Beef Daube

Name: Beef Daube
Ingredients: 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces; 1 31/2-pound beef chuck roast, fat and any sinews removed, cut into 2- to 3-inch cubes; 2 tablespoons mild oil (such as grapeseed or canola); Salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 yellow onions or 1 Spanish onion, quartered and thinly sliced; 6 shallots, thinly sliced; 1 garlic head, halved horizontally, only loose papery peel removed; 11/2 pounds carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and halved or quartered lengthwise, depending on thickness; 1/2 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and quartered lengthwise (optional); 1/4 cup Cognac or other brandy; 1 750-ml bottle fruity red wine (I know this may sound sacrilegious, but a Central Coast Syrah is great here); A bouquet garni - 2 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, and the leaves from 1 celery stalk, tied together in a dampened piece of cheesecloth

12 ingredients

9 steps

Ingredients

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces
1 31/2-pound beef chuck roast, fat and any sinews removed, cut into 2- to 3-inch cubes
2 tablespoons mild oil (such as grapeseed or canola)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 yellow onions or 1 Spanish onion, quartered and thinly sliced
6 shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic head, halved horizontally, only loose papery peel removed
11/2 pounds carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and halved or quartered lengthwise, depending on thickness
1/2 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
1/4 cup Cognac or other brandy
1 750-ml bottle fruity red wine (I know this may sound sacrilegious, but a Central Coast Syrah is great here)
A bouquet garni - 2 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, and the leaves from 1 celery stalk, tied together in a dampened piece of cheesecloth

Directions

1

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350.
2

Put a Dutch oven over medium heat and toss in the bacon. Cook, stirring, just until the bacon browns, then transfer to a bowl.
3

Dry the beef between sheets of paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the bacon fat in the pot and warm it over med-high heat, then brown the beef, in batches, on all sides.
4

Transfer the browned meat to the bowl with the bacon and season lightly with salt and pepper.
5

Pour off oil in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, & warm it over medium heat. Add the onions &shallots, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and parsnips and give everything a few good turns to cover all the ingredients with a little oil. Pour in the brandy, turn up the heat, and stir well. Let the brandy boil for a minute, then return the beef and bacon to the pot, pour in the wine, and toss in the bouquet garni. Once again, give everything a good stir.
6

When the wine comes to a boil, cover the pot tightly with a piece of aluminum foil and the lid. Slide the daube into the oven and allow it to braise undisturbed for 1 hour.
7

Pull the pot out of the oven, remove the lid and foil, and stir everything up once. If it looks as if the liquid is reducing by a great deal, add just enough water to cover the ingredients. Re-cover the pot with the foil and lid, slip it back into the oven, and cook for another 11/2 hours (total time is 21/2 hours). At this point, the meat should be fork-tender - if it's not, give it another 30 minutes or so in the oven.
8

Fish out the bouquet garni and garlic and skim off the surface fat.
9

Serve the beef and vegetables moistened with the sauce.