Authentic French Beef Bourguignon
I used to rush the browning. Big mistake. If the beef goes into the skillet all at once it steams, turns gray, and you lose the dark crust that ends up flavoring the whole sauce, so now I do it in three or four batches and don’t touch the pieces until they release on their own. Same with the tomato paste: give it a couple of minutes in the pot before the wine goes in. It goes from bright red to rusty brown, and that’s when you know.
Buy chuck. It’s cheap, it looks tough, and after a few hours on low it’s the most tender thing you’ll eat all week. I cook the bacon and mushrooms separately and stir them in at the very end, because otherwise they go soft and kind of sad. We eat it over mashed potatoes with green beans on the side.
An authentic French beef bourguignon, braised low and slow in red wine until the chuck falls apart. It takes about three hours, most of it hands-off. Make it a day ahead if you can, honestly. It's even better on day two, once the sauce has thickened up in the fridge.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Cut the beef into roughly 1 1/4-inch cubes and pat them very dry with paper towels. Slice the carrots into thick coins and cut the onion into coarse strips.2 1/4 lb boneless beef chuck, 1 large yellow onion, 3 carrots, 2 tablespoons veal or beef stock concentrate
- Heat a spoonful each of the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, leaving space between the pieces, until a deep crust forms on at least two sides. Season each batch with salt and pepper and move it to the Dutch oven, adding more oil and butter to the skillet as needed.2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Lower the heat under the skillet to medium and cook the carrots and onion for about 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, then add them to the pot. Set the pot over medium heat, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens. Sprinkle the flour over everything and stir until the meat and vegetables are evenly coated.3 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Pour in the red wine, water and stock concentrate, then press the garlic straight into the pot. Tuck in the thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar and cook over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, until the beef gives way easily under a fork. Stir now and then so nothing catches on the bottom.1 2/3 cups dry red wine, 2 cups water, 3 cloves garlic, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 bay leaves
- About 20 minutes before the stew is done, quarter the mushrooms and slice the bacon crosswise into thin strips. Fry the bacon in the skillet over medium heat until it takes on some color, then add the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are browned and any liquid has evaporated.7 oz cremini mushrooms, 10 oz bacon
- Fish out the thyme stems and bay leaves. Stir the bacon and mushrooms into the stew, then taste and adjust with more salt and pepper. Serve hot with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Nutrition
Notes
For a thicker sauce, simmer the stew uncovered for the last 20 minutes. Use a red you would happily drink, since its flavor carries through the whole dish.
You might also like our Easy French Apple Tart.
made this sunday for my in laws and my father in law went back for thirds. used a cheap pinot noir and it was perfect. took almost exactly 3 hrs for the beef to get really tender
solid recipe. i did it in the oven at 325 instead of the stovetop so i didnt have to babysit it, worked great. cooking the bacon and mushrooms seperate at the end is the move
tasted great but my sauce was a little thin, next time ill leave the lid off at the end like the note says. leftovers the next day were even better