Description
Beef Bourguignon is the dish that turned Julia Child into a household name in America, but it had been the backbone of Burgundian farmhouse cooking for centuries before that. It is a braise of tough beef transformed by red wine, lardons, mushrooms, and pearl onions into something impossibly tender and deeply savory. This is patient cooking — the kind of dish that rewards you for giving it time.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, diced
- 1 bottle (750ml) dry red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, tied with twine)
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 8 ounces pearl onions, peeled
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. This is essential — wet meat will steam rather than sear.
- Cook the diced bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Working in batches to avoid crowding, sear the beef in the bacon fat over medium-high heat until deeply browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside with the bacon.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and carrots to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute until the paste darkens slightly.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the entire bottle of wine and the beef stock, scraping up every bit of fond from the bottom of the pot. Return the beef and bacon to the pot. Add the bouquet garni. The liquid should nearly cover the meat.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to a 325°F oven. Braise for 2.5 to 3.5 hours until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened.
- While the beef braises, prepare the garnish. Sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter over high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. In a separate pan, brown the pearl onions in the remaining butter over medium heat, then add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Discard the bouquet garni. Stir in the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions. If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 10-15 minutes to reduce.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in warmed bowls over buttered egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty bread, garnished with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Use a full bottle of good wine you would actually drink — the quality of the wine is the quality of the sauce. Avoid anything labeled cooking wine.
- This dish is even better the next day after the flavors have had time to deepen and meld in the refrigerator overnight.
- Searing the beef in small batches is tedious but non-negotiable. Crowding the pot drops the temperature and causes the meat to steam and turn gray.
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving