150g Pancetta slab to cut into lardons (equal strips approximately 5mm wide)
Beef dripping or Schmaltz to cook
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic crushed
2 sticks celery diced (optional)
500g Beef Stock
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Tomato puree
1 tbsp. corn flour mixed with a little cold water
Punnet button onions or shallots peeled
Ingredients to garnish
3 carrots peeled & diced
Punnet chestnut mushrooms cut in half
Salt & black pepper
Method for Bourguignon
Cut into 8 equal pieces & marinated in the red wine, thyme & bay leaf ideally overnight (or any other diced beef of your choice)
Drain the cheeks reserving the red wine for later
Preheat oven to 130°C for fan-assisted or 150°C for ovens without a fan (gas 2)
Gently fry the pancetta lardons in a flameproof casserole dish until golden then remove from the pan using a slotted spoon & reserve
Season the cheeks then in the rendered pancetta fat sear over high heat until browned all over, remove from the pan & set aside
Add a little extra fat then soften the diced onions, garlic & celery over low heat until soft then deglaze with the reserved wine, mustard & tomato puree then reduce a little, bring to a boil & thicken a little with the corn flour
Add the ox cheeks to the gravy, cover with a lid & place in the oven for 3½ hours or until fork-tender
Pass the gravy through a fine strainer into a clean pan, skim away any fat that rises to the surface then reduce a little until rich & glossy & pour back over the ox cheeks & lardons
