Dinner

Campfire Wagyu French Onion Soup

Name: Campfire Wagyu French Onion Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Fresh chives, finely chopped for serving; 1 1/2 lb American Wagyu chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes, for the Wagyu Beef; 1 loaf French baguette, cut into ¾-inch slices, for the Gruyère Baguette Toasts; 3 1/2 lb Yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced, for the Onions & Shallots; 8 cups Beef stock, rich, unsalted or low sodium, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; Extra Gruyère, for anyone who wants more cheese; 12 oz Gruyère cheese, freshly grated, for the Gruyère Baguette Toasts; 1/4 cup Dry sherry, for deglazing, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; 4 large Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced, for the Onions & Shallots; 1 tbsp Avocado oil, for searing, for the Wagyu Beef; 4 tbsp Unsalted butter, for caramelizing, for the Onions & Shallots; 2 tbsp All-purpose flour, for lightly thickening the soup, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, for seasoning the beef, for the Wagyu Beef; 4 oz Provolone cheese, freshly grated or thinly sliced, for the Gruyère Baguette Toasts; 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, for the onions, for the Onions & Shallots; 1/2 tsp Black pepper, freshly cracked, for the Wagyu Beef; 6 sprigs Fresh thyme, leave whole, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, for toasting the bread, for the Gruyère Baguette Toasts; 3 cloves Garlic, finely minced, for the Onions & Shallots; 2 whole Bay leaves, remove before serving, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; 1 clove Garlic, peeled and halved, for the Gruyère Baguette Toasts; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, for additional savory flavor, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning; 1 tsp Sherry vinegar, add near the end, for the Beef Broth & Seasoning

Slow-cooked onions, tender Wagyu beef and a ridiculous amount of melted Gruyère.

30 min prep 3 hours cook serves 8Medium

Yellow onions and shallots caramelized in butter, simmered with Wagyu beef, dry sherry and rich beef stock, then finished with toasted baguette and melted Gruyère. Cooked low and slow in a Dutch oven for a proper cold-weather camp dinner.

Cooked on

Dutch oven
Campfire
Camper stove

One potMake ahead

Cooking it in the Dutch Oven

This recipe has three main stages: searing the Wagyu, slowly caramelizing the onions and simmering everything together until the beef is tender.

Start with a steady bed of coals or a camp stove set over medium heat. The beef needs higher heat to sear, the onions need moderate heat and the finished soup should barely bubble while it simmers.

Do not rush the onions. They're what makes this French onion soup instead of just beef broth with a bunch of vegetables floating around in it.

If you're cooking over a campfire, keep a separate area of hot coals ready so you can adjust the heat without constantly moving the Dutch oven.

Give the Wagyu a proper sear
Pat the Wagyu cubes dry with paper towels and season with the salt and black pepper.
Set the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil.
Once the oil is hot, add the beef in a single layer. Work in two batches if necessary.
Let the pieces sear untouched for about 2 minutes, then turn and brown the remaining sides.
Transfer the browned beef to a plate or bowl. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
If there is a ridiculous amount of rendered fat in the Dutch oven, spoon some out. Leave about 2 tablespoons behind.
Don't waste the Wagyu by crowding it
A big pile of cold beef will drop the temperature of the Dutch oven and start steaming instead of searing. Give the pieces room to brown.
Keep the browned bits
The crust on the beef and the browned bits left behind in the pot give the broth a deeper roasted flavor. All of that gets worked back into the soup later.
Get the onions cooking
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the butter to the Dutch oven and let it melt into the remaining beef fat.
Add the sliced yellow onions, shallots and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
Stir until everything is evenly coated in the butter.
Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened considerably and released a good amount of moisture.
If the pot is especially full, cover it for the first 10 minutes to help the onions soften before you start browning them.
The shallots are worth the extra chopping
Yellow onions give us the familiar sweet onion flavor while shallots add a slightly different aromatic character. Cooking them together creates a more layered onion base.
Don't start with nuclear heat
The bottom of a Dutch oven holds a lot of heat. You want the onions to soften and release moisture before they start browning heavily.
Turn the onions into the good stuff
Continue cooking the onions over medium-low heat, uncovered.
Stir every few minutes, scraping the bottom and sides of the Dutch oven as you go.
As the onions cook down, they'll start sticking a little and developing golden-brown edges.
Keep going until they're deeply golden, soft and almost jammy.
Expect this stage to take another 45 to 70 minutes, sometimes longer depending on the Dutch oven and how much heat you're working with.
If the bottom starts getting too dark, add a tablespoon or two of water and scrape up the browned bits.
You want rich golden-brown onions, not blackened onion sludge.
Don't rush the damn onions
This is the step that makes the entire soup.
Cranking the heat to get it done faster will burn the sugars on the outside before the onions have fully softened. Give them the time they need.
No added sugar needed
The onions and shallots contain plenty of natural sugars. Slowly cooking them develops their sweetness and creates the deep savory flavor we're after without turning the finished soup into candy.
A little water can save the batch
If browned bits start sticking to the bottom, add a small splash of water and scrape them loose. You're keeping the good flavor in the pot without letting it burn.
Build the base
Once the onions are properly caramelized, add the minced garlic.
Cook for about 30 seconds while stirring.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the onions and stir until no dry patches remain. Cook for another minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Pour in the dry sherry.
Stir well and scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to release all the browned bits that have built up during cooking.
Let the sherry simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced considerably.
Sherry belongs in French onion soup
Dry sherry brings a nutty depth that works beautifully with caramelized onions and beef stock. It gives the broth another layer of flavor without making the soup taste like wine.
Cooking sherry is not the move
Many supermarket cooking sherries contain added salt. Use actual dry drinking sherry so you have better control over the seasoning.
Bring the Wagyu back
Return the seared Wagyu and any accumulated juices to the Dutch oven.
Pour in the beef stock.
Add the fresh thyme, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
Stir everything together and bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
Reduce the heat, cover the Dutch oven with the lid slightly ajar and let it simmer for about 75 to 105 minutes.
Stir occasionally and check the beef toward the end. It should be tender enough to break apart easily with a fork.
If the beef needs more time, keep simmering until it's tender.
This is a simmer, not a rolling boil
A hard boil will reduce the stock too quickly and can leave the beef tough. Keep the heat low enough that you only see occasional gentle bubbles.
Keep some extra stock nearby
If the soup reduces more than expected, add a splash of beef stock or water. This is especially useful when cooking over a campfire where the heat isn't perfectly consistent.
Wagyu chuck needs time
Chuck has connective tissue that gradually softens during a long, gentle simmer. The result is tender beef that actually belongs in the soup instead of expensive steak that's been boiled to death.
Get the bread ready
While the soup finishes simmering, slice the baguette into ¾-inch pieces.
Lightly butter each side, then toast the bread over moderate heat until golden and crisp.
Rub one side of each toast with the cut garlic clove.
Pile the grated Gruyère and provolone onto the bread.
If you're cooking over a campfire, place the toasts on a suitable heatproof tray over gentle indirect heat. Cover loosely with foil and let the cheese melt for about 3 to 5 minutes.
You can also use a clean inverted camp Dutch oven lid as a griddle if yours is designed for that.
If you're using a camper stove, a covered cast iron skillet over low heat works too.
Once the cheese is melted, remove the toasts from the heat and set them aside.
Don't set the bread directly over raging coals
We're trying to melt cheese and toast bread, not manufacture eight little charcoal briquettes.
Toast first, cheese second
Toasted bread holds up longer once it hits the soup. Melting the cheese separately also means you don't need eight oven-safe soup bowls or a broiler in the middle of the woods.
Do the toasts at home if you want
You can toast the baguette ahead of time and pack it in a dry container. Just melt the cheese at camp right before serving.
Taste it before you touch the salt
Once the Wagyu is fork-tender, remove the thyme stems and bay leaves.
Taste the broth.
Stir in the sherry vinegar and let everything simmer for another 2 minutes.
Taste again and adjust with additional salt, black pepper or a little more vinegar if needed.
If a thick layer of fat has collected on the surface, skim some of it off.
The finished soup should be rich, savory and slightly sweet from the onions without feeling greasy.
Don't salt it before tasting
Beef stock, Worcestershire and the reduction during cooking all affect the final seasoning. Taste the finished broth before deciding it needs more salt.
The vinegar is doing some actual work
The onions bring sweetness while the Wagyu and stock add richness. A small amount of vinegar helps balance everything without making the soup noticeably sour.
Finish with a lot of cheese
Ladle the hot soup into deep bowls, making sure everyone gets a decent amount of Wagyu and caramelized onions.
Float one or two cheesy baguette toasts on top of each bowl.
Finish with a little chopped chive if using.
Serve immediately while the soup is steaming and the Gruyère is still melted.
Don't put the toast in too early
Let everyone add their own cheesy toast when they're ready to eat. The bread keeps a better texture and you're not fishing soggy baguette out of the Dutch oven.
Keep the cheese toast coming
Make a few extra pieces. Somebody is absolutely going to want another one after they finish the first.