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Short Rib Beef Bourguignon

YIELD: SERVES 6

Classic beef Bourguignon is very easy to make with boneless short ribs, lots of aromatics, exotic mushrooms, and French pancetta. Serve with warm crusty bread and a bottle of your favorite red wine.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 1 piece fine grass fedBeef Boneless Short Ribs, (3lbs) cut into 2in chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium carrots, (1 cut in half lengthwise, 2 chopped into ½-in slices) divided use
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
• ½ cup Cognac or Armagnac (optional)
• 1 container Veal Demi-Glace
• 1 bottle dry red wine, (750ml), I use Pinot Noir
• 2-3 cups beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni, made with 5 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs thyme, and 1 bay leaf, tied with butcher’s string
• 3 tablespoons unsalted French butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 5 oz Ventrèche, cut into ¼-inch lardons
• 1 pack Organic Mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped
• ½ cup chopped parsley

Preparation

1. Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Sear the short ribs on all sides, in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan, until they are crusty and deep caramel brown all over. Using tongs, remove short ribs to a bowl.
2. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat; lower heat to medium. Add the lengthwise-cut carrot, onion, and garlic. Sauté until carrot and onion are lightly browned. Raise heat to high. Add tomato and anchovy pastes, stirring to coat; continue to cook for about 2 mins. Deglaze with cognac, if using. Cook until the raw alcohol burns off, stirring up browned bits and tomato paste from the bottom of the pan, about 3-5 mins. Stir in demi-glace; add wine. Add short ribs back to the pot, along with any cooking juices that accumulated in the bowl. Add enough beef stock to almost cover the short ribs and bouquet garni. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and lower flame to medium-low. Check pot occasionally to make sure liquid is still lightly simmering.
3. Continue to cook until short ribs are easily pierced with a fork, about 2.5 – 3.5 hrs. During the last hr of cooking, stir in the sliced carrots.
4. Remove the large pieces of carrot and bouquet garni, discard. Taste liquid for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. In a small bowl, using your fingers or a wooden spoon, knead together softened butter and flour until smooth and evenly combined. Add 1 teaspoon-sized piece at a time to the Dutch oven, stirring to combine, until sauce is thickened to your liking. Continue to simmer, uncovered, while you prepare the garnish.
5. In a skillet over medium-high flame, add ventrèche. Cook until lardons are nicely browned and fat has rendered. Remove lardons with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan. If there is less than 3 tablespoons of rendered fat, add enough olive to equal about 3 tablespoons. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are tender and lightly browned. Add lardons, mushrooms, and parsley to the short ribs. Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly before serving with crusty bread.

Tips: Make this a day ahead for even better flavor. After adding beurre manié in step 4, continue to cook until sauce thickens, then remove from heat and allow to cool before refrigerating overnight. When ready to eat, remove from refrigerator and bring pot back to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue with step 5.

Note: Ventrèche, or French pancetta, is pork belly rubbed with salt, pepper, and garlic, then rolled and cured. Our ventrèche is beautifully marbled with firm texture. The flavor is rich, salty, and very porky. Since it is not smoked, this is the perfect charcuterie to use in cooking and is a vital ingredient in cassoulet. When cubed or sliced, it brings rich porky flavor and dimension to pasta, soup, eggs, stew, beans, and vegetables.

Veal demi-glace is made using veal bones, aromatic vegetables, water, and wine, then slow-cooked for hours to concentrate the flavors. Demi-glace adds body and richness to sauces and is a freezer staple for both pro chefs and home cooks alike.

Pair it with Pinot Noir, as the acidity of this grape variety is exactly what this dish needs to give you palate a soft clean finish. My favorite is Pino Noir from Chef David Slay’s vineyard in Santa Barbara California

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