In the colder months, dishes like Boeuf Bourguignon is the ultimate comfort food. This classic slow-cooked French beef stew, enriched with rich red wine and perfumed with aromatic herbs. It is rich and hearty but sometimes, that is what your soul craves.
I don’t know why I have not made this more often. But this recipe is going back into rotation. This makes quite a few portions so if you are cooking for one or 2, you might want to freeze some for a later date. As with most meat stews, they taste even better after a day or two.
What cut of beef to use for Boeuf Bourguignon?
The best cuts will be what is called braising steak, stewing beef or diced beef in the shops. These are usually from the hard-working forequarters and is best for long, slow cooking. This cooking process will help to break down the hardworking muscles in this cut of beef. These cuts are not good for using in stir fries or grills as the meat will be too tough.
I bought some braising steak from a supermarket (big mistake) and the pieces of beef were not uniform in size, some very small pieces, some quite large. This doesn’t make for an aesthetically pleasing dish. Better to buy nice braising steak from a butcher or meat counter in a supermarket, and of course, preferably grass-fed.
Which wine is best for cooking with?
I used a good bottle of red wine (Vieille Ferme wine) not a burgundy as traditional recipes call for. It works just as well. The rule of cooking with wine is to use wine that you would want to drink to use in cooking. Cheap wine ruins this dish.
To serve, I made some French beans and a side of potato dauphinois, which adds even more richness to the overall dish but it is so good. You can serve this with some boiled potatoes, mash or even sauteed potatoes and a side of vegetables of your choice. You can of course serve a well-dressed salad with a tangy dressing to cut through the fat instead. Make up your own rules.
To drink, you can serve the same wine that you used to cook with or a red wine of your choice. I really like the rich Argentinian Trivento.
How to make Boeuf Bourguignon
This recipe is not difficult although it does involve a few steps, like browning the meat, crisping the lardons, and frying the mushrooms and shallots. This adds to the time needed to cook this dish. To get the best results, it should ideally be cooked low and slow for about 3 hours to get that meltingly soft beef.
First;y, heat your oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½.
Start with browning the meat in a frying pan on the stovetop. Lightly coat the pieces of beef in flour and dust off. On medium heat, add 2 tbsp of oil or fat to the pan and brown the pieces of beef on all sides. Do this in a single layer and in batches, as overcrowding will end up steaming and not browning. Once browned, transfer to a big bowl.
Next, fry the bacon lardons on a medium heat until crisp. Transfer to the bowl with the beef.
Add the chopped onion and garlic to the cast iron pan and fry gently until soft – about 10 minutes.
Return the beef, bacon, chopped onion, carrots or celeriac and garlic to the cast iron pan, add the wine and herbs and bring back to the boil. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 2½-3 hours until the beef is tender.
About half an hour before the beef is done cooking, start frying the mushrooms and shallots. In a saucepan on a medium heat, fry the mushrooms until golden, then set aside in a separate bowl. Add the butter to the pan, then add the pearl onions/shallots and fry gently until brown (10 -15 minutes).
Stir in the mushrooms and the onions/shallots (and parsnips and more carrots), then return to the oven with the lid off for 30 minutes more or until the beef is tender and the sauce is glossy. (If it too dry at this stage, add some beef stock).
Remove the cast iron pan from the oven, give the stew a stir, then taste and season.
Remove the herbs as they have served their purpose, then serve with mash and green beans.
SAVE THIS PIN FOR LATER!
Classic Boeuf Bourguignon recipe
Equipment
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1 cast iron pot
Ingredients
- Oil or animal fat for frying
- 1 kg British braising beef cut into 3cm pieces (shin or cheek are best) I used a pack of stewing beef.
- 2 tbsp plain flour plus extra to dust
- 250 g bacon lardons
- 150 g button or chestnut mushrooms
- 2 tbsp butter
- 250 g button onions or shallots peeled but left whole (see tip)
- 1 onion chopped
- Optional vegetables carrots, celeriac, parsnips or turnips
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 750 ml bottle good red wine
- Bay leaf fresh parsley and thyme sprig, tied together with string
- Mashed potatoes green beans and chopped fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
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Heat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas 3½.
-
Start with browing the meat in a frying pan on top of the stove. Lightly coat the pieces of beef in flour and dust off. On medium heat, add 2 tbsp of oil or fat into the pan and brown the pieces of beef on all sides. Do this in a single layer in batches. Once browned, transfer to a big bowl.
-
Next, fry the bacon lardons on a medium heat until crisp. Transfer to the bowl with the beef.
-
Add the chopped onion, carrot and garlic to the cast iron pan and fry gently until soft – about 10 minutes.
-
Return the beef, bacon, chopped onion and garlic to the cast iron pan, add the wine and herbs and bring back to the boil. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 2½-3 hours until the beef is tender.
-
About half an hour before the beef is done cooking, start frying the mushrooms and shallots. In a saucepan on a medium heat, fry the mushrooms until golden, then set aside in a separate bowl. Add the butter to the pan, then add the pearl onions/shallots and fry gently until brown (10 -15 minutes).
-
Stir in the mushrooms and the onions/shallots, then return to the oven with the lid off for 30 minutes more or until the beef is tender and the sauce is glossy. (If it too dry at this stage, add some beef stock).
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Remove the cast iron pan from the oven, give the stew a stir, then taste and season.
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Remove the herbs as they have served their purpose, then serve with mash and green beans.
Notes
You can use streaky bacon instead of lardons
If you want to add more vegetables to your diet, celeriac (add at the beginning), turnip, carrots or parsnips will work well, (add it 30 minutes before the end)
If you only have half a bottle of red wine, you can top it up with a good beef stock.
