Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
40 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs 30 mins
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Marinating
1 d
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Servings
5
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Calories
745 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
French
Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)
Description
Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy) begins by marinating chunked chuck beef in pinot noir red wine with aromatics including carrot, pearl onions, bay leaf, and thyme. The beef is dried, seasoned, and browned in batches to develop a deep crust, crucial for flavor. Bacon batons are then cooked until golden to add fat and smoky flavor. Mushrooms and garlic are sautéed, followed by tomato paste and flour to develop the sauce base.
The reserved red wine marinade is reduced and combined with homemade or good quality beef stock. All components are added back to an oven-resistant pot and slow-cooked in the oven until the beef is tender and the sauce thickened. This method creates a luxurious stew with tender meat and a sauce flavored by wine, herbs, and bacon.
The dish is traditionally garnished with chopped parsley and can be served with sides like mashed potatoes or crusty bread. Proper browning and marinating enhance the depth of flavor. Using quality ingredients, especially beef stock and wine, improves the final result. Storing leftovers for several days allows flavors to meld further.
When scaling the recipe, brown meat and vegetables in batches to avoid crowding, which can cause steaming instead of browning. Pearl onions may be substituted with peeled pickling onions soaked to ease removal. Bacon type matters for fat content; choose streaky or speck for best flavor. Slow cooker use is possible but may require finishing sauce reduction on stovetop.
Ingredients
Beef marinade:
- 800g/ 1.6 lb chuck beef , cut in 4-5 cm / 2” cubes (Note 1)
- 2 carrot ~300g/10oz), cut on an angle into 4-5 cm / 2” pieces, large
- 16 pearl onion Note 2, or small, round pickling onions
- 1 bay leaf , fresh (sub: dried)
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 750ml/ 25 oz pinot noir Note 3, or other red wine
Browning beef:
- 3 tbsp neutral cooking oil olive, canola or vegetable, generic cooking oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Stew:
- 200g/ 7oz mushrooms , halved (quarters if large)
- 150g/ 5oz Bacon cut into 1cm / 1/2” thick batons (Note 4, piece
- 50g/3 tbsp butter unsalted
- 3 garlic minced, cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose
- 3 cups beef stock preferably homemade; otherwise the best you can afford (Note 5, low sodium
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp parsley for garnish, chopped
Instructions
Marinate beef:
- Marinate beef: Place the Beef Marinade ingredients in a large, non-reactive ceramic dish or ziplock bag. Marinate overnight in the fridge (minimum 12 hours, maximum 24 hours).
- Strain liquid into a bowl, reserve marinade. Separate the beef, carrots and onion.
- Reduce wine: Pour red wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer vigorously, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, until reduced by half. Set aside.
Brown beef and vegetables:
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan).
- Dry beef: Line a tray with paper towels, spread beef out, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Season beef: Sprinkle beef with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
- Brown beef: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof pot over high heat. Add 1/3 beef and brown aggressively all over. Remove into bowl, then repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if needed.
- Fry bacon: Add bacon and cook for 3 minutes until golden. Add to bowl with beef.
- Sauté mushrooms: Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove into a new bowl.
- Sauté onion: Add a bit of extra oil if needed, then cook onions for 5 minutes or until there are nice golden patches. Add to bowl with mushrooms.
- Sauté carrot: Add butter into pot. Once melted, add carrot and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until there are golden patches. Add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Tomato paste: Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flour: Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add wine and stock: While stirring, slowly pour in beef stock – this helps the flour dissolve lump-free into the stock. Then add wine and mix until flour mixture is dissolved and mostly lump-free (Note 6).
- Add beef into pot: Add beef, bacon, thyme, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper into the pot, then stir well.
Slow-cook:
- Oven 1 hour: Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 1 hour. (Note 7)
- Mushrooms and onion: Remove from oven, stir in mushrooms and onion.
- Oven 1½ hours: Cover with lid and return to oven for 1½ hours, or until beef is "fall-apart tender".
- Adjust salt: Remove from oven, taste sauce and add salt if needed. (Note 8 - important!)
- Leave overnight (recommended): If time permits, leave the stew overnight before serving because as with all stews, it gets better with time! Reheat gently on a low stove.
- Serve over mashed potato – Essential for mopping up every drop of that amazing sauce!
Notes
- Brown meat and vegetables in batches to ensure proper caramelization rather than steaming.
- Choose chuck beef with visible fat marbling for a juicier, more tender stew; cut large pieces yourself instead of buying small pre-cut.
- Soak pearl onions in cold water to soften skins for easier peeling if fresh pearl onions are unavailable.
- Pinot Noir is the traditional wine choice; inexpensive bottles work well for cooking.
- Bacon lardons contribute key flavor and texture; use streaky bacon or speck if slab bacon is unavailable.
- Homemade beef stock is preferable for richer stew; avoid powdered stock.
- If flour lumps form while thickening, they will dissolve during slow cooking.
- Oven cooking is preferred for hands-off simmering; slow cooker can be used but may require stove reduction to thicken sauce afterward.
- Salt adjustments depend on bacon saltiness and stock used; season at the end to taste.
- The stew keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and freezes effectively.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 5Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 745 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 745cal | 37% |
| Carbohydrates | 25g | 8% |
| Protein | 47g | 94% |
| Fat | 40g | 62% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 165mg | 55% |
| Sodium | 1822mg | 76% |
| Potassium | 1206mg | 26% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 4476IU | 90% |
| Vitamin C | 12mg | 13% |
| Calcium | 69mg | 7% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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