We know that beef bourguignon meat is real tough. But thanks to this little-known step, it becomes much more melting…
On weekends when it’s gray, you cheer yourself up with a slow-cooked dish, followed by a good pastry. After having made an anthology blanquette last Saturday, you are now tackling another classic of gastronomy: beef bourguignon. To avoid making mistakes, you religiously follow your grandmother’s recipe. But did you know that even your grandmother forgot a step, however crucial in the preparation of a good beef bourguignon? Because to make the meat even more tender, the chefs have more than one trick up their sleeve. In an episode of the Julie’s notebooksThierry Marx pays particular attention to the preparation of the pieces of beef, before cooking. So take out your pencil: the time has come to add a line to Grandma’s precious notebook…
First advice from the chef? Leave the meat to marinate for a good hour in a tannic red wine to give it more flavor. To do this, Thierry Marx places the pieces of chuck in a salad bowl, and wets them to the height. He also adds all the aromatic garnish: carrots, celery and onions cut into cubes, as well as a head of garlic and a bouquet garni. But before that, a little-known step really changes the situation. For the magic to happen, here’s what you need to do…
When he begins preparing his beef bourguignon, Thierry Marx plunges the still raw pieces of meat into… a bowl of sparkling water! Length of dip? “Allow an hour“, specifies the chef. This step is essential, because it not only purifies the meat, but also tenderizes it. Why? Quite simply because certain sparkling waters, such as Saint-Yorre, Vichy Célestins or even Vittel, contain bicarbonate. This active ingredient “allows the blood contained in the vessels to come out” and tenderizes the meat, the report explains. Result ? Once cooked, the pieces of chuck are even more tender.
Beyond the texture, sparkling water has another advantage: it allows “to reduce the cooking time a little”, he adds in the show. Once purified and marinated, the meat is ready to simmer. And you will see that thanks to this good advice from Thierry Marx, you will obtain a beef bourguignon that is even more tender than grandma’s!
