic

  Raw

  2 cloves, minced or 6g

• Tomato paste

  Canned, without salt added

  1 tsp or 5g

• Wheat flour

  White, all-purpose, unenriched

  2 tbsp or 16g

• Red wine

  Alcoholic beverage, table

  25 ⁵⁄₁₆ fl oz or 744g

• Bay

  Castella

  100g

• Thyme

  Fresh

  100g

• Onions

  Welsh, raw

  8 oz or 227g

• Mushrooms

  Maitake, raw

  4 cup diced or 280g

• Olive oil

  Salad or cooking

  1 tbsp or 14g

• Sugar

  White, granulated sugar

  ¹⁄₁₆ tsp or 0.3g

• Parsley

  Raw

  100g

Directions

1. Season beef with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, cook lardons over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and lardons are browned and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve fat in pot.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Raise heat under pot to medium-high and cook until fat is starting to smoke. Lay half the beef cubes in a single layer in the pot, leaving space between pieces. Cook until well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer pieces to a plate as they brown. Repeat with remaining beef.
4. Reduce heat, if necessary, to prevent burning. Stir in onion, carrot and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour, cook for 1 minute, then add wine, bay leaf and thyme, scraping up brown bits at bottom of pot. Add browned beef and half the cooked lardons back to pot, cover, and transfer to oven. Let cook until beef is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, turning meat halfway through.
6. Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over high heat, combine pearl onions, mushrooms, 1/4 cup water, the olive oil and a pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium, cooking for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to high, and cook, tossing frequently, until vegetables are well browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
7. To serve, scatter onions and mushrooms and remaining cooked lardons over stew, then top with parsley.