Preparation

• Trim any large visible fat pieces from your steak, and cut it into 1- to 2-inch cubes. Although traditional French cooking advocates marinating the meat pieces in the burgundy wine for a day or more, sirloin steak won't need quite so much time to pick up the flavor of the wine. While the steak is marinating in the wine, create a bouquet garni for cooking with the meat. Tie together whole sprigs of thyme, sage and rosemary to toss in the simmering dish.

Before Braising

• Before braising the beef in the burgundy wine, first brown it in some bacon fat. Since sirloin is so lean, the bacon fat helps give the dish its traditional rich flavor. Don't cook the beef all the way through; instead, just sear the outside. Add some minced garlic to the pan. When all the edges look browned, add a bit of the burgundy wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up all the bits.

In the Pot

• Sirloin steak won't need to cook as long in beef bourguignon as other cuts, such as top round roast or chuck-eye, so go ahead and add the pearl onions and mushrooms to the pot right away instead of waiting until the mixture cooks down. Add the bouquet garni and cover the meat and vegetables with a blend of burgundy wine and beef broth. Turn the burner on medium-low heat and cook in a Dutch oven for a couple of hours or until the mixture has cooked down and thickened. If you're using a slow cooker, the liquid won't evaporate to thicken the beef bourguignon. Instead, add a slurry made from a small amount of cornstarch mixed with cold water. Stir it into the dish toward the end of the cooking time, about three to four hours on low heat.

Tips and Tricks

• Before browning the beef in bacon fat, fry a few slices of bacon in the pan you'll use. Remove the cooked bacon before browning the beef and crumble it. Return it to the pan before deglazing it, and include the bacon in the dish for extra flavor. To help avoid overcooking the sirloin steak while the onions cook, blanch the pearl onions before adding them to the recipe, or use frozen onions, which cook more quickly. In the absence of authentic burgundy wine, substitute any dry red wine you'd enjoy drinking. Serve beef bourguignon with a glass of the same wine on the side.