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French Beef Bourguignon Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 66 reviews

This classic French Beef Bourguignon recipe features tender chunks of chuck roast slow-cooked in a rich red wine and beef broth sauce with aromatic herbs, bacon or salt pork, pearl onions, carrots, and mushrooms. The beef is first seared to develop deep flavor, then braised low and slow in the oven to achieve fall-apart tenderness. Perfect served over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles, this hearty stew encapsulates traditional French country cooking at its finest.

Ingredients

Scale

Meat and Fat

  • 8 ounces bacon OR salt pork (if using salt pork, rind reserved)
  • 3 pound chuck roast, chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • Salt and pepper to season beef
  • Oil for searing beef and sautéing vegetables
  • 1 tablespoon butter (for coating beef with flour)
  • 4 tablespoons butter (divided)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

Vegetables

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 pound carrots (about 7–8 medium), chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
  • 14 ounces frozen pearl onions
  • 1 pound mushrooms, halved or quartered

Liquids and Seasonings

  • 3 cups red wine (750ml bottle)
  • 2–4 cups Zoup! Good (Really Good®) Beef Bone Broth
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Rind from salt pork (if using)
  • 2 cups water (for cooking pearl onions)
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (for pearl onions)

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon or salt pork: If using bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces and cook over medium heat in a large oven-safe pot until lightly cooked but not overdone. Remove and set aside, leaving the grease in the pot. If using salt pork, cut rind off and reserve. Slice salt pork into strips about 1/4 by 1/4 by 1.5 inches and brown carefully in the pot. Remove and set aside, leaving grease in the pot.
  2. Sear the beef: Pat 2-inch beef pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat bacon/salt pork grease over medium-high heat in the pot. Sear beef in batches, leaving space between pieces, until well browned on all sides (about 1-2 minutes per side). Remove beef to a plate.
  3. Coat beef with flour: Lower heat to medium, return all beef and cooked bacon or salt pork to pot. Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt, stir to coat all the meat. Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour over meat and stir well to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste. Turn off heat and set aside.
  4. Sauté vegetables: In a separate high-sided 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and carrots; cook 3-4 minutes until starting to brown. Add sliced garlic and sauté 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant. Remove vegetables to a plate.
  5. Reduce wine: In the same skillet, add 3 cups red wine and bring to a boil. Scrape up browned bits, then reduce to simmer until wine reduces by about 1 cup (10-15 minutes).
  6. Preheat oven and prepare stew: Preheat oven to 300°F. Pour reduced wine over beef in pot. Add enough beef broth to nearly cover beef. Bring to a simmer on stovetop, scraping bottom to avoid burning. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1/3 cup chopped parsley, 6 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, and reserved salt pork rind (if using). Stir well. Do not add carrots yet.
  7. Braise beef in oven: Cover pot and place in lower third of preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes.
  8. Add carrots and continue braising: After 1.5 hours, add sautéed carrot mixture, stir, cover, and return to oven for an additional 60-90 minutes until beef is tender and can be broken with a spoon.
  9. Prepare pearl onions: In the same skillet (no need to wash), add frozen pearl onions, 2 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to boil, then simmer on medium heat until water evaporates (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Then sauté onions in remaining butter until browned on all sides. Remove to plate.
  10. Prepare mushrooms: Clean and dry mushrooms. In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté half the mushrooms until browned (4-5 minutes), remove to plate. Repeat with second half. Set aside.
  11. Check beef doneness: After total cooking time of 2.5 to 3 hours, remove pot from oven and test beef tenderness. If still too tough, return to oven for another 20-40 minutes.
  12. Adjust sauce thickness: Taste sauce; if too thin, strain meat and vegetables out, simmer sauce until thickened. Otherwise, leave sauce as is.
  13. Finish stew: Remove thyme stems, bay leaves, and salt pork rind (if used). Add pearl onions and mushrooms to pot. Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  14. Serve: Serve beef bourguignon hot over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles for a satisfying meal.

Notes

  • Drying the beef before searing is crucial to ensure proper browning and rich flavor development.
  • Adding carrots halfway through cooking keeps them from becoming overly mushy.
  • Sautéing mushrooms in batches prevents them from steaming and helps to develop a deeper flavor.
  • Using an enameled cast iron pot (such as a Dutch oven) is ideal for even heat distribution and braising.
  • If sauce is too thin, reducing it separately after straining helps achieve desired thickness.
  • Red wine choice impacts flavor—choose a full-bodied dry red like Pinot Noir or Burgundy for authentic taste.
  • Prepare ingredients ahead as this recipe involves multiple steps and long cooking times for best results.

Keywords: beef bourguignon, French stew, braised beef, red wine stew, classic French recipe, slow cooking, comfort food

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