Author: Susanne at dishwithme.com
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Classic Beef Bourguignon is a French version of stew with bite sized pieces of beef and veggies slow roasted in a red wine gravy.
Normally, I do not enjoy the flavor of any type of alcohol in food dishes, but, for some reason, the red wine flavor in this recipe just works.
I believe that serving this over whipped potatoes is absolute perfection, but some of you may prefer rice or some type of noodle. There is no wrong way.
There isn’t a lot of prep involved in this recipe and most of the time involved is cook time. And, that is the key, it must roast low and slow to let the flavors blend and evolve.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR CLASSIC BEEF BOURGUIGNON
This recipe can be cooked in the oven, on the stovetop, or in a slow cooker. A slow cooker is the method I use. For using the oven: do the browning on the stovetop and then transfer to the oven and cook at 350°F for approximately 2-3 hours. For the stovetop: cook on medium to medium low for approximately 2-3 hours. In the slow cooker: cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Whatever method you use, cook until meat is fall apart tender.
Low and slow is key. For the beef to get fall apart tender and the flavors to marry, this recipe must be roasted for hours, so be patient, my friends, it will be worth it in the end.
I prefer to cook this in a slow cooker, but, if you prefer the stovetop or oven roasting method, by all means, do it that way.
Types of beef to consider for this recipe include: chuck roast, brisket or stew meat. I’ve only ever used chuck roast for this recipe, but I’ll be experimenting with brisket next time. I’ll let you know.
Cook your mushrooms separately and add them in the last half hour of the cooking process.
The cooking time posted is 6 hours, but that is only if cooked in a slow cooker. I always try to post worst case scenario.
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 pounds beef – chuck roast, stew meat or brisket
- EVOO
- Bacon – use a good quality bacon
- Carrots – I use baby carrots
- Yellow onion – white onion will be fine if that is what you have on hand. I prefer sweet yellow onions for this recipe. You can also add pearl onions in addition to yellow onions.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic. Use the whole head/pod. Peel each individual clove and leave whole.
- Corn starch
- Red wine – use whatever you enjoy the taste of the most. Good choices are Chianti, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.
- Beef broth – I typically use bone broth
- Tomato paste
- Thyme – dried
- Parsley – dried
- Broth base – I use Orrington Farms. I swear this stuff has magical powers.
- Herbs de Provence – dried
- Cavender’s seasoning
- Kosher salt – Kosher salt enhances the flavor rather than just making it salty.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground
- Butter – Real butter, or my recipe for HERBED HOTEL BUTTER could be used to add even more flavor! It’s what I use.
- Mushrooms – Button or baby bellas, use as many as you like!
PRODUCTS USED AND THEIR LINKS
CLASSIC BEEF BOURGUIGNON (Beef Burgundy)
Equipment
- slow cooker I use All-clad with a browning feature
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons EVOO
- 6 slices Bacon diced into small pieces
- 3 to 4 pounds chuck roast, brisket, or stew meat cut into small bite sized pieces, approx 2×2
- 1/2 cup cornstarch more, if needed to cover/coat beef
- 12-16 baby carrots cut into small pieces
- 2 large yellow onions diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 entire head/bulb of garlic yep, the entire thing! Each clove peeled, but left whole, not grated. If a clove is really big then cut it in half
- 1 Tablespoon broth base powder Orrington Farms
- 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence dried
- 2 teaspoons thyme dried
- 2 teaspoons parsley dried
- 2 large bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Cavender's seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 30 grinds freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups red wine of your choice; Chianti, Merlot, etc.. I typically use 1.5 cups of Pino Noir and 1.5 cups Cabernet Sauvignon
- 3 cups beef broth I use bone broth
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 2 Tablespoons real butter You could, also, use my Herbed Hotel Butter
- 16 ounces button mushrooms more, if you'd like
Instructions
- Dice the bacon and set aside.
- Remove any really big pieces of fat from the beef and discard…or you can cook it for your pupper.
- Dice the onions and set aside.
- Separate the cloves from the garlic head/bulb and remove the skins. If there are any really large cloves you can cut those in half. Leave them whole, though, no grating. Set aside
- Clean, dry and slice the mushrooms and set aside.
- Spread the diced beef out on a platter or cutting board and season with the Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Next, sprinkle with the cornstarch and, with your hands, mix the beef around to try to cover all the pieces on all sides with the salt, pepper and cornstarch.
- Add the diced bacon to a pan and cook to desired level of doneness. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches (2 or 3) and cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove each batch of meat to a bowl or plate and then brown the next batch. When all of the beef has been browned, add all of the beef back to the pan.
- Leave any remaining fat and add more EVOO, if necessary. To the beef, add the onion, celery and carrots, broth base, Herbs de Provence, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, Cavender's seasoning, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Return bacon back to the pan with the beef and veggies. Add all of the garlic.
- Add beef broth, wine and tomato paste. Stir until well blended.
- If using a stovetop, cover and cook on medium-low heat for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is very tender.If using a slow cooker, like I do, cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
- During the last half hour to hour of cooking, prepare the mushrooms in a separate skillet.
- Melt the butter in a skillet on medium-high heat, then add the mushrooms and some freshly ground black pepper (I like a lot). Do NOT add salt while cooking the mushrooms. The mushrooms will cook up much nicer that way. There is plenty of salt in the beef bourguignon. Stir the mushrooms often and cook to desired consistency…I like them slightly charred. Add the cooked mushrooms to the beef bourguignon.
- Taste test for seasonings.
- Serve over whipped potatoes, noodles or rice, or even mashed cauliflower, if desired.
- Some people like to garnish with fresh parsley…I am not a fan.
- Bon appetit!