Name: Easy and Impressive Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 285 min
Ingredients: ½ pound bacon (diced); 3 Pounds chuck Roast cut into 2” cubes (or beef cubes); 1 medium onion (diced); 3 pounds large carrots (scrubbed, peeled, and cut into 2-inch sections diagonally); 4 cloves garlic (pressed); Salt and pepper (to taste); 4 Thyme sprigs; 1 Tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 3 bay leaves; 1 pound Baby bella or button mushrooms (cleaned, stems removed, sliced); 1 bag frozen pearl onions; ½ cup cognac; 1 bottle Good red wine (like a Merlot or Cabernet); 32 oz beef broth; 3 Tablespoons Salted butter (softened); 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose flour

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Years ago, a blogger named Julie Powell inspired one of my favorite movies, Julie and Julia. She cooked through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogged about it way back when blogging was easy. In the movie, she is asked to make a meal for Julia Child’s editor for Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Judith Jones, and she chooses to make beef bourguignon – Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon, to be exact. So, of course, I made it at the first chance I got. I made Julia’s beef bourguignon recipe for my husband, John (also known as JP), because he is a big meat-and-potatoes guy. I served it over mashed potatoes, and we both thought it was one of the best meals we’d ever eaten. I later made it for my grandparents, who have now passed away, and they loved it. I still have pictures from that day, which I love because they always thought I was the best cook ever, and my grandmother was a great cook. I have since made the recipe my own, and I think of my grandparents every time I make it. I hope you make this for dinner and that it becomes a special, memorable meal for you and those you love. Bon appetit!

Why should I make this Beef Bourguignon?

Beef Bourguignon is a French stew that may look complicated, but it’s actually quite easy! It’s the perfect dish to make ahead for a special meal or dinner party, and it scales easily to serve more (if you are lucky, you’ll even have leftovers!). Most of the time is hands-off oven time, so you can clean up the kitchen before guests arrive, or go have a glass of wine and read a little (who doesn’t love some Me-Time?). It’s impressive enough for guests, but not too fussy for a Sunday evening family dinner. If you don’t feel like making mashed potatoes or noodles, toast some baguette slices and serve them along side the Beef Bourguignon to soak up every bit of the flavorful sauce.

What tools do I need?

A large Dutch oven or oven -safe lidded stock pot. I prefer my enameled cast iron pots here because they are so easy to cover and pop in the oven. For this recipe, use at least a 7-quart Dutch oven, but a 9-quart is even better.
Knife and cutting board
Wooden spoon
Tongs

Ingredients

Bacon – A half pound of diced bacon is enough to add flavor and provide plenty of fat to cook the beef cubes in. Remove the diced bacon after it’s cooked so it doesn’t burn. Leave the fat to cook the vegetables and add extra flavor.

Beef cubes or roast – I like to cut my own cubes from a good beef roast, such as chuck. Pound for pound, it’s usually cheaper, and you can control the cube size. I cut them into 1 1/2- or 2-inch cubes. Make sure you dry the cubes with a paper towel before seasoning and browning. Don’t crowd the pan and cook the cubes in batches so they brown properly. Remove from the pan before cooking the vegetables.

cooking carrots, onion, garlic, tomato paste for beef bourguignon

Onion – Vidalia, white, or Spanish all work here.

Carrots – I love the flavor the carrots add, so I use at least three pounds. Add as many as you like. Cut them diagonally into 2″ sections.

Garlic – I use a garlic press, but you can finely dice it if you don’t have a press.

Tomato paste – Tomato paste adds a depth of flavor. Make sure you cook it for a few minutes before adding the cognac.

Seasonings – Thyme, Bay leaves, and salt and pepper are the only seasonings I add.

Liquid – I use a little cognac, a full bottle of a good red wine, such as a cabernet or merlot, and some good-quality beef broth (preferably homemade). You can skip the cognac if you don’t have any, but I highly recommend buying some for this recipe. TIP: If you need to “beef” up store-bought broth, add a little beef base or bouillon for extra beefy flavor.

Mushrooms – You can use either white button mushrooms or baby bellas here. Remove the stems (and save them in the freezer to make stock later), and evenly slice the rest. I leave them on the thicker side, getting around three slices per mushroom. Note: Mushrooms brown best if you don’t crowd the pan – keep them in one layer, and cook in batches if necessary. Add the mushrooms after the first two hours in the oven.

Pearl onions – Frozen is fine. Don’t try peeling them yourself unless you enjoy torture in the kitchen. Add them at the end, after the first two hours in the oven, so leave them in the freezer until you need them.

Beurre Manié – The fancy French way to say a paste made of equal parts of softened butter and flour that you add instead of a cooked roux to help thicken your sauce. Add this after you take it out of the oven.

Mashed potatoes or noodles – While this dish stands up well on its own, I prefer it over my homemade mashed potatoes (made with plenty of butter, of course!).

Directions

Note: Beef Bourguignon tastes even better the next day, making it ideal for a make-ahead main course.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before you start, prepare your mise en place, so you have everything ready when you need it. It’s the key to less stressful cooking, and one I am often guilty of skipping. Do as I say, not as I do! lol Dice your bacon, cube your beef, wash and chop your veggies (except the mushrooms), and have all of your ingredients ready. Read through the entire recipe so you know that the mushrooms, pearl onions, and beurre manie are added after it spends several hours in the oven.

Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy, then remove to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Pat the beef cubes dry, then season well with salt and pepper. Brown them in the bacon fat on all sides in batches until well browned, but not cooked through. Do not crowd the pan; you want them to brown, not steam. Remove to the plate with the bacon, and continue until all cubes are browned.

Add your diced onion and carrots, along with some salt and pepper, to the remaining fat and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomato paste and minced garlic and stir, cooking a minute or two, being careful not to burn the garlic. Stir in the thyme and the bay leaves.

Turn off the heat (for safety). Add the half cup of cognac, stirring to deglaze the pan. Turn the heat back to medium and cook for several minutes, until the cognac reduces. Add the meats back into the pot, stirring to combine. Pour in the entire bottle of red wine and enough beef broth to cover the meat by about an inch. I used 32 ounces in mine. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and move it to the preheated oven for two hours. If you are making this ahead of time, let it cool, then refrigerate overnight. Continue with the next step the following day.

After two hours, check the beef cubes for tenderness and return to the oven, checking every 45 minutes, until the cubes are tender and pull apart easily. Near the end of the oven time, brown the mushrooms, prepare the beurre manié, and take the pearl onions out of the freezer.

Remove the lid and return to medium heat on the stovetop. Add the browned mushrooms and pearl onions, then add the beurre manié. Bring to a boil, then simmer to thicken and reduce the sauce a bit. Start your noodles or mashed potatoes, if desired. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve hot with toasted baguettes or over noodles or mashed potatoes.

Let leftovers cool and store for 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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beef bourguignon on plate with mashed potatoes

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