Burgundy's monument: beef braised in a bottle of red with lardons, pearl onions, and mushrooms. Julia's beacon, and still the braise all others answer to.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
1 1/2 kg
🥩 Beef Short Ribs ›
or chuck, in 5 cm chunks
200 g
🥓 Bacon ›
lardons
1 bottle
🍷 Red Wine ›
Burgundy-style Pinot Noir
300 ml
🍲 Beef Stock ›
3
🥕 Carrot ›
chunked
12
🧅 Shallot ›
or pearl onions, peeled whole
300 g
🍄 Cremini Mushrooms ›
3 tbsp
🌾 Flour ›
2 tbsp
🥫 Tomato Paste ›
4 cloves
🧄 Garlic ›
1 bouquet
🌿 Thyme ›
+ bay, tied
3 tbsp
🧈 Butter ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
40m
Prep
180m
Cook
220m
Total
6
Serves
Equipment
Large skillet
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Prep checklist
Beef Short Ribs — or chuck, in 5 cm chunks
Bacon — lardons
Red Wine — Burgundy-style Pinot Noir
Carrot — chunked
Shallot — or pearl onions, peeled whole
Thyme — + bay, tied
4 steps
Method
1
Render the lardons; set aside. Brown the dried, seasoned beef in the fat in batches, hard, 3 minutes a side. No grey meat allowed.
Learn the technique ›
2
Toss the beef with flour; roast it all in the pot 4 minutes to toast. Add tomato paste, garlic, wine, stock, herbs, and the lardons.
3
Braise, covered, at 150°C for 2.5–3 hours until fork-tender.
Learn the technique ›
4
In the last half hour: brown the mushrooms and glaze the shallots in butter; add to the pot. Skim, reduce the sauce if loose, season, and serve over mash — better tomorrow, mandatory the day after.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freezing
Freezes well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently: covered in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes, or in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock. The microwave works at 50% power in short bursts — full blast toughens proteins.
Make ahead
Most braises and sauces improve overnight. Sear-and-serve dishes: do every step up to the final cook, then finish fresh.
Wine pairing
The rest of the Burgundy. It knows what it did.
Beer pairing
Match intensity: lagers for delicate dishes, amber ales for roasted flavors, stouts for the rich and braised.