Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew
Updated Sept. 11, 2024
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ¼ pound salt pork, diced
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 2to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ cup Cognac
- 2 cups beef stock
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons Pommery mustard or other whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into half-moon slices
- ½ pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and quartered
- ¼ cup red wine
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
542 calories; 30 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 1168 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place salt pork in a Dutch oven over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered. Remove solid pieces with a slotted spoon, and discard. Raise heat, and add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.
- Step 2
If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pot to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pot. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef.
- Step 3
Add Cognac to the empty pot, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and the crust comes loose. Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pot. Lower heat, partly cover, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1½ hours.
- Step 4
Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until slices are tender. As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a medium skillet over medium-high, and sauté mushrooms until browned.
- Step 5
Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
- For a slow-cooker version, render the salt pork in a large sauté pan, then sear the flour-dusted beef cubes in the fat. While the beef is browning, add onions, shallots, carrots, mushrooms and red wine to the slow cooker, along with the browned beef. Add Cognac to the empty pan, and deglaze. Add 1 cup stock (instead of 2), Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Transfer to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons Pommery mustard and warm through before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I used most of this recipe with much less mustard (family preference) and substituted bacon for the salt pork. Then I took a few tips from the NYT recipe for Auberge de la Madone's beef stew. I marinated the beef for a short time in red wine with fresh thyme, Rosemary, bay leaf, whole cloves and peppercorns. When the stew began to simmer I added the zest and juice of a small orange. All the flavors popped in the finished product. Excellent.
"Made exactly as instructed..."
This is, IMO, the key to good cooking. The first time I make something, I follow the recipe exactly. Once I know how the recipe is supposed to turn out, I can make adjustments. That said, I'm going to add the carrots sooner. ;-)
I've made this a couple of times, and it's great. HOWEVER, IMHO there is no need to spend $25 on a crock of Pommery mustard. It's very good mustard, of course, but really no better than most domestic whole-grain mustards that cost a buck or two in any supermarket. While some may prefer it in a blind tasting of mustards, any discernible difference is lost entirely in the stew.
Made this almost exactly as written - 10/10! I listened to others and kept the cover on and added carrots earlier. We are gluten free, so I coated the beef with Arrowroot instead of flour. I also added 2 additional tablespoons or arrowroot toward the end to thicken it the consistency I wanted. I did find the stew slightly sweeter than I would prefer, so next time I might cut the cognac in half.
I try to follow recipes exactly the first time, however since I made this during the Snowmageddon ‘26, I used ingredients I had on hand . Rendered bacon fat instead of salt pork and used Dijon mustard and brown mustard (nothing fancy), substituted bourbon for the cognac and sprinkled the meat with cinnamon and nutmeg. This was the best stew I have ever made. Will definitely make it again. Thanks!
I have made this multiple times with cognac, armanac, and different types of red wine and it has always been delicious. I needed to make this alcohol-free for my toddler, and it was a success! I used pear juice in place of the cognac and used the America’s Test Kitchen substitution for red wine (one teabag steeped in 4oz boiling water until cool, then 1 tsp distilled white vinegar). I haven’t made it in years and was pleasantly surprised at how good it still was without any of the alcohol. (I also thought I had salt pork but didn’t a with a blizzard out and no bacon or panchetta I just omitted it). Also, I know alcohol burns off, but not enough actually does unless you are boiling something for hours, so I prefer not to cook with alcohol if I can avoid it).
@Christina The alcohol cooks off in the 1 1/2 hours, so it is alcohol free.
@Christina I would avoid the red wine though because it doesn’t simmer long enough to remove the alcohol. I’m going to use the tea bag-vinegar solution to make this for my elderly mother ( who is on medications that can’t be mixed with alcohol) next week.