Sous vide boeuf bourguignon
Beef chuck in reduced red wine, 24 hours at 68 °C
Serves 4 · Prep 45 min · Cook 24 h · Adapted from recipes
Sous vide keeps tough chuck juicy while the wine, bacon and aromatics soak in. The wine has to be reduced on the stove first: in a sealed bag the alcohol cannot evaporate, and raw wine gives the meat a harsh, metallic taste.
Ingredients¶
1.4 kg (3 lb) beef chuck roast, cut into 5 cm (2 in) chunks
170 g (6 oz) thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons
1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Burgundy
500 ml (2 cups) beef stock
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, cut into thick coins
280 g (10 oz) cremini mushrooms, quartered
12–15 pearl onions, peeled
2 tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 sprigs thyme and 2 bay leaves
2 tbsp butter mashed with 2 tbsp flour (beurre manié), plus 2 tbsp butter for the mushrooms
Kosher salt and black pepper
Method¶
Render the bacon. Cook the lardons in a heavy pan over medium heat until crisp. Lift them into the sous vide bag and keep the fat in the pan.
Sear the beef. Pat the beef dry and season well. Over high heat, sear it in batches in the bacon fat, 1–2 minutes a side, until deeply browned. Add it to the bag.
Build the base. Lower the heat to medium. Soften the onion and carrots for about 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute. Add everything to the bag.
Reduce the wine. Pour the wine and stock into the hot pan, scraping up the browned bits. Boil hard for 10–12 minutes, until reduced by a third and no longer smelling of alcohol.
Bag and seal. Let the liquid cool a little, then pour it into the bag with the thyme and bay. Seal on a vacuum sealer’s moist setting, or by water displacement in a heavy zipper bag.
Cook. Cook at 68 °C (155 °F) for 24 hours, with the bath covered to stop evaporation.
Finish the garnish. 20 minutes before the end, brown the mushrooms and pearl onions in 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat.
Thicken the sauce. Strain the cooking liquid from the bag into a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manié a little at a time until the sauce coats a spoon.
Serve. Combine the beef and carrots with the sauce, mushrooms and onions. Garnish with thyme. Serve with mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles or a baguette.
Texture by temperature¶
| Texture | Temperature | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steak-like | 60 °C | 24–48 h | Pink throughout, slices like steak |
| Classic | 68 °C | 24 h | Tender, pulls apart with a fork |
| Fall-apart | 74 °C | 12–18 h | Soft stew texture that still holds its shape |
Similar recipes¶
Precision beef bourguignon (ChefSteps)
Sous vide beef burgundy (Savoring the Good)
Sous vide beef bourguignon (Lick My Spoon)