Braised Beef Paleron with Root Vegetables

Pat the beef completely dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with fine sea salt and black pepper. Dice the mirepoix vegetables and lardons. Prepare all root vegetables into their respective cuts. Tie the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns into a bouquet garni with kitchen string.

Place the seasoned beef on a wire rack uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 150°C, or 130°C for a fan oven, or 300°F. Place a large, heavy Dutch oven or cocotte over high heat. Add the beef dripping and heat until just smoking. Sear the paleron for 4-5 minutes per side, undisturbed, until a deep mahogany crust forms on all surfaces. Transfer the beef to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add the lardons to the same pot and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and have rendered their fat.

Add the diced onion, diced mirepoix carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelise at the edges.

Push the vegetables aside, add the garlic and tomato paste to the centre of the pot, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens to a brick-red colour.

Pour in the entire bottle of wine and bring to a vigorous boil over high heat. Scrape up all browned bits from the base of the pot with a wooden spoon. Boil for 10 minutes until the wine has reduced by one-third.

Add the beef stock and bouquet garni. Nestle the seared paleron back into the pot — the liquid should come two-thirds of the way up the meat. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.

Cover the pot tightly with its lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise for 1 hour 30 minutes undisturbed.

Remove the lid and add the parsnip batons, turnip wedges, celeriac cubes, and carrot batons, submerging them partially in the braising liquid. Replace the lid and return to the oven for a further 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender and the beef registers 90-95°C on a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part — for full collagen breakdown and pull-apart texture, the target is 90°C minimum, not merely the safe internal temperature.

Lift the paleron and vegetables onto a warmed serving platter and tent loosely with foil. Discard the bouquet garni. Place the Dutch oven over high heat and boil the braising liquid for 15-20 minutes, skimming fat frequently, until it reduces to a glossy, sauce-like consistency that lightly coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and whisk in the cold butter cubes one at a time to mount the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove the string from the beef, slice or pull into portions, and spoon the sauce generously over the meat and vegetables before serving.