Beef Bourguignon Recipe (2024)

By Melissa Clark

Beef Bourguignon Recipe (1)

Total Time
2½ hours, plus marinating
Rating
5(6,883)
Notes
Read community notes

Like coq au vin, its sister dish from the Burgundy region of France, beef Bourguignon is a stew of meat slowly simmered in hearty red wine along with pearl onions, mushrooms and crisp, cubed bacon. Use a good wine here, something simple but drinkable. It makes all the difference in the finished dish. As with all beef stews, this one is best made a day or two ahead; don’t sauté the mushrooms and onions until just before serving. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 3pounds beef chuck or other boneless stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes and patted dry
  • teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
  • ½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5ounces lardons, pancetta or bacon, diced (about 1¼ cups)
  • 1onion, finely chopped
  • 1large carrot, sliced
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon tomato paste
  • 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1750-milliliter bottle of red wine
  • 1large bay leaf
  • 1large sprig of thyme
  • 8ounces pearl onions, peeled (about 12 to 15 onions)
  • 8ounces cremini mushrooms, halved if large (about 4 cups)
  • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pinch sugar
  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

563 calories; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 54 grams protein; 1088 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Beef Bourguignon Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Season beef with 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

  2. Step

    2

    In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, cook lardons over medium-low heat until fat is rendered and lardons are browned and crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve fat in pot.

  3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Raise heat under pot to medium-high and cook until fat is starting to smoke. Lay half the beef cubes in a single layer in the pot, leaving space between pieces. Cook until well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer pieces to a plate as they brown. Repeat with remaining beef.

  4. Step

    4

    Reduce heat, if necessary, to prevent burning. Stir in onion, carrot and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  5. Step

    5

    Stir in garlic and tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour, cook for 1 minute, then add wine, bay leaf and thyme, scraping up brown bits at bottom of pot. Add browned beef and half the cooked lardons back to pot, cover, and transfer to oven. Let cook until beef is very tender, about 1½ hours, turning meat halfway through.

  6. Step

    6

    Meanwhile, in a large skillet set over high heat, combine pearl onions, mushrooms, ¼ cup water, the olive oil and a pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium, cooking for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to high, and cook, tossing frequently, until vegetables are well browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

  7. Step

    7

    To serve, scatter onions and mushrooms and remaining cooked lardons over stew, then top with parsley.

Ratings

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6,883

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Cooking Notes

Chef Steve

As a Professional Italian Chef I've cooked lots of Beef Stews and Italian Style Pot Roasts. The steps in the recipe are simple and easy to understand. Unfortunately, the most important step in the recipe is the temperature of the oven and the cook time. Doing everything according to Melissa Clark's directions your meat will be tough as shoe leather! You have to seriously turn your oven down to 260°F for the entire time. And cook the meat for at least 3-4 hours. Good Luck.

KJ

Wonderful recipe! I used 4lbs of beef chuck & pinot noir wine. After Step 5 I put the Dutch oven into the oven at 300 for 3hrs...meat was very tender with lots of liquid. Transferred everything into a large ceramic casserole dish, covered it with foil and refrigerated overnight. Next day scraped off some of the fat on the top. Made the onions and mushrooms. Pulled the casserole dish out of the fridge one hour before reheating it (covered) at 325 degrees in the oven for about 45 minutes.

gabrielav

Love love love this recipe! Made as directed and it turned out so well. Could I make it in the slow cooker? And what about doubling the recipe? Does the wine get doubled as well?

Jamie

This is utterly spectacular. Having made many bourguinon over the years, we thought think this one the most delicious of them all. Deeply flavorful, dark and rich, our relatives in France would say that this recipe is the most direct representation of what a true French bourguinon is. We also served it with large Israeli-style couscous (lightly browned in olive oil) and small side salads.We added homemade beef stock to deglaze all the flavor at the very end. Fantastic recipe...

Christophe thomas

For the pearl onions cut the root end and drop in boiling water 20 seconds. Dump in iced water and pull the skin from the pointy end. They pop right out

Bethann

Just a thought on wine: I'm a certified sommelier, so of course the wine is really important to me! I want to steal a glass to drink while the bourguignon is cooking. Realistically any red will do, but if I'm allowed to be picky, I'd probably go with basic red Bordeaux Supérieur. It's great value but is also an excellent quality table wine; I don't feel bad about using it to cook with and I also don't feel bad about drinking it. Pinot is expensive and less extracted, so I'd avoid cooking with it

Mary Rose

Made this according to the recipe (less salt however) right up until the over part. Instead of the oven, I put browned beef in the crock pot, cooked onion and carrots exactly as stated, along with garlic, tomato paste and flour — with a splash of the wine. Deglazed the pan and added everything to the crock pot along with the wine, thyme and bay leaf. Cooked for 6-8 hours on low and it was AMAZING. Cooke mushrooms and pearl onions as directed and added in last 30 mins.

doug

The heat was too high. In most ovens, temp of 350 can bring on dry, tough meat. Try it with an oven temp of 325 or 300. Better yet, and easier to control, if you have a stove with a good simmer burner and a really heavy pot, cook it on stove top. You want the dish to just barely simmer, with hardly any sign of bubbles rising at all. Tender meat happens at around 180 degrees (so if the dish has just an occasional bubble, most of the braising liquid is below 212 degrees)

pam

Fabulous recipe, rich and delicious. I made a few changes based on helpful reviews. I added some of the mushrooms as it was cooking, to deepen the flavor in the sauce, then added onions and mushrooms at the end as directed in the recipe. I cooked everything in a Creuset pot, but never put it in the oven, since, like some others, I found the meat dried out too much. Instead I simmered the whole thing on the stove for 4-5 hours, for a heavenly aroma in the house, and served over fresh fettucini.

Skbpdx

Three hours at 275 degrees. I've never braised anything at 350.

tracy j

Manifique. Made as directed to half way through step 5 then put in slow cooker instead of oven. 5 hours on low. Served over roasted fingerling potatoes. Lovely with a hearty Cotes de Rhone, a crusty French bread, and snow gently falling outside.

TooUnCool

Even for a dunce of the culinary arts such as myself this recipe proved easy to follow and I actually produced something quasi-edible.

As ever, being non-US based, I would prefer something a little more "international" in terms of the way the recipe is presented. I can handle imperial to metric conversions (although how hard would it be to include both?) but what on earth is a "lardon" (horrible Trumpian images flash through my mind) or a "cremini" mushroom?

Arthur Cunha

Mostly right.. I would just add that oven while faster, dries up the meat -- it loses its inside moist. You get better results with a pressure cooker if you're time sensitive. Or wait 5-6 hours on the regular stove top. Also... you don't really need a good wine. Something drinkable would do. Important Hint: it tastes even better the next day.

April

I really love doing shallots with this so sauteed 10 large ones before frying the meat and cooked the entire time with the meet. Omitted the pearl onions.

Alexandra

Yes, just did and it worked great! I followed steps 1-3 and 5 as written. I then added the browned beef, raw carrot and onion and poured the sauce mixture (garlic, tomato paste, flour, wine, bay leaf and thyme) from the pan into the slow cooker. I added 2 cup of chicken broth to ensure there was enough liquid, and then slow cooked on high for 6-7 hours. I then did steps 6-7 as written and added everything back to the slow cooker for a bit before serving. The beef was perfectly tender.

BH

too salty and yes lower temp. otherwise delicious

Margarethe

Really excellent! I added an extra carrot, and made a few less pearl onions (maybe 6 ounces instead of 8). It seemed to bubble quite swiftly at 350 degrees in the oven in my Staub pot, and it was really done in 1 1/4 hours. But all in all, a great result!!

maestro nick

Use Denver steak from New York Butcher Shoppe

Joe B

Follow to Step 5. Refrigerate over night and remove the fat.

Stina

I doubled the mushrooms and carrots the second time I made this. So glad I did. I also ground a couple tablespoons of dried porcini mushrooms and season the beef with it.

Amy

if I need to serve 6 to 8 for a dinner party, can I just double the meat and leave everything else the same? Also there’s so many suggestions on cooking time. I want to get this right! Do you think in a Le Creuset for six hours at a low simmer would be an acceptable approach? And what’s the best way to reheat it the next day? Thank you.

The Mealmakers

This came out delicious! A few notes: we read some of the other comments about oven temp and cooking time and ended up going with 2h at 300 - the meat came out perfect and tender. Also, no need to sauté the pearl onions and mushrooms separately. We threw them in right before putting everything in the oven - they soak up the juices and add more flavor to the overall dish. Served with mashed potatoes per my husband’s request. Will definitely make this again!

CLewis

This was delicious and a perfect dinner on a cold night.

Frank

This was delicious! My guests told me I outdid myself. :) The only variations I made were I doubled the mushrooms, added many more sprigs of thyme, and kept in the oven a half hour longer than suggested. It was superb.

Ryan Russell

Marinated overnight with a bottle of Decoy Cab Sauv. Sliced pearl onions and caramelized with Enoki mushrooms. everything in a large pot on stove top instead of oven. Deglazed pot and reintroduced the stew.

maddie c

I had a time crunch and did 2 hours at 300 - deliciously tender! Served with garlicky green beans. I also didn’t have a full bottle of red so I subbed the missing amount with beef bone broth and it was perfect!! Also used white button mushrooms instead of cremini and they were great as well.

Joan Pachner

Delicious Valentine's Day dinner at home. Made a half portion and there's plenty of leftover, so tonight's dinner may be even better. I followed the recipe but cooked it for 3 hours in the oven at 275, as suggested by so many, and the result was perfect. Served with rice and roasted sweet potatoes.

Katrina

Made this in miniature, using only 9 oz of beef for just my husband and myself. Used ketchup in place of the tomato paste (yikes!) but didn't really make a difference given the small quantity. Followed Chef Steve's recommendation and cooked for 2 hours at 260f and it was wonderful!

Cleo

I used shitake mushrooms and they were an excellent choice.

Tidge

I made this on a weeknight and only had the ingredients on hand to make the beef portion, so I skipped the mushrooms and pearl onions. I realize that's not authentic, but my family devoured this dish and I will definitely make it again! I did lower the oven temp to 325 and cooked it for 2 hours.

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Beef Bourguignon Recipe (2024)
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