Beef Bourguignon
Red-wine-braised beef, bacon lardons, mushrooms and pearl onions.
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The bourguignon test: when a piece of beef can be cut with the side of a spoon, it's done. If your fork meets any resistance, give it another 20 min - chuck rewards patience and punishes hurry.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 6 servings.
- 3 lbbeef chuckcut into 2-inch chunks, patted dry
- 6 ozthick-cut baconcut into 1/2-inch lardons
- 1 lbcremini mushroomshalved or quartered if large
- ¾ lbpearl onions (fresh or frozen)peeled (if fresh, blanch 1 min)
- 1 mediumyellow oniondiced
- 2 mediumcarrotdiced
- 4garlic clovesminced
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 3 tbspall-purpose flour
- ¼ cupcognac or brandy
- 3 cupsdry red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
- 2 cupsbeef stock
- 5 sprigsfresh thyme
- 2bay leaves
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1 tbspolive oil
- ¼ cupfresh parsleychopped
- 2½ tspkosher salt
- ¾ tspfreshly ground black pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 680calories
- 46gprotein
- 16gcarbs
- 42gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Cut beef into 2-inch chunks, pat very dry, and season with 1.5 tsp salt and black pepper. Letting it sit dry is the difference between a deep sear and gray meat.
- Cut bacon into 1/2-inch lardons. Dice onion and carrot. Mince garlic.
- Halve or quarter mushrooms. Peel pearl onions.
- Chop parsley. Tie thyme and bay together if you have kitchen twine.
Render bacon
Heat dutch oven over medium. Add bacon lardons, cook 6-8 min until golden and the fat is rendered. Lift out with slotted spoon - leave the fat.
8 min · hands onSear beef
Crank heat to medium-high. Working in 3 batches (do not crowd), sear beef chunks 2-3 min per side until deeply browned on at least 2 sides. Transfer to a plate as you go. Each batch needs about 8 min total.
24 min · hands onSoften aromatics
Pour off all but 2 tbsp of fat. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and carrot, cook 5 min until softened. Add garlic, cook 30 sec. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 min until darkened.
6 min · hands onFlambé and deglaze
Add cognac and let it bubble 1 min to burn off the raw edge. Sprinkle in flour and stir 1 min to coat. Pour in red wine, scraping every bit of fond from the bottom. Add beef stock, thyme, bay, and salt.
5 min · hands onBraise
Return beef and any juices to the pot. Liquid should just cover. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and braise low for 2.5-3 hr (or in a 325F oven) until the beef is fork-tender. Stir gently once an hour.
150 min · hands offBrown garnish
In the last 25 min of braising: melt butter with olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add mushrooms and pearl onions, pinch of salt, and brown 10 min undisturbed then 5 min more, tossing.
15 min · hands onFinish and serve
Discard thyme and bay. If sauce is thin, simmer uncovered 10 min to tighten. Swirl in remaining butter. Stir in mushrooms, pearl onions, and reserved bacon. Scatter parsley. Serve over noodles or with bread.
10 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Short ribs braise longer - go 3.5 hr instead of 2.5-3. Adds about 30 minutes.
Boil 2 lb yukon golds and mash with butter and a splash of cream while braising. Adds about 20 minutes.
Warm a baguette in the oven the last 5 min - sauce demands sopping.
Skip butter finish; sauce will be less glossy but still rich.
What keeps
Bourguignon is famously better day 2 and 3 - the wine sauce deepens, the beef softens further. Keeps 5 days, freezes 3 months.
Reheat low and slow so the meat doesn't seize.
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