Beef Bourguignon
Updated: Jul 18, 2021
A few years ago, I and my family had the pleasure to visit France for a holiday. During our stay in the small village of Saint-Martin-de-Bavel, we visited the local restaurant for the dinner and one of the dishes that I tried was Beef Bourguignon over boiled potatoes. I loved the simplicity of the dish and the complexity of the flavour that comes with it. I asked about a few tips for cooking this dish and their secret was to marinate the beef overnight. Back home, I tried to recreate this dish, which is the recipe I want to share with you.
What is Beef Bourguignon?
Beef Bourguignon is a traditional French dish. It is a rich stew braised in red wine with the addition of bacon lardons, mushrooms, pearl onions and seasoned with fragrant herbs like thyme and parsley. It makes perfect winter dinner when served over boiled potatoes or pasta so let's get cooking!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
How to cook Beef Bourguignon?
This is a stovetop method with a non-stick pan, but you can also prepare it with a slow-cooker or in a Dutch oven placed in the oven.
This recipe makes 4 portions
Marinating time: 1 day
Cooking time 3,5 hours
Ingredients for marinade:
500g Diced Beef chuck or other stewing cut
half bottle of Burgundy red wine (if not available you can use other red wine too)
1 banana shallot finely diced
bunch of fresh thyme, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2tsp of black pepper
Ingredients for stew:
100g of lardons
200g button mushrooms cut in half
15 pearl onions
2 medium carrots cut to half rings
half a stick of celery, finely diced
4 garlic cloves
25g of butter
300ml of beef stock
extra hot water to be added during cooking (to compensate for liquid evaporation)
1tbsp of cornflour dissolved in 2tbsp of water
1tbsp oil
Parsley to garnish
Boiled potatoes or pasta to serve
Instructions:
1. Begin by marinating diced beef. Mix it in a bowl with 1 finely diced shallot, a small bunch of fresh chopped thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1/2tsp of black pepper and half a bottle of Burgundy red wine. Leave it covered in the fridge overnight.
2. On the next day, remove the beef pieces from the marinade and pat them dry ready to be seared (keep the marinade).
3. To sear the beef mix it with 1tbsp of oil and pan-fry over high heat to colour the meat on each side (do it in two batches if your pan is small or you preparing a bigger amount).
4. Add marinade liquid with all the bits plus 300ml of beef stock, bring it to a boil and reduce to simmer for 2,5 hours (during that time the liquid will evaporate so keep adding more water to keep the meat almost covered).
5. In the meantime prepare bacon and vegetables. In a separate pan, fry bacon lardons until the fat have rendered out, then add the mushrooms and fry until they start to brown. Next, add pearl onions with 25g of butter. Once melted add carrots and celery. Once browned transfer everything onto a plate ready for later.
6. After 2,5 hours beef will start to tenderise, at this point add bacon with vegetables and simmer for 1 more hour (during that time the liquid should reduce by half).
7. Once Beef Bourguignon is ready you can thicken the sauce if needed with 1tbsp of cornflour dissolved in 2tbsp of water. Don't forget to check and adjust the seasoning.
8. Serve over buttery boiled potatoes or pasta. Subscribe to my online cookbook. Thank you for visiting!
Check out my other beef recipes:
