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Beef Bourguignon

Chunks of beef slowly braised in red wine with bacon, carrots, mushrooms and pearl onions until tender, in a glossy, deeply flavored sauce.

Ingredients

For the stew

  • 6 oz thick-cut bacon, 170 g, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
  • 3 lb beef chuck, 1.4 kg, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks
  • 1 ½ tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, if needed
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
  • 3 cups dry red wine, 720 ml
  • 2 cups beef broth, 480 ml
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves

For the garnish

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
  • 12 oz pearl onions, 340 g, peeled (frozen are fine)
  • 1 lb cremini or button mushrooms, 450 g, quartered
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Brown and braise

  1. Heat the oven to 325°F (160°C, or 140°C (285°F) fan, gas mark 3).
  2. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving the fat in the pot.
  3. Pat the beef dry and season with the salt and pepper. Brown the beef in batches over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding oil if needed. Transfer to the plate.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the wine, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer for 5 minutes.
  6. Return the beef and bacon with their juices. Add the broth, thyme and bay leaves. The liquid should almost cover the meat.
  7. Bring to a simmer, cover and braise in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, until the beef is very tender.

Cook the garnish and finish

  1. About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, melt 1½ tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat and brown the pearl onions for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Melt the remaining butter and cook the mushrooms over medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden.
  3. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves from the stew. Stir in the onions and mushrooms and simmer on the stove for 10 minutes. If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered until it coats a spoon.
  4. Taste for seasoning and sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

Substitutions

Storage