Go Back
–+ servings
A bowl of beef bourguignon with carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and fresh greens, served next to mashed potatoes.
Print Recipe Add to Collection
Rate this Recipe!

Classic Beef Bourguignon Recipe

This is the flex recipe that makes you look like a serious cook without the stress. Forty minutes of hands-on work gets you beef that falls apart on your fork in wine sauce people will scrape the bowl for. No complicated techniques to screw up - just sear in bacon fat, layer your aromatics, then let the oven do the heavy lifting for 2.5 hours. Pearl onions and mushrooms make it legit, mashed potatoes underneath soak up that deep wine sauce, and you feel like Julia Child.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 45 minutes
10 minutes
Total Time3 hours 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 664kcal
Author: Dee Broughton

Equipment

  • Large Dutch oven
  • Heavy skillet
  • tongs
  • Wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 5 slices thick cut bacon cut into
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 inch cubes
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 carrots cut into
  • ½ inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon beef base
  • 1 bottle dry red wine think Côtes du Rhône, Pinot Noir Cab Franc or Merlot
  • 1 cup low sodium beef broth
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 8 oz white button mushrooms quartered
  • 8 oz pearl onions peeled
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Render the bacon

  • Cook the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until browned and the fat has rendered.
    Chopped bacon is browning in a white Dutch oven; herbs, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper are arranged on the wooden surface next to it.
  • Transfer the bacon to a plate and leave the drippings in the pot.

Brown the beef

  • Pat the beef dry with paper towels, then season it with salt and pepper.
  • Toss the beef with flour until lightly coated, then set the bowl aside with any remaining flour.
    A wooden bowl filled with floured beef cubes sits on a wooden table, surrounded by garlic, an onion, fresh herbs, and small bowls of pepper.
  • Increase the heat to medium-high, then sear the beef in two to three batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then transfer the beef to a plate.
    Chunks of browned beef chuck roast cooking in a white Dutch oven, surrounded by fresh herbs, an onion, garlic, salt, and pepper on a wooden surface.

Saute the veg

  • Add the onion and carrots to the pot over medium heat, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion starts to soften.
  • Stir in the garlic, then cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Add the tomato paste and bouillon base, then cook for 30 seconds while stirring to coat the vegetables.
  • Sprinkle in any remaining flour from the bowl, then cook for 30 seconds while stirring.
    Chopped carrots and onions cooking in a white Dutch oven, sprinkled with flour, surrounded by herbs, spices, and a garlic bulb on a wooden surface.

Deglaze the pan & build the sauce

  • Pour in about 1 cup of the wine, then scrape the bottom of the pot to release the browned bits.
    Chopped onions and carrots are sautéing in a white Dutch oven, while red wine is being poured in; herbs, garlic, onion, and pepper are arranged nearby.
  • Pour in the remaining wine and the beef broth, then bring the pot to a simmer.
  • Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves, then return the beef and bacon to the pot and stir to combine.
    A white Dutch oven filled with simmering brown stew, garnished with bay leaves and thyme, sits on a wooden surface beside herbs, onion, garlic, spices, and a pot lid.

Braise

  • Cover the pot, then braise at 325°F for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, until the beef is fork tender.

Cook the mushrooms and onions

  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then sauté the mushrooms and pearl onions for 8 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms brown.
    A cast iron skillet filled with sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions, placed on a wooden surface with herbs, garlic, and pepper nearby.
  • Fold the mushrooms and onions into the stew, then discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.

Serve

  • Taste the stew, then adjust with more salt and pepper as needed and finish with parsley.
    A pot of beef bourguignon with carrots, mushrooms, and pearl onions sits on a wooden table, surrounded by bread, garlic, onion, parsley, and seasoning.
  • Served with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Notes

  • You can use boneless short ribs instead of a chuck roast. Braise as instructed in the recipe until fork-tender.
  • If the bacon doesn’t render much fat, lower the heat and cook it a few minutes longer so the pot doesn’t scorch during searing.
  • Skim the surface fat after braising for a cleaner sauce, or chill the pot and lift the solid fat the next day.
  • Peel pearl onions faster by trimming the root ends, blanching them in boiling water for 60 seconds, then shocking in ice water and slipping off the skins.
  • Make it a day ahead, as the flavor deepens after resting overnight.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1541mg | Potassium: 1252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3859IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 6mg