Ruth's Beef Burgundy

Ruth's pick · a red-wine Sunday braise

6 · 45 min

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3 lb beef chuck, in 2″ cubes
6 oz bacon or lardons, chopped
1 bottle dry red wine (Burgundy/Pinot — or the red we make)
2 cups Next-Day Stock or beef stock
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp flour
1 onion, diced · 4 garlic cloves
3 carrots, chunked
8 oz cremini or our mushrooms, quartered
8 oz pearl onions, peeled
2 Tbsp butter · oil
thyme, 2 bay leaves, parsley · salt & pepper

Render the bacon. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp; lift it out, leave the fat.
Sear the beef. Pat it bone-dry, salt it, and brown hard in batches — don't crowd, or it steams. Set aside with the bacon.
Build the base. Soften onion & carrot in the fat; add garlic, then the tomato paste and flour, cooking a minute so neither tastes raw.
Deglaze & braise. Pour in the wine, scraping up every brown bit. Add the stock, herbs, beef, and bacon. Lid on, into a 325°F oven for 2½–3 hours, until a fork slides in with no argument.
Brown the garnish. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and pearl onions in butter until deep gold. Stir them in for the last 30 minutes.
Finish. Skim the fat, taste, and adjust — a pinch of salt, a splash of wine if it's gone flat. Rest 15 minutes; it thickens as it sits.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Render the bacon. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp; lift it out, leave the fat.

2. Sear the beef. Pat it bone-dry, salt it, and brown hard in batches — don't crowd, or it steams. Set aside with the bacon.

3. Build the base. Soften onion & carrot in the fat; add garlic, then the tomato paste and flour, cooking a minute so neither tastes raw.

4. Deglaze & braise. Pour in the wine, scraping up every brown bit. Add the stock, herbs, beef, and bacon. Lid on, into a 325°F oven for 2½–3 hours, until a fork slides in with no argument.

5. Brown the garnish. Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms and pearl onions in butter until deep gold. Stir them in for the last 30 minutes.

6. Finish. Skim the fat, taste, and adjust — a pinch of salt, a splash of wine if it's gone flat. Rest 15 minutes; it thickens as it sits.

No alcohol? swap the wine or beer for the same amount of stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon for the brightness. Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.