This is what authentic French beef bourguignon should taste like! If you are a fan of beef stews, you will love this one. It is the ultimate beef stew recipe with a rich red wine-infused sauce. This truly is restaurant-style food!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
To make the best Beef Bourguignon Recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Bacon
- Beef brisket (or chuck steak)
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Onion
- Garlic
- Flour
- Red wine (good quality Merlot or Pinot Noir)
- Beef stock
- Tomato paste
- Beef bouillon
- Fresh thyme and parsley
- Bay leaves
- Mushrooms
- Butter
If you want to make this meal truly memorable, buy a good quality cut of beef and wine you would drink.
How To Make Beef Bourguignon?
- Prep the meat and veggies, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl or plate, and leave the bacon grease in the pot.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the pieces in the bacon fat. You might need to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot or the meat won’t brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the bowl with the bacon.
- Saute the onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes in the bacon and meat fat left in the pot for 3 minutes. Return the beef and bacon to the pot, and sprinkle the flour on top. Stir until everything is well covered in flour and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, beef bouillon, and herbs. Bring to a simmer, place the lid on and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2.5 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
- 10 minutes before the cooking time is over, melt the butter in a large skillet and saute two minced cloves of garlic for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook them for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix them into the stew. Return the stew (covered) to the oven to cook for the last 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with freshly chopped parsley over mashed potatoes.
How To Serve Beef Bourguignon?
The traditional way is to serve it over Mashed Potatoes even though I use baby potatoes in the stew, my family still loves to eat it over freshly made mashed potatoes. You can omit the baby potatoes and use pearl onions instead. You will also need a freshly baked Italian Bread loaf to sop up all the amazing sauce. For dessert, a decadent Black Magic Cake is the way to go!
What Is The Best Cut of Beef for Beef Bourguignon?
No matter which cut of beef you choose, make it a good quality one. You can use stewing beef such as chuck or brisket. I like to trim off the excess fat and cook it for at least 2.5 hours until it is fork tender. Remember quality goes hand in hand with cooking time. The better the quality, the less time it takes to become tender.
Beef Bourguignon recipe
Equipment
- Dutch oven or heavy-based pot
- Knife and cutting board
- Slotted spoon
- Stove
- Oven
Ingredients
- 6 strips of bacon, chopped
- 3 lbs beef brisket or chuck steak, cut into 2-inch squares
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup baby carrots cut in half
- 1 cup baby potatoes (larger ones cut in half)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups red wine (Merlot or Pinot Noir)
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 beef bouillon crushed
- 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 lb white mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the meat and veggies, and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute the chopped bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl or plate, and leave the bacon grease in the pot.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown the pieces in the bacon fat. You might need to do this in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pot or the meat won’t brown. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the bowl with the bacon.
- Saute the onion, 2 cloves of garlic, carrots and potatoes in the bacon and meat fat left in the pot for 3 minutes. Return the beef and bacon to the pot, and sprinkle the flour on top. Stir until everything is well covered in flour and cook for about 4 minutes.
- Add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste, beef bouillon, and herbs. Bring to a simmer, place the lid on and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2.5 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
- 10 minutes before the cooking time is over, melt the butter in a large skillet and saute two minced cloves of garlic for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook them for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and mix them into the stew. Return the Dutch oven to the oven (covered) and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove the herbs and serve with freshly chopped parsley on top.
