Description
Beef Bourguignon is a classic French stew featuring tender beef chunks slow-cooked in red wine with bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms, and fresh herbs. This rich and hearty dish offers deep, complex flavors and is perfect for cozy dinners. It can be prepared using traditional oven roasting, stovetop simmering, Instant Pot pressure cooking, or slow cooker methods, making it versatile and adaptable to your kitchen setup.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meat & Bacon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 pounds beef brisket trimmed of fat, chuck steak, or stewing beef cut into 2-inch chunks
Vegetables & Aromatics
- 1 large carrot, sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
- 12 small pearl onions (optional)
- 1 pound fresh white or brown mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons butter
Liquids & Seasonings
- 3 cups red wine (Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Chianti; use 2 cups for a milder sauce)
- 2–3 cups beef stock (if using 2 cups wine, use 3 cups stock)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 beef bouillon cube, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (divided)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch coarse salt (plus 1/2 teaspoon for seasoning)
- 1 pinch ground pepper (plus 1/4 teaspoon for seasoning)
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Prepare the bacon: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for about 3 minutes until crisp and browned. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on a large dish.
- Sear the beef: Pat the beef chunks dry with paper towels. In the remaining bacon fat and oil, sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Remove and place with the bacon.
- Sauté vegetables and aromatics: In the same pot, sauté the sliced carrot and diced onion over medium heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute. Drain off excess fat leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.
- Add beef and seasoning: Return the bacon and seared beef to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables, toss well, and cook for about 4-5 minutes to brown the flour slightly.
- Add liquids and herbs: Stir in the pearl onions, then pour in the red wine and enough beef stock to barely cover the meat. Add tomato paste, crushed bouillon, thyme, bay leaves, and half of the chopped parsley. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
- Cook the stew (oven method): Cover the pot and transfer to the lower oven rack preheated to 350°F (175°C). Cook for 2 to 3 hours until the beef is fall-apart tender, adjusting heat to keep a gentle simmer.
- Prepare mushrooms: In the last 5 minutes of cooking, heat butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. When foam subsides, add the remaining 2 cloves minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan to coat mushrooms in butter. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Separate and reduce sauce: Remove the pot from the oven and carefully pour the contents into a colander over a large pot or sink to collect the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Return the beef and vegetables to the Dutch oven and add the mushrooms on top.
- Skim and adjust sauce: Skim off any fat from the collected sauce. Simmer sauce uncovered for a couple of minutes to thicken. Adjust consistency by adding stock if too thick or boiling longer if too thin. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
- Combine and finish: Pour the sauce over the beef and vegetables. Simmer the combined stew for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through if serving immediately. Garnish with remaining fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
- Storage and reheating: If preparing in advance, cool the stew completely, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving the next day, bring to room temperature for at least one hour, then gently reheat over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
Notes
- For stovetop cooking, follow the same initial steps but simmer covered on low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until meat is tender, adding mushrooms in the last few minutes.
- To make this recipe in an Instant Pot, sear ingredients on the Sear function, then pressure cook on high for 30 minutes with natural pressure release, finishing by thickening the sauce on Sear mode and adding mushrooms before serving.
- Slow cooker method involves searing bacon and beef on the stove, then transferring all ingredients to the slow cooker and cooking on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Add mushrooms near the end.
- Adjust wine quantity depending on desired sauce intensity; 2 cups for a milder taste, 3 cups for robust flavor.
- Serve Beef Bourguignon with side options such as creamy mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or steamed rice to complement the rich sauce.
- Garnish generously with freshly chopped parsley to add brightness and color before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1 cup stew with meat and vegetables)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 40 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
