Beef Chuck Bourguignon with Mushrooms & Pearl Onions

Ingredients

• 2½ lb Beef Chuck, in 2-inch cubes
• 5 oz smoked bacon lardons
• 10 oz Mushrooms, halved
• 10 oz Pearl Onions, peeled
• 2 carrots, in chunks
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine
• 1½ cups beef broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay)
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Render the lardons in a Dutch oven until crisp and lift them out. Pat the Beef Chuck bone dry, season, and brown it in the fat in small batches until each piece is truly dark — this is 20 minutes of work and it is the entire difference between a great and a mediocre bourguignon.
2. Add the carrots and garlic, cook 5 minutes, stir in the tomato paste for 2 minutes, then dust with the flour and cook 2 minutes more.
3. Pour in the wine, scraping the base clean, and bring to a boil for 3 minutes to blow off the raw alcohol. Add the broth, the bouquet garni, the meat, and the lardons.
4. Cover and braise at 325°F (165°C) for 2½ hours, or transfer to a slow cooker on low for 7 hours, until the beef yields to a spoon.
5. Brown the Mushrooms and Pearl Onions in the butter in a separate pan until glazed and colored, then fold them in for the last 20 minutes so they keep their shape.
6. Skim the fat, reduce the sauce on the stove if it is loose, and season again. Serve with potatoes or bread — and it is genuinely better made a day ahead.