French Beef Stew (Boeuf Bourguignon)
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
45 mins
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Cook Time
2 hrs
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Servings
8
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Calories
471 kcal
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Course
Main Course
French Beef Stew (Boeuf Bourguignon)
Description
French Beef Stew (Boeuf Bourguignon) begins by frying diced applewood smoked bacon in olive oil until browned and crisp, leaving rendered fat in the pot. Beef cubes are then seasoned, dried, and seared in batches to brown all sides without overcrowding. After setting beef aside, the same pot cooks carrots, sliced onions, and chopped garlic until lightly browned. The stew is deglazed and combined with tomato paste, cognac, full-bodied Burgundy wine, beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. The mixture then braises slowly in the oven, allowing flavors to meld and the meat to become tender.
Mushrooms and pearl onions are added towards the end to maintain their texture and enhance the earthy notes. Finished with butter and flour for a velvety sauce, the stew offers a rich, savory experience with layers of smokiness from the bacon, the fruitiness of wine, and the depth from herbs and vegetables. The slow cooking ensures the chuck becomes tender, breaking down connective tissues for an inviting mouthfeel.
This dish is typically served warm, perfect with crusty bread or creamy mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce. It showcases classic French techniques and ingredients, making it suitable for a special family meal or when craving traditional European flavors. Adjustments like substituting chopped sweet onions for pearl onions are possible if necessary.
Allow the stew to cool before refrigerating if not served immediately, and reheat gently while basting to maintain moisture. Wine pairing with a jammy Pinot Noir that matches the cooking wine complements the meal.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 12 oz Bacon diced, applewood smoked, thick cut
- 3 lbs chuck beef trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 lb carrot peeled and cut into chunks or coins
- 2 onion thinly sliced, yellow
- 10 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ cup cognac
- 2 cups pinot noir or other full-bodied Burgundy wine, good quality
- 3 cups beef broth low sodium
- 2 TB tomato paste
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- 4 TB butter room temperature
- 3 TB flour
- 1 lb pearl onions whole, frozen
- 1 lb button mushroom thickly sliced, or cremini mushroom, fresh
- 3 bay leaf
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- parsley chopped fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Heat 2 TB oil in large Dutch oven (or heavy, oven-safe pot with tight fitting lid.) Add bacon and cook over medium until evenly and lightly browned throughout. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to a large plate. Remaining oil and grease should stay in the pot.
- Using paper towels, thoroughly dry uncooked beef and sprinkle the cubes evenly with a thin layer of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Reheat the oil/bacon grease in the Dutch oven and sear the beef cubes in a single layer, working in batches, until each cube is brown on all sides. Do not over crowd the pan, making sure to leave some space between each piece of beef. Add more oil as needed to finish browning. Set beef aside in plate with the bacon.
- If needed, heat 2 TB oil in pot. Add carrots, onions, garlic, 1 TB kosher salt, 2 tsp black pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until onions are lightly browned. Deglaze bottom of pot, adding 1 TB oil as needed. Add Cognac and cook another 10 minutes on medium.
- Add beef and bacon back into Dutch oven with their juices. Add the wine and enough beef broth to almost cover all the meat. Add tomato paste, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Once liquid is reaches a simmer, cover the pot with tight fitting lid and place in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender when pierced with fork.
- Meanwhile, mix together 2 TB butter with 3 TB flour in small bowl and set aside. Sauté mushrooms with 2 TB butter in skillet just until mushrooms start to become soft.
- Remove stew from oven. Add the butter/flour mixture, frozen pearl onions, and mushrooms to the stew. Bring to a boil on stovetop and immediately reduce to simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Skim off any fat off the top. Remove bay leaves. Season with additional kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread, rice, or egg noodles.
Notes
- If not serving immediately, cool the stew completely at room temperature before refrigerating to preserve flavor and safety.
- Reheat the stew by simmering covered for 15 minutes, occasionally basting with its sauce to keep the meat moist.
- Frozen whole pearl onions may be substituted with chopped sweet onions if unavailable.
- A full-bodied red wine similar to the cooking wine, such as a jammy Pinot Noir, pairs well with this stew.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 471 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 471kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 13g | 4% |
| Protein | 37g | 74% |
| Fat | 27g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 12g | 60% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 132mg | 44% |
| Sodium | 487mg | 20% |
| Potassium | 915mg | 19% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 3208IU | 64% |
| Vitamin C | 8mg | 9% |
| Calcium | 62mg | 6% |
| Iron | 5mg | 28% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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