Description
Classic French beef bourguignon brings hearty comfort to winter dinner tables. Rich red wine-braised beef melds with caramelized vegetables, creating a luxurious one-pot meal you’ll savor with crusty bread.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 lb (1.4 kg) beef brisket, chuck steak, or stewing beef (cut into 2-inch chunks)
- 1 lb (454 g) white or brown mushrooms (quartered)
- 6 oz (170 g) bacon (chopped small)
- 3 cups (720 ml) red wine (Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Chianti)
- 2–3 cups (480–720 ml) beef stock
- 1 large white onion (diced)
- 1 large carrot (sliced ½ inch thick)
- 2 pearl onions (optional)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsps tomato paste
- 2 tbsps butter (for mushrooms)
- 2 tbsps flour (for thickening)
- 2 tbsps fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 cube crushed beef bouillon
- 1 pinch coarse salt
- 1 pinch ground pepper
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) for optimal slow-cooking conditions.
- Bacon Rendering: Crisp chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat, removing and reserving the fat-infused base.
- Meat Searing: Pat beef chunks dry, season with salt and pepper. Brown meat in bacon fat, creating a caramelized exterior through batch searing.
- Aromatic Foundation: Sauté carrots, onions, and garlic in the same pot, developing a rich flavor profile and releasing essential oils.
- Combining Elements: Return bacon and beef to the pot, dust with flour to create a thickening agent for the sauce.
- Liquid Infusion: Add red wine, beef stock, tomato paste, bouillon, thyme, and bay leaves, ensuring ingredients are fully submerged.
- Slow Cooking: Cover and transfer to the oven, allowing the stew to simmer for 2-3 hours until beef becomes fork-tender.
- Mushroom Preparation: Separately sauté garlic and mushrooms in butter until golden and caramelized.
- Sauce Refinement: Remove from oven, strain contents, discard bay leaves, and carefully skim excess fat from the sauce.
- Final Assembly: Reunite meat, vegetables, and sauce in the Dutch oven, incorporating sautéed mushrooms and adjusting seasoning.
- Serving: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve alongside preferred accompaniments like mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles.
Notes
- Meat Selection Matters: Choose well-marbled beef chuck roast for maximum tenderness and rich flavor that melts in your mouth.
- Wine Wisdom: Select a good-quality Burgundy or Pinot Noir that you’d enjoy drinking – the wine’s quality directly impacts the dish’s depth and complexity.
- Patience Pays Off: Allow sufficient slow-cooking time to break down meat fibers, ensuring ultra-tender beef that falls apart effortlessly.
- Browning Basics: Never overcrowd the pan when searing meat; work in batches to achieve perfect golden-brown caramelization that locks in incredible flavor.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg