Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with…
I’m talking about coffee. There are so many things to create with coffee as an ingredient.
Do you know what a Lardon is? What about cutting batons? And, how about Charcuterie? Sure you do. Nonetheless, let’s do a refresher. First, here’s what a lardon is not: cut up sliced bacon pieces. Will cut up bacon pieces work? ABSOLUTELY! But, if you are truly wanting to use lardons, then you’ll need to dive into the world of Charcuterie (shar-KOO-tər-ee). Yes. Another beautiful French word for cooking prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, and sausage to name a few.
Baton cuts are usually seen when cutting vegetables with root vegetables often prepared this way. Before the “baby carrot,” do you remember when veggie trays had those square-cut / rectangular-cut carrots? That “cut” is known as the “baton cut,” and the process would be described as “baton.” It’s not “how to make baton cuts,” but “how to baton.” And the cut vegetables or meat that is cut this way are known as batons. So, when you baton bacon, you are making bacon batons. Get it? And since we are all talking and cooking French stuff, baton comes from the French word, “Bâtonnett.” After all, what else to you know that has been baton? How about French fries (BOOM! Mind Blown!).
Finally, Lardons. Bacon Lardons are created when you take a whole, unsliced bit of bacon and cut it into batons that are about ½ inch thick and about 1 inch long. These will brown beautifully as the fat is rendered and then available to sear your beef in. In the bowl at the dinner table, they will be like little flavor bombs and have the effect of inspiring those “Yummmm” sounds people make during a meal with a full mouth as they bob their head up and down.
Smoked bacon is A-OK. Charcuterie is cooking with prepared meat products and bacon is usually prepared with salt and has a smoke flavor added. Some recipes suggest blanching the bacon in water to remove the smoke taste…and that’s A-OK. Me? I ain’t doin’ that. I just baton the bacon into batons and rock on! With that being said, avoid flavored bacons like honey and those that have “too much” smoky flavoring. Charcuterie offers another challenge as to the salt content. But we’ll talk about that next.
Y’all, I’ve gotta tell ya. I can sure ‘nuf run my mouth. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that once Sulae gets started telling a story, it’ll start with truth and end in more embellishments than a rhinestone cowboy on a Las Vegas Saturday night.
And, when I get to going, I’ll end up down a few rabbit trails that leaves me wondering what was I actually talking about. Needless to say the last thing I need in that cast iron pot is a meal that has a “timer” on it because inevitably that preverbal dinner bell will ring just about the time my tall tale is about to reach ne plus ultra!
There’s times when we want to spend time with family or are planning to have company over and we…the cast iron chefs…are usually busy cooking and prepping while all the visiting and company-ing is going on elsewhere. Beef Bourguignon is the recipe I go to when I have some day-time hours to prepare the ingredients, a moment to get them seared and started, and leave the stew on the stove at low-and-slow while I enjoy the “visiteuse et visiteur” (that means “visitor” for all y’all English-speakers).
Beef Bourguignon (pronounced “beef bor-guh-nyaa” on this side of the big pond or “beef baw-guh-nyo” if you are the English-speaking type in Europe [or if you are an Idahoan with a Southern twang like me, it’s “bour-g-in-Ya” – “g” like in girl and not “g” like in gin]). The French say it best because it’s traditionally a French dish that (as rumor has it) is from a region in France known as Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Bourgogne is translated as Burgundy in English. Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is the region in France that is known for its red wines (correct me if I am incorrect on any of this…please!).
Though I do enjoy cooking with wine, we’re going to stir things up a bit (pun intended). We’re going to cook this recipe with BEER! And today, Beef BEERguignon (beerg-in-Ya) is born.
Note: The steps here are written out with much detail. The printable recipe below is written out in brief, to-the-point steps. I know the world likes fast and to-the-point. And, in the interest of brevity and to-the-pointness, many recipes out there omit the little intrinsic details that leave the one trying to follow the recipe to figure-it-out-on-their-own. As with any new recipe you follow on Beer and Iron, this recipe article is here to answer your questions as you create the recipe successfully. After you have created it once, the printable, brief version of the recipe will be just a memory-jogger. It’s one of the reasons I create read-along podcast-like recordings. I want to make sure you don’t miss the tiny details that may ruin your cooking experience…and worst of all…must sit there with your friends and family enduring a meal that you cooked that you are not even enjoying.
Beef Beerguignon is a recipe with some complexities and yet is so simple. Create it once and the second time will be a walk in the park.f
Traditionally (as the story goes), folks in the old country (when it was very old) used to “use up” their left-over, cooked meat to create this recipe (using wine). Maybe a bit of lamb, rabbit, or whatever they had. Nowadays, beef is considered the meat of choice for this stew.
I’ve cooked it with Tri-Tip, chuck, round tip, and even corned beef (but careful with corned beef). Ingredients and cook times equal, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference in cuts of beef with this recipe. I created two pots of this “magic” when preparing for this article, one with Tri-Tip and the other one with Round Tip. The end results were indistinguishable, no joke.
Three to four pounds of chuck or any other stewing meat or meat that the butcher labels as “slow roasted” or “slow cook” is what you are looking for.
We’ll cut the beef into bite-sized chunks. “Bite-sized” is subjective. How much can you put into your mouth (LOL)?
For me (and what you too will find to be the case), the roast will “cut” in irregular-sized pieces, and I do good to maintain the 1-2 inch chunk-sized cuts of beef (with 2 inches my goal but I ain’t about to throw out a ½ inch piece).
Note: I’ve also seen this recipe cooked with leftover roast that was just pulled-apart and added to the pot. Yes, that works too. Instead of chunks of beef, you’ll have “strands” of beef and that’s A-OK! Just low-and-slow a roast until fork tender and have it at the ready. Put that seared roast in the oven by 9am, pull it out around 5pm and dinner is ready by 6pm. Suddenly, you’ve got a quick and easy, busy-weekday-evening-dinner that will taste like you’ve been cooking all day.
Do you know what a Lardon is? What about cutting batons? And, how about Charcuterie? Sure you do. Nonetheless, let’s do a refresher. First, here’s what a lardon is not: cut up sliced bacon pieces. Will cut up bacon pieces work? ABSOLUTELY! But, if you are truly wanting to use lardons, then you’ll need to dive into the world of Charcuterie (shar-KOO-tər-ee). Yes. Another beautiful French word for cooking prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, and sausage to name a few.
Baton cuts are usually seen when cutting vegetables with root vegetables often prepared this way. Before the “baby carrot,” do you remember when veggie trays had those square-cut / rectangular-cut carrots? That “cut” is known as the “baton cut,” and the process would be described as “baton.” It’s not “how to make baton cuts,” but “how to baton.” And the cut vegetables or meat that is cut this way are known as batons. So, when you baton bacon, you are making bacon batons. Get it? And since we are all talking and cooking French stuff, baton comes from the French word, “Bâtonnett.” After all, what else do you know that has been baton? How about French fries (BOOM! Mind Blown!).
Finally, Lardons. Bacon Lardons are created when you take a whole, unsliced bit of bacon and cut it into batons that are about ½ inch thick and about 1 inch long. These will brown beautifully as the fat is rendered and then available to sear your beef in. In the bowl at the dinner table, they will be like little flavor bombs and have the effect of inspiring those “Yummmm” sounds people make during a meal with a full mouth as they bob their head up and down.
Smoked bacon is A-OK. Charcuterie is cooking with prepared meat products and bacon is usually prepared with salt and has a smoke flavor added. Some recipes suggest blanching the bacon in water to remove the smoke taste…and that’s A-OK. Me? I ain’t doin’ that. I just baton the bacon into batons and rock on! With that being said, avoid flavored bacons like honey and those that have “too much” smoke flavoring. Charcuterie offers another challenge as to the salt content. But we’ll talk about that next.
Salt Considerations
SALT: As all recipes say, “salt to taste.” That’s because saltiness is not objective (what I think), it’s very subjective (what you think). Here are the considerations before adding salt:
Cured meats and salted meats will not “render” its share of salt to the stew’s liquid until late in the cook. When you taste-test the stew at the first, it may taste perfectly salted as it initially simmers. An hour later, the stew may taste TOO SALTY after things “balance” in the pot. Paradoxically and more likely, the meat is not cured or brined and the meat “takes in” the salt making the stew taste NOT SALTY ENOUGH.
The struggle is real. Perfectly salted meals…including this one…does take some creativity. Rule of thumb: You can’t make a cooked meal less salty; but you can make it more salty at the table. Our goals are to get this salting down in the pot to where there is no need for table salting and, most importantly, keep from over-salting this stew.
My suggestion is not to use seasoned or already-salted meats like corned beef. This is not the case for salted bacon; there’s not much bacon in this recipe and the salt in the bacon will not change the saltiness much to worry about.
The amount of salt is not the only consideration as to how salty a recipe turns out to be. An equal and yet often ignored (rather not thought of) is the end-of-the-cook volume. A recipe like this one where it will simmer for hours, and hours will “thicken up” not only by the action of the flour but also the “thickening” nature of being reduced…losing water through steam over the hours. As the volume reduces, we might have to add more liquid. If the added liquid has salt, the final dish may taste too salty.
Salt will make or break a recipe regardless of the quality of the ingredients and the perfection of cooking the meal. It’s why most chefs and recipe authors say, “Salt to taste.” That three-word suggestion is not a simple process. Salt is not like other ingredients such as shrimp in a gumbo or smoked paprika. We can omit the shrimp and still have a delicious gumbo or substitute the smoked paprika for just paprika. Salt? The authors of recipes know this about salt: That you need to add it to THEIR recipe. They do not know as to how much to add to YOUR recipe.
Flour: There are three ways to add the flour to your recipe.
Method 1: Put the flour in a bowl (like a cereal bowl). Add a few ounces of the beef/bone broth/stock. Use a fork and mix the flour in the liquid very well. This is the BEST way to mix the flour or other thickening agent in a recipe. If you dump the flour in the pot with all the ingredients, It’ll lump up on you.
Method 2: Use a bit more flour and roll the cut beef in the flour before you sear the pieces in the oil. This is A-OK but may not offer enough flour to thicken the stew.
Method 3: Create a Roux. Want to learn how? Sure, you do. Here’s my how-to: https://beerandiron.com/2022/11/roux
Feel free to experiment with different methods. My suggestion is to start with the flour in the bowl.
I am going to have to tell you, though this recipe is created with a sour, the best beer to enjoy this meal with is a nice porter or a stout.
Potatoes…mashed…and this stew ladled on the top of those mashed potatoes. Trust me on this one. There’s not a side in the world that will work better than mashed potatoes with this recipe. It’ll turn this recipe into a one-bowl meal.
My suggestion is to bake a few potatoes about an hour or an hour and a half before the stew is done…bake them skin and all…then make some mashed potatoes. A scoop or three of those skin-mixed-in mashed potatoes with the Beef Beerguignon ladled on the top of those mashed rhizomes-ala-nightshade will make this a dinner of quiet time. Full mouths don’t speak.
This recipe traditionally uses a red wine (to put it simply). We are going to use a beer but one that is made with fruit (or not…it’s up to you). Fruit Beers are not drinks with alcohol that are flavored with fruit; fruit beers are beers that are brewed with fruit or fruit juices as an ingredient. If you ferment fruit or fruit juices, you end up with wine. For a beer to be a beer, there must be a minimum of these four ingredients: grain, hops, yeast, and water. We are not necessarily looking for a fruit beer, we are looking for a beer with hints of fruitiness. It may have absolutely no fruit as an ingredient but may still have fruity notes.
Like with every Beer and Iron recipe, there are no rules but only suggestions. The two biggest points here are to remember that beers that are good to you as a drinking beer may not be good to you as cooking beer. Second, one beer that works well in one recipe may not work well in another. It’s one of the reasons you have beer-pairing with different foods. You may cook with a beer that is MUCH different than the beer you may enjoy drinking with your meal.
Like I mentioned earlier. You’ll cook this with a sour but enjoy it with a porter or stout. Those beers are as different as tea and coffee.
For this recipe, I suggest using a Sour, Kolsch, Wheat, or a Lambic. I’ve used everything from blueberry sours to cherry sours and it’s all been amazing.
In this presented recipe, I am using a 4-year-old bottle of beer from a local brewer called 10 Barrel Brewing Company. This beer called “Pyka” (2018), is a Berliner Weisse (a regional variation of the wheat beer style from Northern Germany, dating back to at least the 16th century). This Berliner Weisse was brewed with Blackberry and Apricot. YUMMMM!!!!
IngredientsI’m joking(ish).
When I cook, I will prepare all the ingredients first and before starting to cook. This way I am not racing when something is ready, and the other ingredients are not. It’s nice to have everything cut and prepped and ready to go. I cut, chop, and keep nearby each ingredient in a bowl or plate waiting on its turn in line…or when its step comes up in the recipe. Likewise, having all the cooking equipment at the ready keeps you from hunting it when that moment comes.
Step 1 – Get everything out and let it warm to room temperature. This is most important for the broth and the beer. We will be adding these to the pot when the pot is wicked hot! Drink cold beer; cook with warm beer. Do not pour cold beer or cold broth/stock into your hot pot.
Step 2 – Prepare the Herb Bouquet. Truth be known, you can just chop up all these herb ingredients or use them dry. We tend to get the “fresh” stuff in the winter from the grocery store’s produce section or harvest them from the garden during the mid to late summer. But we also use our own dried herbs from our garden or from a commercially-available shaker or bottle. I do prefer the bouquet-style option.
The Bouquet – Using a few thyme and sage tips and spriggles (and even a bit of rosemary), tie them together in a little bouquet-like arrangement with the butcher’s twine. You’ll just toss these in when the moment comes.
Fresh Chopped and Dried Herbs – There are many conversions out there, but we keep it simple. Three teaspoons (1 tablespoon) of fresh-chopped herbs will equal about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. But, you know the caveat here, right? How fine are they chopped and is it a leaf or a needle-like shape and the drama goes on and on. Like salt and pepper, “herb” to taste. If you are looking for a starting point, put a teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried sage in this recipe and make note for next time you create this recipe.
Fresh Chopped and Dried Herbs – There are many conversions out there, but we keep it simple. Three teaspoons or 1 tablespoon of fresh-chopped herbs will equal about 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. But, you know the caveat here, right? How fine are the fresh herbs chopped and is it a leaf or a needle-like shape and the drama goes on and on. Like salt and pepper, “herb” to taste. If you don’t want to use the herb bouquet or don’t have access to fresh or store-bought “fresh” herbs, add a teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried sage in this recipe and make note for next time you create this recipe to remember if you need more or less.
Step 3 – Cut the 3–4-pound chuck roast (or other cuts of beef) into 1–2-inch chunks. Don’t worry with being perfect; longer, shorter, smaller, bigger…it’s all good. If there is a thick chunk of fat on the meat, I usually trim this off (depending on how thick it is). If it’s not too thick, I just leave it on. Tri Tip is “bad” about keeping the fat tucked in under the “displayed part.”
Step 4 – Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. This is a must-do step. The beef will not brown during the sear if you don’t pat-dry the cut beef before you put it in the hot pot. Let the cut beef get to room temperature instead of letting the whole, uncut beef warm up. And, this is not a rule. Warming up a bit from the refrigerator is okay…and also an okay step to skip (the drying part is not okay to skip…pat dry the pieces).
Step 5 – Cut about 6-8 ounces of Bacon Lardons. Alternatives: pancetta or slivered bacon.
Step 6 – Finely Chop the 1 onion.
Step 7 – Dice the 2-6 Garlic Cloves.
Step 8 – Wash or Peel 3 Carrots. Chop the carrots in thick slices or chunks. How big? That’s up to you. I like larger chunks of carrots in mine and cut them about ½ inch to an inch long.
Step 9 – Measure out your flour to the cereal bowl-sized bowl. Add a bit of the beer or broth. Use your fork to mix the flour and the liquid together very well and without lumps or chunks. Smooth… Set aside and keep that rubber spatula nearby too.
Step 10 – Open up the can of tomato paste and set aside.
Step 11 – Mushrooms. Depending on the variety, you’ll prepare them accordingly. How? Button mushrooms or baby bellas should be bought whole and then quartered for this recipe. If you have purchased a different variety, then prepare the mushrooms into sizes about the size of 1/4th of a normal button mushroom
Step 12 – Have your can or bottle of beer nearby. It’s up to you on how much to use in this recipe. “Normally,” you will find beer sold in 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans or bottles. But, don’t fret this part. I’ve seen traditional versions of this recipe calling for a whole, 750ml (about 25-26 ounces) bottle of red wine.
Step 13 – Measure out the beef broth / bone broth. NOTE: When you get ready to add the broth to the recipe, don’t just pour it all in. We want to make sure we pour just enough in. I’ll talk about this more in a bit.
Step 14 – Don’t forget the pearl onions. Most of the time you’ll get these frozen. Just pull out about 10-15 pearl onions and either leave them out or put them in a container in the refrigerator. We kinda-but-not-necessarily need to have them at room temperature when we use them. If you have fresh pearl or tiny onions, prepare them by peeling the tiny onions and keeping them near.
We’re going to start by rendering the fat from some of the bacon lardons. Then we are going to sear the chunks of beef in that fat from the lardons. We’ll repeat this cycle of rendering the fat then searing the beef in batches and until all the beef is seared. First, set your 5-7 quart cast iron Dutch oven to medium high heat (or a bit higher). Take the lid of your 5-7 quart cast iron Dutch oven and place it upside down with the inside of the lid facing up like a plate or a bowl to receive the meat (lardons and the seared beef) as we work in batches. Keep the lid near the pot you are searing the meat in; this way the lid (not on a direct heat source) is getting some of the ambient heat from the pot and keeping the seared meat warmer.
You’ll notice that there’ll be some broth that will form as these pieces of meat rest while you sear other batches. Add this to the pot when you add the meat. Also, don’t use heat under your lid; this is just to hold the seared meat while you work in batches. You could use a bowl or a plate instead of the lid; that’d be good too.
Step 1 – Render the fat from the Lardons: The lardons will “create” the oil we need for searing the meat. There should be enough oil for searing and not frying. If the lardons do not produce enough fat, add some oil to the pot before adding the beef to sear.
Bacon fat is variable. Some bacon is fatty and then some packs are meatier. We all tend to lean toward the meaty bacon. Considering this, if the batch of bacon lardons don’t produce enough fat, don’t add more lardons. Add a bit of oil to the pot and let it heat to temperature (whisps of smoke is a good indication of ready-to-sear). We keep bacon grease near and at the ready and we also have beef fat from making roasts and bone broth that we can spoon out and add to the pot as we need.
We need that cast iron Dutch oven hot…very hot. If you have a surface thermometer, get that pot up to 400-450°F (205-235°C) and a good searing temperature. If you don’t have a way to check the surface temperature, no worries. If the oil is smoking a bit, the pot is hot enough.
No need to pre-oil the pot before you do this. Let the lardons cook a bit and brown but don’t get them to the crispy stage. Once they are done (not done enough for snacking), transfer them to the nearby Dutch oven lid for later.
Once this batch of lardons is done, remove the lardons and set aside. But, leave that oil in the bottom of the pot.
Step 2 – Add SOME of the beef to the hot, oiled, slightly smoking pot. SIZZLE!! But, don’t add too much at once. We’re going to sear in batches. Why? We want to sear our meat and not braise the meat (yet). Braising is to cook something, like chunks of meat, in a small amount of liquid. Though we pat-dried our meat, there is still a lot of moisture in that meat. When you put the meat in the pot and hear that sizzle, a battle begins! The hot pot is trying to cook the cooler meat and the cooler meat is trying to cool down the hot pot. The pot’s going to ultimately win. However, during this “battle,” the meat will begin to render its moisture. If you put too many pieces of meat in the pot at the same time, the meat will cool the hot cast iron pot down too quickly, the excess meat’s moisture will overwhelm the cooling pot and not steam off fast enough, and the meat will bathe in its own juices. Then, we will have braising going on and not searing.
Sear each side of the beef chunks by searing-and-turning each as they brown. Use the tongs; they’ll make life easier. When each is seared and browned on all sides, transfer them to the nearby lid and start a new batch. This will take some time but not too much. Searing takes patients.
Step 3 – Now, all the beef is seared, and the bottom of that pot is covered with all that flavor; that is called the FOND. Leave it there! Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions (not the pearl onions) and the garlic, and deglaze the bottom of the cast iron Dutch oven.
Step 4 – Add the chunks of carrots at this point and, using the wooden spatula, mix everything in the pot (just the onions, garlic, and carrots) all about and let things cook just a bit longer…but not too much longer.
We’re about to “get busy” adding most of the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat down a bit to keep from burning anything while we add the ingredients.
Step 5 – Add the flour mixture to the pot, the tomato paste, all the beef, and however many browned bacon lardons you want to add back. Mix everything together and level off the ingredients.
This is kind of an important part of the process: “Level off the Ingredients.” After placing everything in the pot, use your wooden spatula to gently press the ingredients in the pot to a flat surface. We need to know what the level of the ingredients is in order to determine how much liquid (beer and broth) to add.
Step 6 – Slowly pour in the room-temperature beer. It will “head up” but that’s okay. The liquid has either reached the top of the level mixture or not. If you still have some room to pour in more liquid, go to the next step.
Step 7 – Slowly pour in the beef broth BUT NOT ALL OF IT. Take your time to fill just to a bit over the top of the meat and vegetables. Let me be clear. To the top of the meat and vegetables and not to the top of the pot. We want the end result to be a stew with the ingredients level and sticking out of the final stew. Too much liquid and you’ll be making soup. It’ll be delicious but we want this to be nice and thick.
We can add more broth during the cooking process as it simmers and reduces.
Step 8 – Add the bay leaves and the herb bouquet (or chopped / dried) and the pepper. Keep in mind that there’ll be ingredients that you will use from time-to-time that have salt. We have plenty of time to test the saltiness and add salt as we cook.
Step 9 – Turn the heat down to medium low or even low. Cover the Dutch oven, and let it simmer for a few hours (YES! HOURS!). Some folks put this all in the oven to bake at 350°F. And, that’s okay too. I usually cook on the stove top so I can monitor the saltiness and stir the ingredients about once in a while. The liquid will reduce, and you can add as needed.
Step 10 – Okay, everything is in the pot except for the pearl onions and the mushrooms. We’ll tend to those in a bit. Cover the pot with the lid and let everything cook until the meat is tender and not chewy. We are looking for the consistency of an all-day-cooked roast and not the chewiness of a grilled steak.
We cook with the lid on. Sometimes we’ll open an edge for venting. And, if I ended up getting too much liquid in the pot, I will leave the lid off. It’s up to you regarding the lid. But, we usually leave the lid on and cover the pot when we cook this recipe.
Go ahead and pull down the pearl onions to thaw (usually frozen) and get the mushrooms ready.
Step 11 – After simmering the stew for 30 minutes, check the saltiness. Use a spoon and dip out just some of the broth / liquid. Taste it. Do you need to add any salt? Do this again after another 30 minutes has passed (1 hour total) and you should have it spot-on. If not, check back in 30 minutes. Add a little salt (less than you think) each time until you find the salt to be perfect. Check the salt again about 30 minutes before your stew is done just to make sure.
Step 12 – Let this all cook at a simmer for about 2 hours. The meat needs to stew and braise in that pot for 3-4 hours total in order to reach a fork-tender texture. At 2 hours, check the meat consistency. Is it fork tender? It will be considered safe to eat as per the internal temperature (145°F/63°C) but may not be “done” as per the meat’s chewability. At the 2-hour mark, the consistency of the meat will kinda…sorta…tell you how much longer the meal will take. Another hour? Maybe 2 hours. This all depends on the temperature (low and simmering is the best; don’t rush it) and the size and quality of the meat.
Regarding “quality of the meat.” Meat considered “low quality” is usually the “high quality” for this recipe.
Time for the mushroom and Pearl Onion Garnish Cook: If you cook the mushrooms in this recipe at the start, they will likely either cook to oblivion or end up over-cooked and rubbery (depending on the variety of mushroom you are using). We’ll braise these and add them to the pot at this point.
Step 13 – Using the Cast Iron Skillet (10.25” to 12”) (we are going to be braising the pearl onions and the mushrooms here at the end of the cook). Place the skillet on a medium high heat and add a bit of oil, remaining fat, or even more bacon lardons’ rendered fat. Add the room-temperature pearl onions and mushrooms to the hot, oiled skillet and mix about. Then, add (slowly) about ¼-½ cup of liquid (beer, broth, stock, or even water). STEAM!!
Step 14 – Sauté the pearl onions and the mushrooms until they go from braising to searing and just as the caramelization “event” takes place. They should (the pearl onions will show this the most) have some areas that are “toasted” looking but not cooked to the mushy, soft stage.
Step 15 – Remove the cooked herb bouquet and the bay leaves. We are about to “ordain” and garnish this pot of stew with the onions and the mushrooms; we don’t want to mess up our masterpiece by trying to fish-out the bay leaves and the herb bouquet.
Step 16 – And at our meal-preparation finale, open the stew pot and add the mushroom and pearl onion mixture to the top of the stew and let settle in. I don’t stir in the mushrooms and pearl onions other than a gentle turning on the top of the stew. If you’d like to mix them in deep into the pot, it’s perfectly A-OK to do so.
For me? I like to present this recipe in a bowl. First, by adding a scoop of mashed potatoes to the side of the bowl and then this stew to fill the bowl with just a bit of the top of the mashed potatoes showing there on the side. A garnish of finely chopped parsley, chives, or scallions really brings it home.
Chef Tip #1: Before you start prepping, measuring, and dicing, preheat your Dutch oven. Set your oven to 450°F/235°C and preheat the Dutch oven while you prep so it’s ready and hot when you are ready to start cooking! Once the oven “beeps” to reaching temperature, your Dutch oven will likely be 100°F/38°C behind the oven temperature. The preheating of the Dutch oven only takes about 15-30 minutes. Any longer and you’ll be “seasoning” your Dutch oven…and that’s okay…just add a thin layer of oil to the inside of the Dutch oven before preheating.
Chef Tip #2: Salt. This is the make-or-break point of any recipe. If you are using broth from a roast that you cooked, there’s going to be a salt factor to work out. DON’T add salt initially. Let the stew began to simmer for about 30 minutes then check the saltiness. Let the ingredients “fornicate” for a bit and then check to see what it tastes like. Don’t add more than 1 teaspoon of salt at a time…I suggest adding less.
No chef can taste what you taste. So goes the “salt to taste” copout. Your saltiness is not the same as another’s saltiness preference.
After the first salt-check, let it simmer for another 30 minutes and check again. After that first hour, it should be perfect. You’ll have to be the judge of this (unless you invite me over for a meal that you are cooking and I will be glad to offer my opinion…and…by the way, Old Rasputin by Northcoast is my favorite beer).i
This recipe prep does not take long per se…the searing process is the longest hands-on process. You’ll likely spend 30-40 minutes prepping and searing (maybe longer). It’ll be worth it.
For me, I like to get this stew simmering and clean everything up. I will put the potatoes in the oven (for the mashed potatoes) about 1 hour or so before the stew is to be done.
When the stew is done and the baked potatoes are ready for mashing, the kitchen was cleaned already. It’s so very nice to sit down for a meal and have a turn-key, cleaned kitchen that’s not sitting back there as a reminder of a chore-to-be-done after such an amazing meal. It’s blissful!
ENJOY or, since we are cooking in French, we’ll talk in French, “bon appétit!”
Does making your own broth take time? Sure, it does! So does eating a meal. But, I can “Guar-Ron-Tee” dat eating a bad meal takes longer than eating a good meal. Do you want them plates and bowls to end up at the sink with…
This article will not teach you how to divvy up meal-sized portions and stow them away for lunches all week. We’re planning to eat and eat well! And planning for meal to be cooked is how we better ensure that our after-the-day-is-done time is spent…
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I am always sharing fresh, flavorful, recipes cooked up in well-seasoned cast iron awesomeness with a bit of my liquid, hop-based, happy-maker as an ingredient.
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