Beef Oxtail Bourguignon

I have an announcement, folks.

I’m French.

I’m officially French.

It’s kind of hard to believe.

After over a year of paperwork and waiting, I finally received the letter that – as a fellow naturalized Française warned me – informed me, not that I was French, but rather that I have been French for about a month. Actually, a month yesterday. I was French without knowing it.

And that means that I was French when I made this beef bourguignon.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, I felt French making it: pulling it together without a recipe, cooking the way my mother and father-in-law always have – a bit of this, a bit of that, no measuring, no timing. Just making it look right, taste right, feel right.

I don’t have much to say about my Frenchness. I think I’m still processing it.

For months, I’ve been joking that I’ll know I’m French when I suddenly wake up with the desire to râler, to complain. But I don’t want to complain. I think it just feels… right. To finally be accepted and welcomed by the country I chose almost 12 years ago.

And that’s good enough for me.

Beef Oxtail Bourguignon

1 kilo beef oxtail
1 carrot, cut into two-inch sections
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 liters Burgundy or other pinot noir
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons neutral oil
4 carrots, cut into rounds
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
salt and pepper, to taste

Place the oxtail, carrot, and onion in a bowl, and cover with the Burgundy. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss in the flour to coat.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. 

Heat the butter and oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Add the meat in an even layer, and sear on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove the meat from the pot, and deglaze the pot by adding the marinade (including the onion and carrot). Bring up the fond and bring the marinade to a simmer.

Add the beef back to the pot, cover, and braise for about 3 hours, until the meat is very tender.

Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Strain out the liquid, discarding the carrots and the onion. Set the meat aside.

Reduce the marinade by about half, then add the sliced carrots and the beef. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes while preparing the mushrooms.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Season to taste and add to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine, season once more, and serve over noodles or mashed potatoes.