Boeuf Bourguignon

[sadievan]

OK. So we watched Julie & Julia recently and the boeuf bourguignon looked good. Looked up Julia Child's recipe and it says to boil the bacon. I will probably be using just thick sliced packaged bacon (no rind). Do I still boil it?

Carol

 

[Andy M.]

Boiling the bacon is to remove the smokiness. The recipe actually called for salt pork, which is not smoked. So the substitution of any bacon, which is usually easier to find, calls for boiling to reduce the smokiness that is not part of the BB recipe.

 

[sadievan]

Boiling the bacon is to remove the smokiness. The recipe actually called for salt pork, which is not smoked. So the substitution of any bacon, which is usually easier to find, calls for boiling to reduce the smokiness that is not part of the BB recipe.

Thanks Andy.

Carol

 

[Selkie]

Boiling the bacon is to remove the smokiness. The recipe actually called for salt pork, which is not smoked. So the substitution of any bacon, which is usually easier to find, calls for boiling to reduce the smokiness that is not part of the BB recipe.

I recently purchased sliced hog jowl which has the appearance of thick sliced bacon, but isn't smoked. (I changed my mind on its original purpose.) Considering that salt pork has very little or no meat, could I still use the hog jowl as a diced pork product for boeuf bourguignon, and if so, without boiling it?

 

[Andy M.]

You can use it and there is no need to boil it. The salt pork in the recipe is there to provide fat and flavor. Not sure how much fat is in the sliced hog jowl.

Sounds like you may have bought some guanciale. That is often seasoned with black and red peppers. If it's too spicy it an change the flavor of the dish.

 

[Selkie]

Thank you.

No, it's just sliced hog jowl, and in the south at New Years it's often served with black-eyed peas as one of those "Good Luck with the New Year" dishes. It has no seasoning, and in fact is pretty plain. It's about 55-60% fat to meat ratio, very similar to bacon.

 

[Andy M.]

Thank you.

No, it's just sliced hog jowl, and in the south at New Years it's often served with black-eyed peas as one of those "Good Luck with the New Year" dishes. It has no seasoning, and in fact is pretty plain. It's about 55-60% fat to meat ratio, very similar to bacon.

I wouldn't hesitate to use that in a BB recipe.

 

[luvs]

i own the dvd of her cooking that, i'll watch that & post her instructions if i find my dvd.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I've made this more times than I can count...and I've never boiled the bacon first. I actually finished up the last little bit yesterday from a batch I had made last week...yum! We definitely love the final product, so I would say you can try the recipe either way and see what your taste buds tell you.

 

[sadievan]

I've made this more times than I can count...and I've never boiled the bacon first. I actually finished up the last little bit yesterday from a batch I had made last week...yum! We definitely love the final product, so I would say you can try the recipe either way and see what your taste buds tell you.

Thanks for the input. I like the taste of bacon so I might try it without boiling it too. When you make it, do you make it up the day before or serve it the same day you make it? When I was reading the recipe, it said you could do it either way.

Carol

 

[Andy M.]

I think it tastes better the next day. I remember Julia's saying that too.

 

[Andy M.]

I've made this more times than I can count...and I've never boiled the bacon first. I actually finished up the last little bit yesterday from a batch I had made last week...yum! We definitely love the final product, so I would say you can try the recipe either way and see what your taste buds tell you.

I agree. You do not have to boil the bacon. Basically, the salt pork/bacon/hog jowls provide a flavorful fat for the recipe.

The Julia Child recipe in her book with Jacques Pepin, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, calls for boiling the salt pork to remove some of the salt.

 

[blissful]

I often cook bacon from frozen. For me the easiest way is the chop it in one inch pieces frozen, then add water to the frying pan, to thaw it, and cook it until everything is thawed and then evaporate the water-keeping the smokiness. Then fry it until almost crispy because it seems to cook a little bit after removing it from the pan. We like it crispy but sometimes friends like a little chewyness to it.

Beef bourginion (If I could spell it) is one of my all time favorite dishes and always better the second or third day.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

............ When you make it, do you make it up the day before or serve it the same day you make it?......

I try to make it up the day before, but many times the aroma of it simmering for hours makes me serve it for supper THAT night! I also try to make so very much that we have leftovers for later in the week. Unfortunately, when I make extra we just end up eating more that night. Self-control...anyone know where I can buy some?

 

[sadievan]

Self-control...anyone know where I can buy some?

Boy if you could package that, I'd buy it in a hearbeat. That is my whole problem.

Carol

 

[ChefJune]

I think it tastes better the next day. I remember Julia's saying that too.

I absolutely agree!

I have made Boeuf Bourguignon untold times in my life (it was the very first dinner I made for my family when I was in 7th grade) and have never boiled the bacon first. I love the flavor of bacon, and if anything, it adds another layer of flavor to the already awesome stew.

I can say with confidence that Boeuf B is my all-time favorite one-pot meal.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I can say with confidence that Boeuf B is my all-time favorite one-pot meal.

For me it's a race, neck-and-neck, between the BB and coq au vin. The best recipe I had for it was with my old crockpot (don't even remember the brand anymore); when I donated the pot to Scouts for their yard sale I sent the "owner's manual" along with it...completely forgetting to copy the recipe. Every single version I have tried since doesn't taste quite the same. I'm going to give it up to the fact that it wasn't the recipe so much as the pot it was cooked in.