Beef Bourguignon
Boeuf Bourguignon is one of the crowning achievements of French gastronomy—a slow-simmered beef stew where well-marbled chuck is patiently braised in full-bodied red Burgundy wine with lardons, garlic, carrots, and bouquet garni until fork-tender, then finished with glazed pearl onions and browned mushrooms.
The foundation of a great Bourguignon is drying the beef pieces completely before searing them in hot rendered bacon fat to create deep Maillard browning. The pan is deglazed with red wine, scraping up all browned bits, then gently braised at a bare simmer for 2.5 to 3 hours so collagen breaks down into a luxurious, glossy sauce without stringiness.
Serve warm in wide, shallow bowls accompanied by buttered egg noodles, boiled fingerling potatoes, or a fresh crusty French baguette to sop up the velvet wine gravy.
If you appreciate classic French dishes, you may also enjoy exploring our authentic Bouillabaisse.
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Ingredients
- 1.5 kg (3 lbs) Beef chuck roast (cut into 2-inch cubes)
- 200g (7 oz) Thick-cut bacon or pancetta (cut into strips)
- 1 large Yellow onion (sliced)
- 2 large Carrots (sliced into 1-inch thick rounds)
- 24 Pearl onions (peeled)
- 450g (1 lb) Fresh Cremini or white button mushrooms (quartered)
- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 bottle (750 ml) Dry red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, or Merlot)
- 2 cups High-quality beef stock
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 2 fresh bay leaves (Herb bouquet)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
9 stepsInteractive Cook Mode: Click any step or circle to check it off as you cook.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside (leaving the fat in the pot).
Season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high and sear the beef in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms, then set aside.
Turn heat down to medium, add the sliced yellow onion and carrots to the pot, and sauté for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
Stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables, sprinkle the flour evenly over them, and toss continuously for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
Pour in the red wine and beef stock, vigorously scraping up all the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return the beef and bacon to the pot and submerge the herb bouquet.
Bring to a boil, turn heat down to low, cover tightly, and simmer gently for 2.5 to 3 hours until the beef is completely fork-tender.
About 20 minutes before the beef finishes, melt butter in a separate pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
Discard the herb bouquet from the stew. Stir the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions directly into the Dutch oven.
Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes to let the sauce thicken to a glossy glaze, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot!
👨🍳 Chef's Culinary Notes
Cultural Heritage
Hailing from the Burgundy region of eastern France, this dish began as hearty peasant sustenance using tough cuts of local Charolais beef and regional red wine. It was later codified into haute cuisine by legendary chef Auguste Escoffier in 1903.
Dietary Substitutions
Use any dry, tannic red wine such as Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Côtes du Rhône. For non-alcoholic cooking, substitute the wine with rich beef bone broth mixed with two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and pomegranate molasses.
Chef Technique Tips
Always brown the mushrooms and pearl onions separately in butter at the end and fold them in during the final 15 minutes. Simmering them for the entire 3 hours would make the mushrooms mushy and break apart the delicate onions.
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