Oven-Baked Beef Stew
Submitted by patdoern
Red-wine-marinated beef stew oven-braised with blanched bacon, dark-roux broth, and tomato paste. A freezer-friendly French bourguignon-style stew built in a Dutch oven.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
3 hrsCOOK
130 minREADY
4 hrsThis is proper bourguignon-style stew with every step honored. Sirloin cubes marinate three hours in red wine (in glass or ceramic only, since metal gives the wine a tinny off-taste). Bacon gets blanched in water for 10 minutes before frying, which pulls out the smokiness and some of the fat so the stew tastes of wine and beef rather than breakfast.
The browning is where most home cooks fail. Small batches, hot bacon drippings, and enough space between cubes for each face to actually sear. Crowded pans steam instead of brown, and grey beef makes grey stew.
The roux is the other hero. Butter and flour cook in the empty Dutch oven until dark golden brown, with constant wooden-spatula scraping to keep it moving. That deep-toasted flour is what gives French-style stew its signature mahogany color and nutty depth, not just thickening.
The whole thing bakes covered at 325°F (160°C) for two hours. Vegetables, meat, and marinade reduce into something unimpeachable.
Chef Tips
- Blanch the bacon. Skipping this step turns the whole stew smoky.
- Use a hearty red wine you’d actually drink. Cooking wine ruins the base.
- Cook the roux a full 5 to 8 minutes until dark golden. Pale roux adds nothing but flour paste.
- Stew improves after a night in the fridge. The flavors marry and the fat rises to be skimmed.
Variations
- Add a pound of quartered mushrooms to the final hour of braising for mushroom-forward depth.
- Swap sirloin for chuck for a cheaper, more forgiving braise. Add 30 minutes to cooking time.
- Serve over buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
Directions
Pour the wine over the beef in a glass or ceramic bowl (metal will give the wine an inchoff inch taste).
Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours to marinate.
Reserving the marinade, drain the beef.
Dry on paper towels.
Simmer the bacon for 10 minutes in enough water to cover.
Drain and pat dry.
(This rids the bacon of smokiness and some fat.)
In a dutch oven, sauté the bacon in olive oil over medium heat until crisp.
Drain on paper towels.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings.
Working in small batches so the meat browns well, brown the beef cubes in the bacon drippings.
With a slotted spoon, remove each batch to a bowl.
Sauté the onions and carrots in the drippings until wilted and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes.
Remove with a slotted spoon to the bowl of meat.
Heat 3 cups of broth in a saucepan.
Pour out any drippings that remain in the Dutch oven.
melt the butter over medium heat in the Dutch oven, then stir in the flour.
Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula to keep the mixture moving.
When the paste is a dark golden brown, stir in the broth.
Simmer a minute or two, then stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper and garlic.
Add the sautéed vegetables and meat.
Stir in the reserved wine marinade.
Quickly bring to a boil.
Cover and bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven about 2 hours.
If the sauce gets too thick, thin it with the extra cup of broth.
TO SERVE AFTER FREEZING: Thaw according to recommendations.
Reheat in a covered casserole at 325℉ (160℃) for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly.
You might add freshly cooked vegetables (mushrooms, baby carrots, steamed potatoes).
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