Description
Julia Child’s beef bourguignon is a fantastic family meal thanks to its delicate, fall-apart meat pieces cooked in a thick red wine gravy.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 ounces (170g) bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 pounds (1 1/2 kg) beef brisket, trimmed of fat (chuck steak or stewing beef) cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 large carrot sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced (divided)
- 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 12 small pearl onions (optional)
- 3 cups red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti — for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
- 2–3 cups beef stock (if using 2 cups of wine, use 3 cups beef stock)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 beef bullion cube, crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (divided)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound fresh small white or brown mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil. Over medium heat, cook the bacon for about 3 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Transfer to a big dish with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Pat dry the meat; fry in batches in the hot oil/bacon grease until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate with the bacon.
- Sauté the carrots and diced onions in the remaining bacon fat until softened (approximately 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove any excess fat (approximately 1 tablespoon should be left in the pan) and return the bacon and beef to the saucepan; season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon powdered pepper. To brown, sprinkle with flour, mix well, and heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pearl onions, wine, and just enough stock to cover the meat. After that, stir in the tomato paste, bullion, and herbs. On the burner, bring to a simmer.
- Cover and place in the bottom third of the oven for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender (adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly).
- Prepare your mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking time:
- In a medium-sized skillet/pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam has subsided, add the remaining 2 garlic cloves and simmer for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, before adding the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then to coat with the butter. If desired, season with salt and pepper. Set aside once they’ve browned.
- Place a colander on top of a big saucepan (I do this in my clean kitchen sink). Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully strain the contents into a sieve (you want to collect the sauce only). Remove the herbs.
- Replace the meat mixture in the dutch oven or saucepan. Place the mushrooms on top of the meat.
- Remove any fat from the sauce and continue to cook for a minute or two, skimming off any further fat that rises to the surface.
- You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce left over, thick enough to lightly cover the back of a spoon.
- If the sauce is overly thick, thin it out with a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it for about 10 minutes over medium heat, or until reduced to the desired consistency.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, if preferred. Over the meat and vegetables, pour the sauce.
- If serving immediately, heat through the beef bourguignon for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles and garnished with parsley.
- Allow the dish to cool completely before covering and refrigerating it the next day.
- Remove from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving to allow for warming. Heat over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, basting the meat and veggies with the sauce.
Notes
STOVE TOP BOURGUIGNON BEEF:
- Sauté the bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Transfer to a big dish with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Pat dry the meat; fry in batches in the hot oil/bacon grease until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate with the bacon.
- Sauté the carrots and diced onions in the remaining bacon fat until softened (approximately 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Return the bacon and meat to the pot and season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. To brown, sprinkle with flour, mix well, and heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pearl onions, wine, and just enough stock to cover the meat. After that, stir in the tomato paste, bullion, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low heat and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring regularly, until the meat falls apart.
- Prepare your mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking time: In a medium-sized skillet/pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam has subsided, add the remaining 2 garlic cloves and simmer for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, before adding the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then to coat with the butter. If desired, season with salt and pepper.
- Add the browned mushrooms to the pot and continue to cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, to blend.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles and garnished with parsley.
BEEF BOURGUIGNON INSTANT POT / PRESSURE COOKER:
- Set the Instant Pot or Cooker to SEAR mode (or use a pan on the stove over medium heat of you wish). In 1 tablespoon of oil, cook the bacon until crisp and browned. Set aside and remove using a slotted spoon.
- Pat dry the beef with a paper towel and sear in batches in the oil/bacon grease until browned on all sides.
- Replace the bacon in the pot. Season with 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Sprinkle with flour, mix well, and brown for another 4-5 minutes on SEAR.
- Combine the onions, pearl onions, carrots, wine, 2 cups stock, tomato paste, 4 cloves chopped garlic, bullion, and herbs in a mixing bowl. Stir well, then cover and secure the lid. Press To stop the Sauté feature, press Keep Warm/Cancel and then switch to MANUAL mode. Select HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes of cooking time.
- Allow the pressure to naturally relax for 8-10 minutes after cooking. Allow any remaining steam to escape by opening the valve (for Instant Pot, turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure).
- Prepare your buttered mushrooms (OPTIONAL — can add them straight in without cooking in butter if wanted) while the steam is releasing: In a medium-sized skillet/pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook until the remaining 2 garlic cloves are fragrant (approximately 30 seconds), then add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then to coat with the butter. If desired, season with salt and pepper. Place aside.
- Return the Instant Pot or cooker to the SEAR (or SAUTE) mode, stir well, and leave the sauce to thicken for another 5-10 minutes, uncovered.
- Serve with buttered mushrooms, parsley, and mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles.
BEEF BOURGUIGNON IN SLOW COOKER:
- Sauté the bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until crisp and browned. Pour into a 6 quart (litre) slow cooker bowl.
- Pat dry the beef with a paper towel and sear in batches in the oil/bacon grease until browned on all sides. Add the onions (both types) and carrots to the slow cooker bowl with the bacon. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper to taste.
- Allow the red wine to simmer in the pan or skillet for 4-5 minutes before whisking in the flour until it is free of lumps. Allow to reduce and thicken slightly before adding 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, garlic, bullion, and herbs to the slow cooker.
- To incorporate all of the components, thoroughly mix them together. Cook for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low, or until the beef is coming apart and tender.
- Prepare your mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking time: In a medium-sized skillet/pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook until the remaining 2 garlic cloves are fragrant (approximately 30 seconds), then add the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then to coat with the butter. If desired, season with salt and pepper. Mix them into the sauce before serving the Beef Bourguignon.
- Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or noodles and garnished with fresh parley.
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker, Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker,
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6-8
- Calories: 673kcal
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 56g
- Cholesterol: 169mg
Keywords: Beef, Bourguignon