Beef Bourguignon

Homemade beef bourguignon is a labor of love. It's certainly not a quick weeknight dinner, but that doesn't mean it's too difficult to make at home. Here's the basic rundown: Sauté bacon, sear beef in bacon fat (yum!), add veggies and stir to coat with flour, add wine and broth, transfer to oven, bake until beef is super tender, make Julia Child proud. Follow my top tips below, and you'll be ready to ace this classic for any holiday dinner or date night:

What People Are Saying:
"It’s not even done yet and the taste is amazing! My house smells glorious! Definitely a step up from beef stew!" - Debga

How To Make Beef Bourguignon

INGREDIENTS

• Beef Chuck: Like in our beef stew recipe, I prefer to use beef chuck here for a few reasons: It’s cheap, and it gets more tender the longer it cooks. Some quick-cooking cuts of meat (like sirloin) would get tough after simmering for 30 to 45 minutes, but the opposite is true with beef chuck.
• Bacon: Bacon adds even more delicious smoky flavor and texture in addition to our beef chuck.
• Carrots & Onion: I recommend choosing a large carrot, then peeling and slicing it into large chunks before adding to your stew. In addition to using pearl onions later, we’ll also be starting with a yellow onion to get our flavors going.
• Garlic: 4 cloves of garlic is the perfect amount for this stew, but if you’re a huge garlic fan, you can add in a little bit more.
• Tomato Paste: This not only helps thicken the sauce, but adds a tangy, slightly sweet flavor to our stew.
• Flour: All-purpose flour is what we will use to help thicken our stew.
• Red Wine: When choosing a red wine, pick one that is on the dry side. Pinot Noir is a go-to choice, but other dry red wines will work as well. I recommend investing in a good-quality bottle—the wine is a prominent flavor, so you want to thoroughly enjoy the taste.
• Beef Broth: To avoid this stew being overly salty, use low-sodium beef broth.
• Bay Leaf & Thyme: These will add those herbal aromatics that make this stew so comforting.
• Pearl Onions: Pearl onions are traditional for beef bourguignon, so you really want to find them if you can.
• Mushrooms: The mushrooms wouldn't stand a chance with all the other hearty ingredients in the oven, so we cook them with the pearl onions in a skillet to get them caramelized and tender, but not so soft that they're mushy. They add a nice textural contrast to the stew. But if, by the time the pot goes into the oven, you're tired and over cooking, you can skip this step!

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Before doing anything, you're going to want to season your beef with a bit of salt and pepper, making sure that it is well seasoned. Then, grab an ovenproof pot or large Dutch oven, and heat grapeseed (or vegetable) oil over medium heat. Add your bacon, and cook until crispy. Once adequately crispy, remove it from your pot and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Next, we can move onto our beef. Increase the heat to medium-high and add your beef in a single layer. Make sure you work in batches here, and that you leave room between each piece of beef in your pot—they all deserve special attention. Cook until the beef is seared on all sides, then remove and repeat with your remaining pieces.

Reduce the heat to medium, and add your carrot and onion. If the bottom of your pot seems frighteningly dark after cooking your beef, never fear—simply add a bit of water to your pot, and use a wooden spoon to scrape it up. Season you carrot and onion with salt, then cook until softened. Then, add your garlic and tomato paste, stirring everything together, and cook until fragrant.

Add your flour to the pot, and stir until everything is well coated. Then you can add your wine, bay leaves, and thyme, along with your bacon and beef. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and transfer to your pre-heated oven. As far as how long to cook your stew, honestly, it's kind of your call. I started tasting the stew after about 1 hour in the oven and the beef was surprisingly tender. It was totally delicious and acceptable for eating, but I wanted the meat to fall apart, so I went longer. About an hour and a half was my cook time, but yours will depend on how large your beef is cut and how patient you are.

While your stew is in the oven, melt butter in a skillet, and add your pearl onions and mushrooms. Cook until golden and tender, then set aside.

Once your stew is ready, top each bowl with the pearl onions and mushrooms along with a sprinkle of parsley.

The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.

Storage

If you have any leftovers, store in an airtight container in the fridge for around 4-5 days. Lucky, this stew almost tastes better after a day are two. If you want to freeze it, add to airtight containers and freeze for around 3 months. In both cases, make sure your stew is completely cooled before attempting to freeze.