Ultimate Beef Bourguignon

Name: Ultimate Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 210 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 6 ounces bacon (, diced); 3 pounds beef chuck or eye of round (, cut into 1-inch or larger cubes); 1 large yellow onion (, chopped); 2 cloves garlic (, minced); 3 cups burgundy or other dry red wine ((e.g. pinot noir)); 2 cups quality beef broth; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon ground dried porcini mushrooms (((Buy the dried mushrooms and then grind them yourself as needed to keep the flavor vibrant)); 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves; 2 bay leaves; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; For the vegetables:; 1 tablespoon butter plus 1 tablespoon oil for frying; 6 ounces pearl onions (, peeled (see pictures in blog post for tip on removing peels)); 2 carrots (, cut into 1-inch chunks); 6 ounces small button mushrooms (, brushed clean and stems removed); For the roux:; 3 tablespoons butter; 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

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Beef Bourguignon is simply incredible and just when you thought the flavor couldn’t get it any better…well, it does! We’re giving the classic beef bourguignon a major flavor boost with an added technique and a “secret” ingredient that takes this already delicious stew completely over the edge!

Boeuf bourguignon is from Burgundy, France, which is the same region where many other famous dishes originated like coq au vin, gougères, and pain d’épices. And as with coq au vin, Boeuf bourguignon was originally a peasant dish. The long cooking process in wine (a natural tenderizer), made cuts of beef that were otherwise too tough to swallow deliciously fork-tender.

The classic Boeuf Bourguignon that Julia Child made world famous is already incredibly delicious. But we’re going to make a few adjustments in both technique and the addition of a “secret” ingredient that gives this dish a flavor boost that absolutely sends it over the edge. We’re going to take a French method used for thickening gravies – make a very rich roux – and use it to thicken our stew. And for an added flavor explosion we’re going to include one of my favorite “secret ingredients,” one that I love to add to sauces, gravies and stews: Ground dried porcini mushrooms. (Buy the dried mushrooms and then grind them yourself as needed to keep the flavor vibrant.)

If you enjoy a good beef stew (who doesn’t?) you really can’t beat this beef bourguignon. It takes some prep and cooking time, but it’s beyond worth it!

Beef bourguignon isn’t remotely difficult to make, it just takes some time. But the vast majority of that time is hands-off. Then you can spend that time making final preparations for your special dinner that evening. Like scrubbing your oven so that when you open your oven door to the world to reach for you beef bourguignon your guests will see a sparklingly clean oven. Yeah….

I’ll admit that cleaning the oven has never been one of my favorite chores…scrubbing those rock-hard, baked-on burnt drippings from casseroles and roasting dishes. And while the self-cleaning feature is great, you’re having to wait around forever and still doesn’t always get those really stubborn baked-on bits off. That’s when I reach for my quick fix: Easy Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner. A little squirt, a little scrub and voilà! I have a gleamingly clean oven in which to proudly cook my beef bourguignon.

I appreciate things that save me time and make my life easier. Like my Photoshop software that allows me to bypass the need to completely redo a photo shoot when my beef bourguignon ends up looking like a bowl of beef & eyeballs because the browned pearl onions look like they have irises on them. See below left.

But with a quick click of the mouse, Photoshop transforms the eyeballs back to pearl onions and we are all set for a visually glorious serving of beef bourguignon. See below right.

Yes, time savers like that are invaluable.

Beef bourguignon is likely the richest tasting beef stew you’ve ever had. As Julia Child put it, beef bourguignon is “certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.” I couldn’t agree more. Especially once you’ve implemented the roux technique and the addition of the porcini mushrooms.

Let’s get started!

Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven until done. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pot. While the bacon is cooking, cut the meat into about 1 1/2 inch chunks. You want the chunks big because they’ll fall apart to some extent anyway from the long simmering. Cut the meat against the grain as shown below. This produces chunks that will be tender. Over medium-high, let the pot get nice and hot, then add the beef, a few chunks at a time so as not to overcrowd. Overcrowding will prevent the beef from browning, and that is absolutely KEY for flavor! Generously brown on both sides. Transfer the beef to a plate.

Add the chopped onions to the Dutch oven and saute until golden. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil for a minute. Add the beef broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the browned bits. Add the seasonings (except for the black pepper), tomato paste, ground dried porcini mushrooms, and return the bacon and beef to the pot.

Close the lid and place on the middle rack of the oven preheated to 325 degrees F. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. You don’t need to check on it, just let it bake undisturbed.

When the stew is nearly done, get started on the pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms.

A trick to peeling pearl onions is to bring a small pot of water to a boil and dump in the onions. Let them sit for 30 seconds then remove them. This way when you cut the ends of the onions, they’ll slip right out of their skins. Don’t let them boil longer though or the outer layers of onion will come off with the skin.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add the pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms. Generously brown the veggies.

Carefully take the beef bourguignon out of the oven. Words cannot even describe how rich in flavor this is! But hold on because we’re not done yet!

Pour the stew into a strainer over a bowl to drain that rich sauce. Now we’re going to use that technique for thickening gravy by making a roux which will add an incredible amount of depth to our stew.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, whisking constantly until the roux becomes a dark caramel color. Add the sauce you drained from the stew, increase the temperature, whisking until lightly thickened. Add the black pepper.

Pour the gravy back into the stew along with the vegetables. Close the lid and simmer on the stovetop for about 10 minutes to meld the flavors and soften the veggies. You don’t want them to be crunchy, but the carrots and onions need to remain a little firm to the bite. That’s it, your stew is ready. Now get ready to be blown away by the flavor!

Enjoy!

Be sure to also try our Coq Au Vin!

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5 from 5 votes