This is another recipe that requires a little work at the beginning of the meal preparation. You do need to build the stew on the stovetop, but by the time you sit down to dinner the next day, you’ll have forgotten all about that as you marvel at how tender and delicious the meat is without being dried out.
SERVES: 6 to 8
TEMPERATURE: 140ºF
COOKING TIME: 18 to 24 hours
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 slices of bacon, chopped
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias
3 cloves garlic, minced
2½ teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup pearl onions, defrosted if frozen
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
1.Pre-heat the sous vide water bath to 140ºF.
2.Heat a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan, brown the beef cubes, seasoning with salt and pepper – about 8 minutes per batch. Set the browned meat aside in two large zipper lock bags. Drain away some of the bacon grease, but leave at least 2 tablespoons in the pot.
3.Add the onion and carrots to the pot and cook until lightly browned - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and dried spices and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for another minute or two. Then add the red wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil and let it simmer for a minute or two. Add the stock and Worcestershire sauce and return the liquid to a simmer again. Turn off the heat and let the braising liquid cool for a few minutes.
4.Divide the braising liquid between the two zipper lock bags with the beef stew meat. Remove as much of the air as possible from the bags by submerging the bags in the water up to the zipper seal (don’t let any water into the bag), and allowing the water to displace the air in the bags. Seal the bags and drop it into the water bath.
5.Cook in the sous vide bath for 18 hours, or for as long as 24 hours. Cover the water bath with aluminum foil or plastic wrap so that you minimize the water evaporation.
6.When you are ready to eat, separate the meat and vegetables from the sauce. You can do this by spooning the meat and vegetables out of the bag with a slotted spoon, or simply cut one corner of the bags of stew and let the sauce pour into a wide sauté pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer on the stovetop. Combine the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk this mixture into the sauce and let the sauce thicken.
7.While the sauce thickens, pre-heat a skillet over high heat. Add a little olive oil and sauté the pearl onions until they are nicely browned and soft. Set aside in a large serving bowl. Add a little more olive oil and sauté the mushrooms until they are browned and tender. Set the mushrooms aside with the pearl onions.
8.Open the zipper lock bags and transfer the beef and vegetables to the sauté pan with the sauce, along with the sautéed mushrooms and onions. Mix everything to combine well and serve with the cooked bacon and chopped parsley on top.