Beef Bourguignon, or boeuf Bourguignon by its French name, is a classic French beef stew made with small pearl onions, mushrooms, red wine, and brown beef stock.
The meat slowly cooks in the red wine and takes up its taste, so this is one recipe where using a good quality wine is a very good idea. A Burgundy is a traditional choice, but a good Beaujolais or Cotes du Rhone will do just fine.
This was traditionally a peasant dish because it uses tough cuts of beef that need to be cooked for a long time to be tender. The meat takes on an amazing flavor and tenderness from stewing in wine and stock, and the dish has become a component of haute cuisine now in France.
This is comfort food in the deepest meaning of the term, and this dish is bound to convert a few of your friends to a Paleo diet after they taste it. They won't doubt that natural food can taste great afterward.
This recipe is not a simple one. It's not a difficult one either, but it does have a lot of steps to follow in order to obtain the perfect stew. Print out the recipe and make sure you take it step by step, and you won't even notice all the steps involved.
It is still great without wine if you prefer not to have any in your diet, but it will lose the essence of the Boeuf Bourguignon. Double the amount of beef stock if you want to go without the wine.
The traditional recipe usually calls for flour to thicken the sauce, but simply boiling the sauce a little longer so more liquid evaporates will produce a similar result without having to cope with any nasties of the flour.
Beef Bourguignon recipe
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes;
- 7 tablespoon lard, tallow, or butter (ghee);
- 1 sliced carrot;
- 1 sliced onion;
- ½ lb bacon, cut into chunks;
- 3 cups of a good quality red wine;
- 3 to 3-½ cups of beef stock;
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste;
- 2 gloves of garlic, minced;
- 1 bay leaf;
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme;
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, quartered;
- 20 small white onions;
- *Optional: Bouquet garni (sprigs of parsley, thyme, and 1 bay leaf tied together);
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 325 F.
- Sauté the bacon chunks in 1 tablespoon of the lard, tallow, or butter on medium heat for about 3 minutes in a pot that goes in the oven. Remove the bacon, but leave the fat in the pan.
- Dry the beef cubes on a paper towel and brown them in the same pan that has the hot fat. Make sure you brown the meat on all sides and proceed in batches if it's easier.
- Put the beef cubes aside and cook the sliced vegetables (carrot and onion) in the same fat.
- Put the bacon and beef back in and add the wine, 2 to 3 cups of the beef stock, barely enough to cover the meat, the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.
- Season to taste, cover and put the pan in the preheated oven and let cook for 3 to 4 hours. Make sure it simmers and adjust the oven temperature accordingly. The meat is ready when fork tender.
- While the Beef bourguignon is stewing, heat 3 tablespoon of the lard, tallow, or butter, and cook the 20 small onions. Sauté them for about 10 minutes while trying to brown them evenly on all sides without breaking their skin.
- Add ½ cup beef stock to the browned onions, season to taste, and add the bouquet garni, if using.
- Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. By that time, the onions will still hold their shape but will be tender, and the liquid will be evaporated.
- Remove the bouquet garni and set the onions aside.
- Make sure your pan is dry; add another 3 tablespoon lard, tallow, or butter, and brown the mushrooms for about 4 minutes.
- When the meat is ready, get the pot out of the oven, put it back on the stovetop, and remove the bay leaf.
- Traditional recipes will call for skimming off the fat, but we know better, and for flavor and nutrition's sake, we will leave all the fat in the final sauce.
- Depending on the desired thickness of the final sauce, either add some stock to make it thinner or rapidly boil uncovered to thicken the sauce.
- Taste and season accordingly.
- Add the onions and mushrooms and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve to family and friends with fresh parsley!
📖 Recipe
Beef Bourguignon recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
- 7 tablespoon lard tallow, or butter (ghee)
- 1 sliced carrot
- 1 sliced onion
- ½ lb bacon cut into chunks
- 3 cups of a good quality red wine
- 3 to 3-½ cups of beef stock
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 gloves of garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms quartered
- 20 small white onions
- *Optional: Bouquet garni sprigs of parsley, thyme, and 1 bay leaf tied together
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 F.
- Sauté the bacon chunks in 1 tablespoon of the lard, tallow, or butter on medium heat for about 3 minutes in a pot that goes in the oven. Remove the bacon, but leave the fat in the pan.½ lb bacon, 7 tablespoon lard
- Dry the beef cubes on a paper towel and brown them in the same pan that has the hot fat. Make sure you brown the meat on all sides and proceed in batches if it’s easier.3 pounds stewing beef
- Put the beef cubes aside and cook the sliced vegetables (carrot and onion) in the same fat.1 sliced carrot, 1 sliced onion
- Put the bacon and beef back in and add the wine, 2 to 3 cups of the beef stock, barely enough to cover the meat, the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs.3 cups of a good quality red wine, 3 to 3-½ cups of beef stock, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 gloves of garlic, *Optional: Bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Season to taste, cover and put the pan in the preheated oven and let cook for 3 to 4 hours. Make sure it simmers and adjust the oven temperature accordingly. The meat is ready when fork tender.Salt and pepper to taste.
- While the Beef bourguignon is stewing, heat 3 tablespoon of the lard, tallow, or butter, and cook the 20 small onions. Sauté them for about 10 minutes while trying to brown them evenly on all sides without breaking their skin.20 small white onions
- Add ½ cup beef stock to the browned onions, season to taste, and add the bouquet garni, if using.
- Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes. By that time, the onions will still hold their shape but will be tender, and the liquid will be evaporated.
- Remove the bouquet garni and set the onions aside.
- Make sure your pan is dry add another 3 tablespoon lard, tallow, or butter, and brown the mushrooms for about 4 minutes.1 pound fresh mushrooms
- When the meat is ready, get the pot out of the oven, put it back on the stove top, and remove the bay leaf.1 bay leaf
- Traditional recipes will call for skimming off the fat, but we know better, and for flavor and nutrition’s sake, we will leave all the fat in the final sauce.
- Depending on the desired thickness of the final sauce, either add some stock to make it thinner or rapidly boil uncovered to thicken the sauce.
- Taste and season accordingly.
- Add the onions and mushrooms and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve to family and friends with fresh parsley!
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