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My Beef Bourguignon is a twist on Julia Child's recipe for beef bourguignon! Full of tender beef, smoky bacon, and a heavenly gravy, this is the best beef burgundy recipe out there.
Jump to:
- What is beef bourguignon?
- Best Beef Bourguignon Recipe
- Beef Bourguignon Ingredients
- Recipe for Beef Burgundy
- Burgundy Beef Recipe Tips
- Beef Bourguignon vs Beef Stew
- Beef Bourguignon Recipe FAQs
- Can you use white wine in beef bourguignon?
- What can I use instead of red wine?
- Beef Stew Recipes
- Beef Soups
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
What is beef bourguignon?
Beef bourguignon is a French beef stew recipe where beef is braised low and slow in a red wine gravy and is finished with mushrooms and onions. Also known as boeuf bourguignon, bœuf bourguignon, or beef burgundy, beef bourguignon comes from the Burgundy region of France.
Best Beef Bourguignon Recipe
One of my favorite foods to make for my family is French beef stew, especially my beef burgundy stew (also called Boeuf Bourguignon)! Rich, flavorful beef in a savory red wine broth, packed with veggies and bacon... what's not to enjoy?
If you have ever tried a variation of Julia Child's beef bourguignon recipe, then you know how drool-worthy it is! This is the perfect dish for feeding your family for a special occasion dinner or a weekend meal everyone will crave again and again.
I love making this meal when it's cold out, or during the busy week when we could all use a little comfort food after a long day. It will fill you up and make you feel all warm and cozy!
Beef Bourguignon Ingredients
- Onion
- Carrot
- Bacon
- Chuck beef
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Flour
- Garlic
- Red wine
- Beef stock
- Tomato paste
- Thyme
- Bay leaves
- Onions
- White mushrooms
- Unsalted butter
- Parsley
Recipe for Beef Burgundy
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Slice onion, carrot, and bacon. Dice chuck beef and pat it dry.
- Warm your Dutch Oven over medium heat. Cook bacon until it is just starting to brown, a couple of minutes. Add oil if needed. When ready, remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add oil to the pot and brown beef chuck roast on all sides in batches, then remove and set aside.
- Add onion and carrot. Cook until the onions are just soft. Remove excess fat and add oil as necessary if they brown too quickly.
- Return beef and bacon back to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle over all-purpose flour, and stir to coat the beef. Place the Dutch Oven in the oven for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes is up, remove the pot from the oven and stir. Put back in for another 4 minutes after stirring.
- Finally, remove the pot from the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F.
- Crush garlic and add to the pot. Stir to cook, then add red wine, beef stock, and tomato paste. Stir gently. The liquid should fill over the meat and vegetables.
- Add bay leaves and thyme, then cover and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 hours.
- In the last hour of the cook time, prepare pearl onions and mushrooms by peeling the onions and cutting the mushrooms into quarters. Trim the stems as needed.
- When prepared, melt 1½ Tablespoons unsalted butter in a skillet and brown the pearl onions.
- Brown for a few minutes, then remove from the heat to add beef stock. Put back on the heat with parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf, and cook for 30-40 minutes until the stock is absorbed by the onions and they are tender.
- Finally, remove and discard the herbs, then remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Clean the skillet or use another skillet. Add remaining 1½ Tablespoons butter and olive oil. Once the butter melts and is bubbling, add the mushrooms and toss to coat in the butter. Cook until they begin to brown, then set aside.
- Finally, once the beef is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven. If there is too much liquid, strain it from the pot and simmer it for a few minutes to reduce it, then add it back to the pot. Add pearl onions and mushrooms, and mix through. Enjoy!
Burgundy Beef Recipe Tips
- It might seem as though beef burgundy has a lot of steps, but what it comes down to is searing all of the ingredients and allowing them to cook together in a dutch oven. Once you have it cooking, you won't have to think about anything until adding the mushrooms and onions. That's what makes it a great weeknight dinner dish!
- Sear the beef before braising to help lock in the juices and add flavor to the dish. Don't skip this step!
- You can use solely wine rather than a combination of wine and stock, if you prefer - or just stock, if you don't want to use wine.
- Be careful not to overcook the pearl onions and mushrooms. Cooking them separately allows you to monitor and not overcook them.
- If the mushrooms aren't browning to your liking, increase the heat a little and stir regularly to help any excess moisture evaporate. This will help them brown.
- Use pearl onions for the most wonderfully sweet and tender flavor. You can find them in the prepared foods area of your grocery store, ready-peeled, if you have trouble locating them.
Beef Bourguignon vs Beef Stew
Beef bourguignon is a type of beef stew. Specifically, what typically sets bourguignon apart from other beef stews is its use of burgundy wine as a braising liquid for the beef. Otherwise, like other beef stew recipes, it is a stew of braised meat, herbs, and vegetables.
Beef Bourguignon Recipe FAQs
Any red wine can be used to make beef bourguignon. Use a full-bodied red wine, such as a cabernet or pinot noir, for best results.
The best method for thickening beef bourguignon is to reduce the liquids. Over time, cooking the dish will reduce and thicken the burgundy sauce.
Can you use white wine in beef bourguignon?
Beef bourguignon uses red wine, not white wine, so red wine should be used rather than white. The flavor will not be the same for a white wine beef bourguignon.
White wine is more commonly found in another French beef stew: beef daube recipes, also known as Daube Provençal. While similar to a beef bourguignon recipe, daube is from a different region of France and uses slightly different ingredients and herbs.
What can I use instead of red wine?
Use red cooking wine, a 1:1 mixture of white wine vinegar and grape juice, beef broth, or red grape juice if you do not want to use red wine to make beef bourguignon.
Beef Stew Recipes
Beef Soups
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📋 Recipe
Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- Wooden spoon
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 large onion
- 1 large carrot
- 6 slices smoked bacon
- 3 pounds chuck beef cut into roughly 2-inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil or a little more, as needed
- ¼ Tablespoon salt
- ¼ Tablespoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 cups red wine
- 2 cups beef stock or a little more, as needed
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 stems thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Mushrooms and Onions
- 20 small pearl onions approximately
- 1 lb white mushrooms small mushrooms
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- ½ cup beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 stem thyme
- 2 stems parsley
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F. Slice onion, carrot, and bacon. Dice chuck beef and pat it dry.
- Warm your Dutch Oven over medium heat. Cook bacon until it is just starting to brown, a couple of minutes. Add oil if needed. When ready, remove from the pot and set aside.1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 6 slices smoked bacon, 3 pounds chuck beef, 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add oil to the pot and brown beef chuck roast on all sides in batches, then remove and set aside.2 Tablespoons olive oil, 3 pounds chuck beef
- Add onion and carrot. Cook until the onions are just soft. Remove excess fat and add oil as necessary if they brown too quickly.1 large onion, 1 large carrot
- Return beef and bacon back to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle over all-purpose flour, and stir to coat the beef. Place the Dutch Oven in the oven for 4 minutes.6 slices smoked bacon, 3 pounds chuck beef, ¼ Tablespoon pepper, 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, ¼ Tablespoon salt
- After 4 minutes is up, remove the pot from the oven and stir. Put back in for another 4 minutes after stirring. Finally, remove the pot from the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F.
- Crush garlic and add to the pot. Stir to cook, then add red wine, beef stock, and tomato paste. Stir gently. The liquid should fill over the meat and vegetables. Add bay leaves and thyme, then cover and roast in the oven for 3 to 4 hours.2 cloves garlic, 3 cups red wine, 2 cups beef stock, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 4 stems thyme, 1 bay leaf, 2 bay leaves
Sauteed Mushrooms and Onions
- In the last hour of the cook-time, prepare pearl onions and mushrooms by peeling the onions and cutting the mushrooms into quarters. Trim the stems as needed.
- When prepared, melt 1½ Tablespoons unsalted butter in a skillet and brown the pearl onions.20 small pearl onions, 1 lb white mushrooms, 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Brown for a few minutes, then remove from the heat to add beef stock. Put back on the heat with parsley, thyme, and a bay leaf, and cook for 30-40 minutes until the stock is absorbed by the onions and they are tender.½ cup beef stock, 2 stems parsley, 1 stem thyme
- Finally, remove and discard the herbs, then remove the onions from the skillet and set aside.
- Clean the skillet or use another skillet. Add remaining 1½ Tablespoons butter and olive oil. Once the butter melts and is bubbling, add the mushrooms and toss to coat in the butter. Cook until they begin to brown, then set aside.3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 lb white mushrooms
Assembling the beef bourguignon
- Finally, once the beef is fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven. If there is too much liquid, strain it from the pot and simmer it for a few minutes to reduce it, then add it back to the pot. Add pearl onions and mushrooms, and mix through. Enjoy!
Notes
- It might seem as though beef burgundy has a lot of steps, but what it comes down to is searing all of the ingredients and allowing them to cook together in a dutch oven. Once you have it cooking, you won't have to think about anything until adding the mushrooms and onions. That's what makes it a great weeknight dinner dish!
- Sear the beef before braising to help lock in the juices and add flavor to the dish. Don't skip this step!
- You can use solely wine rather than a combination of wine and stock, if you prefer - or just stock, if you don't want to use wine.
- Be careful not to overcook the pearl onions and mushrooms. Cooking them separately allows you to monitor and not overcook them.
- If the mushrooms aren't browning to your liking, increase the heat a little and stir regularly to help any excess moisture evaporate. This will help them brown.
- Use pearl onions for the most wonderfully sweet and tender flavor. You can find them in the prepared foods area of your grocery store, ready-peeled, if you have trouble locating them.
- You can find them in the prepared foods area of your grocery store, ready-peeled, if you have trouble locating them.
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