Beef chuck slow-braised in red Burgundy wine with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon, France's most iconic beef stew.
Boeuf bourguignon comes from Burgundy, one of France's great wine regions, and takes its name from the deeply flavored red wine used to braise the beef for hours until the meat becomes meltingly tender. The dish builds in careful layers: bacon renders first for its fat and smoky flavor, beef chunks brown deeply in that fat, then a full bottle of red wine reduces alongside beef stock, garlic and herbs into a rich, glossy braising liquid. Pearl onions and mushrooms, sauteed separately and added only in the final stretch, keep their shape and bite against the fall-apart beef, and the whole dish is traditionally considered even better the day after it's made, once the flavors have fully settled.
Serves 6
Cook diced bacon in a heavy pot until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot.
Brown the beef chunks in the bacon fat, in batches, until deeply colored on all sides, about 12 minutes total; remove.
Add olive oil, carrots and onion to the pot, cooking until softened, then add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook 2 minutes, stirring, to remove the raw flour taste.
Pour in the wine, scraping up the browned bits, then add beef stock, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme and salt; return the beef and bacon to the pot.
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat (or in a 160C/325F oven) for 2-2.5 hours until the beef is fork-tender.
Check occasionally and keep the liquid at a bare simmer — boiling too hard toughens the meat instead of tenderizing it.
In a separate pan, saute pearl onions and mushrooms in butter until browned, then stir into the stew for the final 15 minutes of cooking.
Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs, then serve hot with crusty bread, mashed potato or egg noodles.
Use a decent drinking-quality red Burgundy or Pinot Noir — the wine's flavor concentrates significantly during the long braise, so a poor-quality wine will taste worse, not better, after cooking.
Brown the beef in batches without crowding the pot, since overcrowding steams the meat instead of developing a deep sear.
This dish genuinely improves overnight — if time allows, cook it a day ahead and reheat gently before serving.
Some regions add a splash of cognac along with the wine for extra warmth.
A quicker pressure cooker version reduces the braising time to about 45-50 minutes.
Beef short ribs can substitute for chuck, giving an even richer, more gelatinous sauce.
Refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; the flavor improves significantly the next day. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Boeuf bourguignon has roots as a rustic peasant dish from Burgundy, using a tougher cut of beef braised slowly in the region's famous red wine, and it was elevated to international fame in the mid-20th century through classic French cookbooks and later Julia Child's writing.
No, but avoid using a wine you wouldn't want to drink — a decent, inexpensive Burgundy or Pinot Noir works well and still concentrates nicely during braising.
Yes, brown the meat and vegetables on the stovetop first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Simmer uncovered for the final 15-20 minutes to reduce and thicken it, or make sure enough flour was added earlier in the cooking process.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 6 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes
Have feedback or need help?
We read every email and reply within 1–2 business days.
© 2026 MyCookingCalendar. All rights reserved.
