Description
Classic French Beef Bourguignon is a rich, savory stew made with tender chuck beef, mushrooms, pearl onions, and bacon slow-cooked in red wine and beef stock until fall-apart tender. This hearty dish, originating from Burgundy, pairs perfectly with creamy mashed potatoes and benefits from marinating overnight to develop deep, complex flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef Marinade
- 800g / 1.6 lb chuck beef, cut into 4-5 cm / 2” cubes
- 2 large carrots (~300g / 10 oz), cut on an angle into 4-5 cm / 2” pieces
- 16 pearl onions or small, round pickling onions
- 1 bay leaf, fresh (or dried as substitute)
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 750ml / 25 oz Pinot Noir or other red wine
Browning Beef
- 3 tbsp oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Stew
- 200g / 7 oz mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
- 150g / 5 oz bacon, cut into 1 cm / 1/2” thick batons
- 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 tbsp plain / all purpose flour
- 3 cups beef stock (low sodium), preferably homemade
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Marinate Beef: Combine the chuck beef, carrots, pearl onions, bay leaf, thyme, and red wine in a large non-reactive ceramic dish or ziplock bag. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours to allow flavors to develop.
- Strain and Separate: Strain the marinade liquid into a bowl, reserving it. Separate the beef, carrots, and onions from the marinade and set aside.
- Reduce Wine: Pour the reserved red wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer vigorously, skimming off impurities, until the wine is reduced by half. Set aside the reduced wine.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Beef: Preheat your oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Drain the beef on paper towels and pat dry thoroughly. Season the beef cubes with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Brown Beef: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based, ovenproof pot over high heat. Brown the beef in batches, adding 1/3 of the beef at a time, ensuring each piece is seared well on all sides. Remove browned beef to a bowl and repeat until all beef is browned. Add more oil if necessary.
- Cook Bacon: Add bacon batons to the same pot and fry for about 3 minutes until golden. Transfer bacon to the bowl with beef.
- Sauté Mushrooms: Add mushrooms to the pot and cook for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove mushrooms to a separate bowl.
- Sauté Onions: Add extra oil if needed, then sauté the pearl onions until they develop golden patches, about 5 minutes. Combine onions with mushrooms.
- Sauté Carrots and Garlic: Add butter to the pot and melt. Add carrots and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden spots appear. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add Tomato Paste and Flour: Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for another 2 minutes to form a roux base.
- Add Liquids: Gradually pour in beef stock while stirring to prevent lumps, then add the reduced wine. Stir until the mixture is mostly lump-free.
- Add Beef and Herbs: Return browned beef and bacon to the pot. Add thyme sprigs, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Oven Cook 1 Hour: Bring the stew to a simmer on the stovetop. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour.
- Add Mushrooms and Onions: Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the cooked mushrooms and onions.
- Oven Cook Another 1.5 Hours: Cover again and return the pot to the oven. Continue cooking for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- Adjust Seasoning: Remove from oven, taste the sauce, and adjust salt as needed depending on bacon and stock saltiness.
- Rest Overnight (Optional but Recommended): For best flavor, allow the stew to rest overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently on low heat before serving.
- Serve: Serve the Beef Bourguignon hot over creamy mashed potatoes and garnish with chopped parsley to enjoy every drop of the luscious sauce.
Notes
- When scaling the recipe, brown meat and vegetables in batches to achieve proper caramelization and avoid steaming.
- Use chuck beef with good marbling to ensure juiciness and tenderness. Cut your own pieces rather than buying pre-cut small pieces.
- If pearl onions are unavailable, use pickling onions peeled extra or substitute with halved brown or yellow onions sliced thinly.
- Pinot Noir is traditional, but affordable red wines are perfectly fine for this recipe.
- Bacon with a good fat content like slab bacon or speck contributes essential seasoning and flavor.
- Homemade beef stock greatly enhances the dish, but good quality store-bought is acceptable. Avoid powdered stock.
- Don’t worry about lumps from flour; they dissolve during slow cooking.
- The oven method allows hands-off slow cooking. Slow cooker can be used but requires additional stove reduction at the end.
- Salt amounts vary widely; taste and adjust at the end to avoid over or under seasoning.
- Stew can be stored refrigerated for up to 5 days and freezes well.
- Cooking times: Prep approx. 40 minutes, Cooking approx. 2 hours 30 minutes, Total about 3 hours 10 minutes including marinating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/5th of recipe)
- Calories: 550 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
