Description
Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew featuring tender cubes of beef braised in Burgundy wine with bacon, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. This hearty and flavorful dish is perfect for a comforting meal and tastes even better the next day after the flavors have melded beautifully.
Ingredients
Scale
For the stew
- 1/2 pound thick cut bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 pounds beef chuck trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 2 large carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup flour
- 8 sprigs thyme tied together
- 3 cups Burgundy wine or other dry red wine
- 2 large bay leaves
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth or stock
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
For finishing
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 16 pearl onions
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms quartered
- 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the rack in the middle to accommodate a large Dutch oven with a lid.
- Cook bacon: Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook until most of the fat is rendered, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Prepare beef: Pat beef cubes dry and season with salt and pepper. Toss with flour, shaking off excess to keep some flour reserved. Sear beef in batches in the Dutch oven until well browned on all sides. Set aside on a plate.
- Sauté vegetables: Remove most fat from the pot leaving about 1/4 cup. Add onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until softening. Add carrots and cook another 5 to 7 minutes until they develop some color.
- Add garlic and tomato paste: Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant for 1 to 2 minutes, then add tomato paste. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, adding a little water if it begins to burn.
- Thicken sauce: Add the remaining flour and stir well. Cook for about 2 minutes until the flour is no longer white.
- Add liquids and herbs: Gradually pour in the wine and beef broth, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift browned bits. Add the seared beef, bacon, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Turn off heat.
- Braise in oven: Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 and a half to 3 hours until the beef is very tender. Check at 90 minutes; if sauce is too thick or sticking, add 1/2 cup water and stir.
- Season and remove herbs: Remove pot from oven, discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Skim any fat from the surface.
- Adjust sauce consistency: If sauce is thin, strain cooking liquid into a separate pot and simmer over medium-high heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Return solids and sauce to the Dutch oven and keep covered.
- Cook pearl onions: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add pearl onions and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender, then remove and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Cook mushrooms: In the same pan, add mushrooms and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until they release moisture and start to brown. Add butter and cook another 2 to 3 minutes until mushrooms are glossy.
- Combine vegetables: Return pearl onions to the pan with mushrooms, toss to coat with butter, and season with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme leaves. Turn off the heat.
- Finish and serve: Stir minced parsley into the stew. Serve beef bourguignon with mushrooms and pearl onions either mixed in or plated separately. Accompany with mashed potatoes or crusty bread for a complete meal.
Notes
- Allow the stew to cool and refrigerate overnight if possible; reheating it the next day improves flavor concentration significantly.
- To reheat, gently simmer on the stovetop over medium to medium-low heat until hot, adding water if the sauce thickens too much.
- This recipe makes 6 large or 8 moderate-sized servings.
- Use homemade beef stock if available, but low sodium beef base offers superior flavor to boxed stock. Adjust salt accordingly.
- Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and freeze well for up to 6 months.
- Serving with mashed potatoes or crusty bread complements the rich sauce perfectly.
