How to Make the Best Beef Bourguignon
I’m going to share with you how to make the best Beef Bourguignon. Not just any Beef Bourguignon but my version of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.
It’s stew kind of weather in Illinois and I’m going to reshare one of my favorite fall/winter recipes.
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I think it’s important to add that Beef Bourguignon is nothing more than a fancy beef stew! And it’s probably one of my favorite things in the whole world to eat.
When my Mom was alive she made me beef stew for my birthday almost every year. I have the pan that my Mom made it in but I don’t use it. Hers tasted just a little bit better than mine and I swear it is the pan. However, I can’t bring myself to use that pan. It might bring back a flood of emotions that even all these years later, I’m not ready to process. There is a good chance that I need to go talk to someone about this!! Again!!
Stew sentiment aside, I am a huge fan of Julia Child. I even own a cookbook that is signed by her.
One of my favorite movies is Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. In the movie, she “burnt the stew” (in my best Julia Child accent). The movie made my Top 7 Iconic Movie Homes. You can read about that HERE
Best time of Year to Make Beef Bourguignon
We are finally experiencing some real fall-type weather here in Illinois. The days are much cooler and the nights are downright cold. The leaves are starting to turn colors and fall. I swapped my leggy summer flowers out for fresh fall blooms. If you missed that post you can find it HERE
I recently hosted a fall al fresco dinner. This was the perfect meal to complement the beautiful outdoor setting.
Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Wooden Spoons
- Slotted Spoon
- sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- cheese cloth
- Saute Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil, divided You can use extra-virgin oil but grapeseed is better for high temperature cooking
- 6 strips bacon sliced into small pieces
- 3 pound sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces you can substitue brisket or chuck for sirloin
- 1 large carrot sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 package frozen pearl onions, thawed
- 2 cups red wine Merlot or other quality red wine
- 3 cups beef broth
- 6 oz can of tomato paste
- 1 pound mushrooms, washed and quartered
- 2 tbsp butter
Fresh Herb Bouquet (Wrap herbs in cheesecloth and tie)
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme cut up into 1" pieces
- 3-4 sprigs fresh parsley cut into 1" pieces
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350°
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in your dutch oven or heavy pot. Saute the bacon over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Removed with a slotted spoon to a bowl and set aside
- Pat your meat dry with a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel before cooking. Put just enough meat in the dutch oven to cover the bottom with one layer. You will have to do this in stages. Brown the meat on all sides. Remove into the bowl with bacon and continue with the remainder of meat until done.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the drippings in the dutch oven or pot. Saute the carrots and onions until carrots are soft and onions are translucent. Then add 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
- Return the beef and bacon to the dutch oven and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour and mix well with a wooden spoon, allowing it to cook until flour is well absorbed by the mixture. About 4 minutes.
- Next, add the pearl onions, wine and beef broth so that the meat is just covered. Add the tomato paste and herbs. Bring mixture to a simmer.
- Cover the dutch oven and put it on the lowest rack of the oven. Simmer mixture in the oven. After about 20 minutes check to make sure that your mixture is just simmering. If it is boiling, then turn the oven down to 325/300. Your total time in the oven will be 2-3 hours or until your meat is very tender.
- After done cooking, let the pan rest on stovetop while you prepare the mushrooms.
- Add butter to a frypan over medium-high heat. When butter is just melted, add the mushrooms and stir continually until cooked down and browned. Add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and cook one more minute. Season with salt and pepper.
- Remove cover from Dutch oven and find herb bouquet and remove from the mixture. Skim off any fat that might be on the top. Add the mushrooms to the beef mixture. If the sauce is too thin, cook on stove top for 10 minutes or until thickened.
- Salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles. Garnish with parsley
This perfectly pairs with a slice (or two) of sourdough bread. Learn how to make it HERE
I’m so excited to add comfort foods to my meal planning. If you’re not a meal planner, you might want to give it a try. If you are wondering how I meal plan? You can read about it HERE.
If you sign up to become a friend of Living Large in A Small House, you will have access to all of my FREE Reproducibles, which now include my Fall meal planning calendar.
While this isn’t a fast meal, it’s certainly worth the wait. I hope you enjoyed my recipe that shows you how to make the best beef bourguignon.
Peace my friends,
You can find my version of Julia Child’s Chicken Marsala HERE
This recipe is so good, that you’ll need to save it to your favorite board! Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest
This sounds amazing! The perfect fall dinner. Yum!
I actually made it when Annie was home in August. It was probably 100 degrees outside but my girls, like me, love this recipe.
I love tis dish too from Julia. I don’t make it much now. Jim is off beef these days but it sounds perfectt for th ecold weather.
Hi Linda – I apologize for not responding sooner. All of your emails are going into a weird place for some reason?? I hope that you are fully recuperated!
This looks delicious Lynn!
Regular beef stew is my favorite but my girls like this better!
The k you for sharing this recipe! Looks amazing…pinning!
Thank you dear friend!