Beef Bourguignon

About This Recipe

Popularized in the English-speaking world by Julia Child, bœuf bourguignon is a Burgundian peasant dish elevated to haute cuisine. The three-hour braise transforms tough beef into silky, wine-infused perfection. It is one of the few dishes that is genuinely better the day after cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1.5 kgbeef chuck or shin(cut into 5cm chunks)
• 750 mlred Burgundy or Pinot Noir
• 200 gsmoked lardons or thick-cut bacon
• 200 gpearl onions or shallots(peeled)
• 400 gchestnut mushrooms(halved)
• 3carrots(roughly chopped)
• 1 headgarlic(halved horizontally)
• 2 sprigsfresh thyme
• 2bay leaves
• 3 tbsptomato paste
• 300 mlbeef stock
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 3 tbspcognac or brandy
• 40 gunsalted butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the beef (optional but recommended)

   Combine beef with wine, carrots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves. Refrigerate overnight. This deepens the flavour and tenderizes slightly.

2. 2

   Separate and pat dry

   Remove beef from marinade. Pat completely dry — wet beef steams instead of sears. Reserve the marinade.

3. 3

   Render lardons and sear beef

   Render lardons in a Dutch oven until crispy. Remove. In the same fat, sear beef in batches over very high heat until deeply browned on all sides. Remove.

4. 4

   Deglaze and build the braise

   In the same pot, add cognac and flambé or reduce for 1 minute. Add tomato paste. Add strained marinade (or fresh wine if not marinating) and stock. Return beef and lardons. Bring to a simmer.

5. 5

   Braise low and slow

   Cover and cook at 150°C / 300°F for 2.5–3 hours until beef is completely tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. Alternatively, cook on the stovetop at the barest simmer.

6. 6

   Prepare the garnish

   30 minutes before serving: sauté pearl onions in butter until golden and glazed. Sauté mushrooms in butter over high heat until browned. Add both to the stew for the last 15 minutes.

Variations

• •

  Coq au vin: substitute beef with chicken, halve the cooking time.

• •

  Vegetarian version: substitute beef with large mushrooms, celeriac and root vegetables.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months. Always better next day.

Frequently Asked Questions