There’s really nothing more comforting than a French beef stew – the classic Boeuf Bourguignon – on a chilly evening. It’s elegant and rustic at the same time, and works just as well for casual weeknight meals as it does for celebrations and holiday dinners.
Popularized in the US by the legendary Julia Child, the Boeuf Bourguignon should be a staple on any home-cooks repertoire. And while Julia Child’s recipe is pretty extensive and labor intense, Honest Cooking’s version is incredibly easy to make, difficult to mess up, cheap – and it always impresses.
One of the things that intimidates a lot of folks when it comes to making Boeuf Bourguignon is that the original recipes all call for using a Dutch oven. Our version does not – instead, it gently simmers away on the stove top for a few hours. No special equipment needed here, and the result is just as good.
BASIC RULES OF BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
1. You can’t rush it.
Sorry, if you only have 45 minutes before you need to eat – this is not the dish you should throw yourself at. Because while prep is very straight forward and simple, the stew needs time, the more time the better – but at the very least 2 hours (preferably 3-4 hours) to really get the juices flowing and the meat to become as tender as we’re looking for.
2. Buy cheaper cuts of beef.
No need to get all fancy and buy rib-eyes or NY strips. Get a proper slab of beef chuck roast, and cut it into 2.5 inch cubes. You can get 3 pounds of chuck for $15 in most grocery stores, and it will last your family for days.
3. You need bacon.
Preferably lardons, which is small cubes (or strips) of bacon, but if you can’t find it at your local grocer – buy the nicest bacon you can afford. It will add so much flavor to your stew!
4. Wine matters!
No, you don’t have to pour your finest bottle of wine into your Boeuf Bourguignon, but if you can – try to go for a richer, bolder wine to bring extra intensity to your stew. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel all work really well for this recipe.
5. Serve with potatoes.
Small, boiled new potatoes are great. Mashed potatoes are much better. And luckily for you, we have the perfect recipe for incredibly fluffy mashed spuds right here on Honest Cooking.
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Stove Top Boeuf Bourguignon
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
Description
There’s really nothing more comforting than a French beef stew – the classic Boeuf Bourguignon – on a chilly evening. It’s elegant and rustic at the same time, and works just as well for casual weeknight meals as it does for celebrations and holiday dinners.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef chuck (cut into 2.5 inch cubes)
- 1 bottle red wine
- 1 lb small brown mushrooms (quartered)
- 7 oz lardons or chopped bacon
- 1 large yellow onion (sliced)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and sliced, 1/2 inch)
- 8 cloves garlic (smashed and coarsely chopped)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup pearl onions
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon Beef (or 1 cube beef bouillon)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp parsley flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a large pot, simmer bacon over medium high heat until golden browned. Remove from pot, and place on a sheet of paper to dry. Keep the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add one tbsp olive oil to the bacon fat, and turn the heat up to high. Sear beef chuck pieces until browned on all four sides. Make sure to not put too many pieces of beef into the pot at the same time, instead, sear them in batches and set aside.
- Saute the carrots and onions in the bacon fat for 2-3 minutes, then add the garlic, beef and bacon to the pot. Sprinkle with the flour, and continue to cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add the red wine, and let boil vigorously for 5 minutes.
- Add beef stock, bouillon, herbs, tomato paste and pearl onions. Turn down heat to low, and leave to simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat falls apart when you cut into it.
- 10 minutes before serving, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and gently brown the mushrooms. Salt to taste. Add mushrooms to the stew and season additionally if needed. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaves.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs and/or sliced spring onions.
Notes
Serve with the best mashed potatoes in the world.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Main Course, Stew
- Cuisine: French, French-Inspired
Keywords: beef, comfort food, family dinners, julia child, stew
