WHERE TO BUY BEEF BACON RECIPES

Steps:

• This recipe works great as a stand-alone dish, but also as a component in Jamie’s Christmas Party from Together – see the full collection of menus here. GET AHEAD Chop the beef cheeks into 5cm chunks. Wash, trim and chop the carrots and celery into 3cm chunks. Peel the garlic and onion, then roughly chop. Place it all in a large bowl with the mustard, bay, cloves, a generous pinch of black pepper and the wine. Mix well, then cover and refrigerate overnight. ON THE DAY Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3. Pour the contents of the beef bowl into a colander set over another bowl. Pick out just the beef and pat dry with kitchen paper, then toss with the flour. Put a large casserole pan on a medium heat and melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. In batches, brown the floured beef all over, turning with tongs and removing to a plate with any crispy bits once browned. Tip the veg into the pan, and cook for 10 minutes, or until starting to caramelize, stirring occasionally and scraping up any sticky bits. Return the beef to the pan, pour over the reserved wine and 750ml of boiling water, then bring to a simmer. Cover with a scrunched-up sheet of damp greaseproof paper and transfer to the oven for around 4 hours, or until the beef is beautifully tender, topping up with splashes of water, if needed. TO SERVE When the beef is perfect, turn the oven off. Slice the bacon, then place in a large non-stick pan on a medium-high heat. Peel, chop and add the shallots, tossing regularly, then trim and halve or quarter the mushrooms, adding to the pan as you go. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly. Finely chop and toss through the parsley leaves, then pour the contents of the pan over the bourguignon and season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Serve with my Comforting mash and Garlicky greens (on page 291 of Together).

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Open bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass, then proceed with prepping your meat and vegetables. You’re going to do some very light butchery—fear not! It’s easy. Place 2½ lb. beef on a cutting board and cut into 2" cubes. It’s all good if they’re not perfect, just try to cut them in relatively evenly-sized pieces so they will cook at the same rate. Transfer beef to a large bowl, season with 1 tsp. pepper and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, and toss to coat.
• Cut 8 oz. bacon crosswise into 1" pieces. Transfer to a large Dutch oven. Set on stove (but don’t turn it on yet).
• Clean your cutting board or flip it over so you don’t contaminate your vegetables with meat stuff. Time to do some veg prep! Cut root ends off 3 onions, then cut each onion in half through the cut ends. Remove and discard peels, then cut each in half again (you should have 12 quarters total). Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Scrub 3 carrots, then peel. Cut off and discard tops. Cut carrots in half diagonally. If the top halves of carrots are particularly thick, cut those in half lengthwise. Transfer carrots to another medium bowl.
• Smash 8 garlic cloves with the side of chef’s knife. Peel off and discard skins. Add all but 1 garlic clove to bowl with carrots, reserving clove for later.
• Heat Dutch oven over medium. Cook bacon, stirring often, until crisp, 11–13 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a large bowl, leaving bacon fat behind in the Dutch oven.
• Increase heat to medium-high and, using tongs, add beef in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed—seriously, don't touch it!—until well browned on one side, 5–7 minutes. Turn and cook until well browned on the other side, 5–7 minutes longer. Don't rush this part—browning the beef well will contribute tons of flavor to the stew. Transfer beef to bowl with bacon.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pot cut side down. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2–3 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the other side, 2–3 minutes longer.
• Add carrots, garlic, 4 sprigs thyme, and 2 Tbsp. miso; season with salt. (If miso seems like a weird addition here, just trust—it'll lend tons of savory depth to your braising liquid without making the whole thing taste like miso soup.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is just beginning to turn golden and miso coats bottom of pot, about 2 minutes.
• Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. flour evenly over vegetables and cook, stirring, until veggies are coated, about 30 seconds. This will help to thicken the braising liquid.
• Add the rest of your bottle of wine to pot, scraping bottom of pot with a wooden spoon to get up any stuck bits, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until you can no longer smell the alcohol, about 2 minutes.
• Nestle beef and bacon back into pot along with any juices that have accumulated. Add 2 cups water (or enough to just barely cover beef with a few pieces poking out). Return to a simmer, cover pot with lid, then transfer to oven—we love braising in the oven because the heat is much more even than it would be on the stovetop. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Uncover pot, giving everything a good stir, and continue to cook until beef is very tender, 30–60 minutes longer.
• While beef is cooking, finely chop 1 cup parsley and transfer to a small bowl. Finely grate reserved garlic clove into bowl with parsley and toss to combine.
• Taste and season stew with salt, if needed. Divide stew among bowls and top with parsley gremolata. Serve with crusty bread alongside.