Grilled Beef Burgundy: What's on the Grill #312

If there is one thing I’m good for, it’s trying to include the grill in every meal I prepare, even when it’s a little crazy. Why yes, I could have stayed inside and prepared Beef Burgundy in the oven. However, there is a reason I say, “Take it outside.” Dinner always tastes better on the grill, even a classic French dish.

While I’m sure there are countless slow cooker variations of Beef Burgundy, the difference between an adequate dish and an extraordinary one is the layering of flavor. It takes time to bring all of the pieces together. However, the work, and most importantly, the effort, is well worth it.

I adapted the recipe from Russ Dobson’s excellent cookbook, Grillhouse. It’s a different take on the classic recipe and works perfectly with a dutch oven and my trusty Weber kettle.

Beef Burgundy

From Ross Dobson’s Grillhouse, adapted for the grill by Another Pint Please

Serves 4

Takes over a day to make

2 lb 4 oz chuck steak

3 cups red wine

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 T olive oil

3 1/2 T butter

4 oz bacon, sliced into 1/2 pieces

12 small pickling onions, peeled

24 button mushrooms

1/4 cup brandy

1 beef stock cube

2 t lemon juice

handful Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the steak, wine, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Pour the mixture through a strainer and into a medium sized saucepan. Pick out the meat from the strainer and set aside.

Place the remaining solids back into the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat on the stove (Yes, stove…or preferably, a side burner on the grill. For this recipe, the grill is only replacing the oven). Boil for about 30 minutes, or until the liquid has been reduced by half.

Strain the contents through a sieve. Save the liquid and trash the solids.

Preheat and prepare the grill for a 2-zone, medium-low heat, indirect fire. In other words, place the coals only to one side of the grill and adjust the vents to keep the temperature between 300-325 F.

Place the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Lightly cover each piece of meat with flour, by rolling the meat across the plate.

Place a cast iron dutch oven directly on the grill grate over the coals and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the bacon and cook for 8-10 minutes or until browned and crisp. Keep the lid closed as much as possible while the bacon cooks, otherwise the grill temp will climb too high. If it does, slide the dutch oven off the coals to the unlit side.

Remove the bacon from pan. Cook the beef in batches, until well browned.

As the meat cooks, remove and set aside in a bowl.

Add the onions and cook until browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove and add to the beef.

Add the mushrooms to the dutch oven, and cook 4-5 minutes until soft and golden.  Remove.

Deglaze the dutch oven by adding the brandy. Cook for a minute, while scraping the bottom of the dutch oven to remove the fond.

Return the bacon, beef, onions and mushrooms to the dutch oven. Don’t forget to add any reaming juice in the bowl.

Add the reserved wine and bring to a boil, making sure the dutch oven is directly over the coals.

Crumble the stock cube into the dutch oven. Stir to combine.

Cover the dutch oven with its lid and slide to the indirect side of the grill.  Place the lid on the kettle and grill for 90 minutes, keeping the temperature between 300-350 F.

If the temperature starts to climb, gating down the top vent should reduce it.

Stir after 45 minutes. Remove from the grill once the meat is very tender. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley and serve.

The end result is a wonderfully flavored dish. The extra work of browning all of the ingredients is worth its weight in spades. There is a fabulous smokey richness that permeates every tender bite. It’s proof once again that my grill is better than an oven.

Postscript

Warning: Not for the weak of heart

While certainly germane to the process, but absolutely not to the recipe, I must share something that happened while I was grilling this dish.

As I dashed out the backdoor between courses of browned meat, I found myself standing directly in front of the grill when I heard a very loud thud not but a foot off my right side. I glanced overt to see a very large squirrel - that was half eaten. At the same moment, I heard rustling from above. As I looked up, I saw a large hawk, about 20 feet above my head, spread its wings and glide to a new perch in the back part of the yard. It moved fast, found its footing, and proceeded to stare back at me.

I looked at the mutilated squirrel, back to the hawk, and then to my dinner.

After removing the “sky kill” from the deck, I pondered on what exactly happened. Was the squirrel the appetizer for me, or for my beef burgundy? Regardless, it is probably the first time I’ve been more worried about what was going on over the top of my head than what was on the grill.

I’m not going to post it here, but to get an idea of “the scene”, check out the shot here.It just goes to show you, anything can happen by the grill.