Question re: Beef Bourguignonne & browning meat

[waltnj]

Last night I made this recipe & Yum! I did however come pretty close to setting off the fire alarm because it says to cook the bacon then meat in 2 batches but when it came to the 2nd batch there was so much (fond?) on the bottom of the pan it began to burn (and smoke) a lot. I tossed in a little oil and this helped stop the smoking & I was able to finish browning the meat. I had a similiar occurrance happen last week making a chicken stew.

So my question is, how do you brown meat in batches without sending smoke signals? Do I need more fat? Is my pan too hot?

I am using a new Le Creuset French oven (which is new) and an electric stovetop (I am still getting used to this too).
Any & all advice is appreciated. Thanks.
Waltnj

BTW I know this has been reviewed before but this recipe is really great. It is so tasty & very easy (once the meat is browned). ;-)

[kcmo727]

Hi Walt,

I have found that Le Creuset pans conduct heat in a different manner than regular pans but you do get used to cooking with them. Here are two tips that have helped me: use a combination of butter and olive oil, instead of just one or the other. Just a tablespoon of oil will help with browning meats evenly and reducing burning. Also, never set your stove higher than medium when using these pans. Doing both these things will prevent or at least decrease the amount of browning on the bottom of your pan. Hope that helps!

Michelle