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Tender, fall apart chunks of beef simmered slowly in a rich red wine gravy make this Beef Bourguignon the kind of dinner that feels a little bit fancy but completely comforting at the same time. Made famous by Julia Child, this classic French stew has earned its place in kitchens around the world. A proper Julia Child beef bourguignon is all about patience, building flavour in layers, and letting good ingredients do their thing. It is the sort of meal you cook with a glass of wine in hand, taking your time because every step truly matters.
This beef bourguignon recipe stays true to those traditional roots while giving you flexibility. Whether you make it in the oven, on the stovetop, in your slow cooker, or turn it into an easy beef bourguignon in the pressure cooker, the result is the same. Tender beef, a glossy wine sauce, and a dish that tastes like it has been simmering in a French countryside kitchen all day.
Adapting this Beef Bourguignon from Julia’s best seller, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this dish raises a simple beef stew to an art form and is not too difficult to make at all. You don’t need to be an experienced cook to try this in your kitchen at home.
Even though it’s been remade all over the world countless times by families over the decades, it’s an extremely forgiving recipe. We cut out a few steps from Julia’s original to make it a little easier and maybe a little less intimidating. Still, I didn’t want to mess with something so perfect.
Julia Child = Genius.
How do you make a beef bourguignon?
I don’t know about you but when reading the original recipe from Julia’s book, I immediately became as nervous as Amy Adams’ Julie in the movie Julie and Julia. SO MANY STEPS. So I poured myself a wine and began my mission to follow AT LEAST one recipe in my life as best as I could.
The results were unbelievable. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a stew as much as I did when it was done.
Trying it again and skipping only a couple of steps to attempt to cut down on some the work and washing extra pots; adding a little more of this and that, I have to say the results were just about the same but with a little added flavour.
What did we do differently?
Julia’s first step is to simmer bacon rind and fat in water for 10 minutes, remove then proceed to fry lightly in oil. We skipped this and just went straight to frying until crisp and browned.
When beef and veggies are in, Julia suggests to set the casserole in the oven for 4 minutes, then toss the meat and return to the oven for 4 minutes more. We skipped this also and opted to continue cooking over stove top. This didn’t make a difference.
I added a couple extra cloves of garlic feeling we missed that particular flavour and added more herbs into the stew.
Also, Julia prepares her pearl sized onions seperate from the Beef Bourguignon itself, adding them in near the end of cooking. My family completely skipped over the onions in their bowls, eating everything else and leaving them behind. So, the second time around, I added them in with all of the ingredients, saving a pot and stove top cooking time. The results were better for us. We saved the onions!
Lastly, Julia asks us to wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it at the end of the recipe. This I couldn’t bring myself to do, wanting to keep every single lick of flavour in that pot.
I was left craving this the next day, so we made it again and again. No regrets.
What meat is best for beef bourguignon?
We tried this with a few cuts of beef: brisket, chuck steak and stewing beef (yes, the third time I made it was in our Instant Pot/Multi Cooker). Brisket yielded our favourite result.
The meat fell apart so beautifully and tasted better than the others with a juicy outcome. Having said the though, you can use whichever stewing beef you can find or have on hand.
Tips to an incredible Beef Bourguignon
Taste test: We taste tested it immediately after cooking and found that the wine was an extremely strong flavour in the gravy. PLEASE don’t worry or try to adjust it straight away! Let it rest for 15 minutes and the flavours begin to settle into each other. The wine flavour mellowed out and we LOVED it. If you’re serving it the next day, the flavours are even better.
Don’t skip the buttery garlic mushrooms. When I tried adding them in from the start, they had shrivelled up into nothingness by the end. They really are incredible added in fresh from the pan, plump and buttery. I couldn’t resist adding some garlic to them along with some salt and pepper. It added a lot more flavour to the end result.
Simmer the gravy.Please don’t skip this step. After straining the liquid, simmer it for a minute or two and watch the magic of a deliciously rich and glossy gravy thicken before your eyes. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock at a time to thin it out. However, if the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to the right consistency.
You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Which red wine is best for beef bourguignon?
Julia recommends a good quality burgundy for her Beef Bourguignon recipe. We used a $20 bottle of Pinot Noir as we love cooking with that particular wine. It doesn’t need to be expensive, but try to get a good quality brand.
Worried about the amount of wine? Reduce it to 2 cups and up the stock to 3 cups (for oven and stove top methods only). If you don’t want to use wine, you can leave it out all together and use all beef stock. However, I cannot guarantee the flavour. The wine makes this incredible.
What do you serve with beef bourguignon?
Definitely Mashed potatoes! You can also serve it with plain rice or noodles. There is so much flavour in this, you need a fairly plain side to go with it.
Tender fall apart chunks of beef simmered in a rich red wine gravy makes Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon an incredible family dinner. Slow cooker, Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker, stove top and the traditional oven method included! Easy to make – every step is worth it.
Ingredients
1tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
6ouncesbaconroughly chopped
3poundsbeef briskettrimmed of fat, chuck steak or stewing beef cut into 2-inch chunks
1carrotlarge, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1white onionlarge, diced
6clovesgarlicminced (divided)
1pinchcoarse salt
1pinchground pepper
2tablespoonsflour
12pearl onionssmall, optional
3cupsred winelike Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti – for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
2-3cupsbeef stock(if using 2 cups of wine, use 3 cups beef stock)
2tablespoonstomato paste
1beef bouillon cubecrushed
1teaspoonfresh thymefinely chopped
2tablespoonsfresh parsleyfinely chopped, divided
2bay leaves
1poundwhite mushroomsfresh, small or brown mushrooms ,quartered
2tablespoonsbutter
Instructions
TRADITIONAL OVEN METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy based pot. Sauté the bacon over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large dish and set aside.
Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove to the dish with the bacon.
In the remaining oil/bacon fat, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain excess fat (leave about 1 tablespoon in the pan) and return the bacon and beef back into the pot; season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown.
Add the pearl onions, wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Then add the tomato paste, bullion and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
Cover, transfer to lower part of the oven and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender (adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly).
In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, prepare your mushrooms:Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over heat. When the foam subsides, add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Once they are browned, set aside.
Place a colander over a large pot (I do this in my clean kitchen sink). Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully empty its contents into the colander (you want to collect the sauce only). Discard the herbs
Return the beef mixture back into the dutch oven or pot. Add the mushrooms over the meat.
Remove any fat off the sauce( if any) and simmer for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon lightly. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock. If the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to the right consistency.
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper, if desired. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
If you are serving immediately, simmer the beef bourguignon for 2 to 3 minutes to heat through. Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.
To serve the following day, allow the casserole to cool completely, cover and refrigerate.The day of serving, remove from refrigerator for at least an hour before reheating. Place over medium-low heat and let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.
Notes
STOVE TOP BEEF BOURGUIGNON:
In a large dutch oven or heavy based pot, sauté the bacon over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large dish and set aside.
Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove to the dish with the bacon.
In the remaining oil/bacon fat, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain excess fat and return the bacon and beef back into the pot; season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown.
Add the pearl onions, wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Then add the tomato paste, bullion and herbs. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is falling apart.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, prepare your mushrooms: Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over heat. When the foam subsides, add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Add browned mushrooms to the pot, let simmer for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to combine.
Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.
INSTANT POT BEEF BOURGUIGNON / PRESSURE COOKER:
Set Instant Pot or Cooker to SEAR function (or use a pan on the stove over medium heat of you wish). Sauté the bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil until crisp and browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches until browned on all sides in the oil/bacon fat.
Return bacon to the pot. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook on SEAR for a further 4-5 minutes to brown.
Add in the onions, pearl onions, carrots, wine, 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, 4 cloves minced garlic, bullion and herbs. Stir well, cover and lock the lid into place. Press Keep Warm/Cancel to stop the Sauté function, then set to MANUAL mode. Choose HIGH PRESSURE for 30 minutes cook time.
After cooking, allow the pressure to release naturally for 8-10 minutes. Open the valve and allow and remaining steam to escape (for Instant Pot, turn the valve from sealing to venting to release the pressure).
While steam is releasing, prepare your buttered mushrooms (OPTIONAL — or add them straight in without cooking in butter if desired): Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.
Change the Instant Pot or cooker setting back to the SEAR setting (or SAUTE) stir well and allow the sauce to thicken uncovered, for a further 5-10 minutes.
Add the buttered mushrooms, garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.
SLOW COOKER BEEF BOURGUIGNON:
In a large pan or skillet, sauté the bacon over medium heat in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer to 6 quart (litre) slow cooker bowl.
Pat dry beef with paper towel; sear in batches until browned on all sides in the oil/bacon fat. Transfer to slow cooker bowl with the bacon, and add in the onions (both types) and carrots. Season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, tossing well to combine.
Pour the red wine into the pan or skillet and allow to simmer for 4-5 minutes, then whisk in the flour until free from lumps. Allow to reduce and thicken slightly, then pour it into the slow cooker along with 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, garlic, bullion and herbs.
Mix well to combine all of the ingredients. Cook on high heat setting for 6 hours or low for 8 hours, or until beef is falling apart and tender.
In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, prepare your mushrooms: Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add to the Beef Bourguignon, mixing them through the sauce before serving.
Garnish with fresh parley and serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.
ORIGINALLY POSTED FEBRUARY 18, 2018. POST UPDATED WITH VIDEO.
Hey Good Food Lovers! It’s nice to see you! My name is Karina. Welcome to Cafe Delites, my beloved space for the last 10 years where my passion for food has flourished and connected millions!
I’ve made this dish twice now and it is now one of my family’s favorites. I cooked it using the slow cooker method the first time, used 2 cups of red wine with 3 cups of stock. Didn’t have beef boullion so substituted a couple canned anchovy filets. I added double the garlic and more carrots. In place of Pearl Onions, I used 12 pieces of cut shallots (about the same size as a pearl onion) and followed the rest of the instructions. This was amazing. 2nd time I made this, I used the oven method. All I had for red wine on hand was 1 cup of 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel aged red wine and added 2 cups ruby port from Trader Joes. This time I only used 2 cups of beef bone broth (from Trader Joes), 1 tablespoon of good quality fish sauce in place of boullion. Again I couldn’t find pearl onions at my grocer so used shallots like I did the last time. This was absolutely delicious, I overslept from my nap and left this in the oven at 350 degrees for 4 hours. The sauce was much more reduced than the slow cooker method and the beef was fall apart tender. Next time I will follow others’ suggestions and keep the oven at 300 degrees and bake for 3 hours (don’t want the beef to become “machaca like”. The sweetness of the bourbon barrel aged red wine and port was a different level of umami and tasted even better the next day. Served with Persian herbed rice (Sabzi polo). Thank you so much for a better than restaurant quality dish to rotate on the menu. I do want to add I used Australian grass fed beef stew meat. I truly believe the quality of the beef makes a difference.
Also, want to add that I added much more
fresh thyme by tying up a small handful along with 2 bay leaves with kitchen string and placed it in
the stew when called for.
You got that right Andrew. Maria didn’t follow the recipe at all. Why even comment on this recipe if you didn’t make it but created one of your own?? I hate it when people do this.
Exactly! I hate it when people ‘review’ a recipe and then go into all the changes they made to the original recipe.. They’re only reviewing their own version., And then so many have the nerve to criticize the recipe … follow the recipe then you’re allowed to criticize. Their changes probably were the reason for a less than expected result.
I’d add the following steps which are truly worth the extra time (most of which is waiting):
1) Make your own beef broth with marrow bones. Do it nice and slow (2 days). The difference in task and silky sauce is hard to overstate.
2) Marinate the beef overnight in the wine with a little garlic and thyme. I know a lot of online studies/people say it makes no difference. Believe you me it does.
3) Refrigerate day the beef uncovered for 1-d days. I do 2, salt top and leave for a day, turn over, salt and leave ouot for another
The browning you get with this in the bacon fat makes the dish sublime; texture, taste, complexity.
Lastly I deglazed the mushroom step with cognac to add some smokey-iness.
I did appreciate the step where you strain the sauce and thicken and pour back over.
I had a bottle of cab sauv that I took one sip of and found it undrinkable so figured I’d cook with it. I’ve been perfecting my coq au vin recipe over the past year, but thought I would try something new so found this recipe and gave it a shot. Everything turned out delicious, though reading some of the comments I made a few tweaks. I cooked this in my dutch oven and used the oven.
First, I put the beef chunks in a bag with 1 cup of wine and the herbs for 4 hours. I would have done overnight, but the roast took a while to defrost. This is similar to what I do for coq au vin. I also added some diced sage, just because I had some on hand and like its flavour. I added that to the rest of the wine and stock when it was time to add.
I also increased the garlic to 6 cloves for the dish with the onions and used 4 fairly large carrots – 1 seemed really light. I pretty much followed the rest of the steps until putting it into the oven. I did slice 4 very large brown mushrooms into relatively large sliced to toss in while it cooked to release that earthy flavour into the gravy. I also added three sprigs of rosemary and 4 full cloves of garlic to the top of the dish before putting it in the oven for some added flavour.
I cooked for about 3 hours 20 minutes at 300 and the beef was pull-apart melt in your mouth at that point and I was left with a little over 2 cups of gravy, so that worked perfectly. I did add a touch of corn starch to help thicken it as I didn’t want it to reduce too much. I also added the garlic butter mushrooms, as suggested and served on garlic mashed potatoes, using greek yogurt, butter and a dash of sour cream for them rather than any milk. Delicious!
Hi Kevin,
I noticed that you drew similarities between this dish and Coq au Vin. You may be interested to know that it is, in fact, basically the same recipe for both iconic dishes. The only things that change are the protein and cooking time.
Traditionally made with beef cheek or shin, the marinade, sauce and garnish are near identical.
Thank you so much for sharing a slightly modified version of this classic! I’ve never made it before, but I made this with brisket in my instant pot with dried shiitake (forgive me—I hate when people make subs but it was unavoidable) and those classic pearl onions…! I was worried they’d be gross and make it too onion-y, but O.M.G. This. Stew. Is. Amazing. I feel like a complete genius warrior princess for making it. :)))) I am literally obsessing about eating the leftovers tomorrow. I honestly think this stew could solve a lot of world political issues…people need to make stew together, and then sit and eat it with crusty loaves of bread, and a glass of wine, and realize that we have more in common than we have differences.
Anyway, brilliant recipe, and thank you tons for the instant pot modifications, and I’m so happy right now. :))))
I made the oven version of this today, and it was phenomenal! My grocery store only sells brisket in 10 lbs or larger cuts, which is way too much for one person (and I don’t have the freezer space), so I used chuck steak. I did 2 cups of Beaujolais wine and 3 cups beef broth, and based on several reviews saying 350 was too high, I cooked it at 300F for 3 hours, which was perfect. Falling apart tender, with rich complex flavors, and I was in heaven. I followed the instructions pretty exactly. I cooked the mushrooms separately and added them at the end so they were nice and meaty. And simmering the gravy on the stove top to remove the fat made a huge difference. It got so rich and creamy. I didn’t have anywhere near 2 1/2 cups gravy — closer to half that, I think. But it was great. Served over mashed potatoes and it was seriously to die for. Thank you so much! It was great to have a slightly simplified version of Julia Child’s recipe.
Only thing I will say is that this took me over six hours to make. 😂 1 1/2 hours to prep all the meat, veggies, herbs (which I did the night before, thank goodness). And then 1 1/4 hours to cook everything and get it into the oven. And then 3 hours actually in the oven, plus another half hour to finish up the gravy, mushrooms, and potatoes. But still, worth every second.
I wish I had read the comments prior to making as 350 degrees was too high and I had virtually no liquid left. So I added the remainder of the wine and more beef stock and although the sauce was not thick it still was delicious. Next time I will make it and cook at 300 degrees. It didnt take me as long to prep since my husband was my sous chef.
This was sooo good that I forgot to drink the glass of wine I’d poured and also now have gravy down my front.
Made this using the pressure cooker instructions but had to modify a bit cos were still in lockdown here in New Zealand and I was missing a couple of ingredients. Reduced the liquid to compensate as l only had canned tomatoes. Also hadn’t realised l was out of carrots and bacon until I had already begun so had to leave them out too.
Julia Child would probably be horrified but I like my vegetables so, being lazy, added frozen peas and whole green beans when l added in the mushrooms.
Served with a pile of mash.
Wouldn’t change a thing although next time I will make sure l have bacon and carrots.
So happy there’s leftovers.
.
This was delicious! Just finished dinner and had to comment. I made this exactly as written ( except I could not find Pearl onions at any store) for my husbands birthday. We went to Paris for our honeymoon 7 years ago, we were there for a week and he ate beef bourguignon twice and hasn’t had it since. He said this rivaled what he had there. Thanks for the recipe!
I also had to use a different cut of beef, I think mine was chuck or something similar. I started mine in the morning, in between homeschooling, chores, lunch and nap and knew I would never get it started in the afternoon early enough. Once everything was simmering in the pot nicely I transferred it to the oven at 350, then turned it down to 235, although it probably should have been 250 to have a good simmer. It was in the oven for about 4 hours, meat was nice and fall apart tender. Plenty of sauce left. I will add many more carrots and probably more vegetables – not authentic bourguignon I’m sure but we like a veggie heavy stew and I ended up adding some to my bowl anyway. The flavor is so nice, although I think I will try your 3 cups broth and 2 cups wine, I did the reverse and it was a touch too salty.
i love this recipe! thank you! very delicious! and you managed to simplify it too. amazing. ive been cooking this often and ill definitely be making it more.
Karina, your recipes are the best on the web. This bourguignon is amazing. I’ve made it several times now and it’s so awesome. Always trust Karina!
-Kevin
Winnipeg, MB
I made this last week since I wanted to learn how to many a new dish from another country and WOW this was a real winner. I served this with my whipped parmesan mashed potatoes and it was a WONDERFUL meal. I made this recipe with the oven (baking at 3 hours) using about 3 lbs of beef chuck in my Staub dutch oven. This worked better for me since it freed up my kitchen to make mashed potatoes and mousse for dessert. I used 2 cups of wine (Jean Bouchard Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018) and it was outstanding. I did everything including the mushroom step at the end and cooking the gravy (my oxo fat separator really came in handy). I served this with wine and mashed potatoes but I suspect this would also be good with potatoes au gratin. This recipe was better than any other pot roast type recipe that I have found (including some from Disney). Make this and you will NOT regret it. It made us about 6 servings. As a side note, I found that the pearl onions like DISAPPEARED when doing the slow cooking in the over.
It could be your pot or your oven. I find 3 hrs in a Creuset dutch oven works perfectly. My advice is to pull it out at 2 hours and stir it to get a sense for the liquid. If it’s getting thick already, only cook for 30 min more. Or add some beef stock.
Wow. Just. WOW. I made the stove-top version today because it is COLD in April in Stockholm, and it was perfection. My no-sauce-eating, no-food-is-allowed-to-touch, meat-hating 5 year old gobbled it down (with EXTRA sauce, and all blended with her mashed potatoes) as did my carnivorous veggie-hating 3 year old. I had to make some adjustments since I didn’t plan ahead, (read; drank too much of the wine and didn’t save enough for the pot) or remember to buy fresh herbs… or pear onions. And I tripled the carrots because they’re always everyone’s favorite part. So I can only imagine how amazing this is when the ingredients and method are followed properly. Due to the water content of the extra carrots and regular onions I added, I had to thicken the sauce at the end. But again, THIS DISH WAS AMAZING. Now I want to try all the cooking methods for it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE!! Sorry for shouting— it was just that good.
Cooked the stovetop version. Came out beautifully. I cooked a day earlier and it really does taste much better the following day. We ate it with mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato. A keeper indeed.
I’ve made this dish twice now and it is now one of my family’s favorites. I cooked it using the slow cooker method the first time, used 2 cups of red wine with 3 cups of stock. Didn’t have beef boullion so substituted a couple canned anchovy filets. I added double the garlic and more carrots. In place of Pearl Onions, I used 12 pieces of cut shallots (about the same size as a pearl onion) and followed the rest of the instructions. This was amazing. 2nd time I made this, I used the oven method. All I had for red wine on hand was 1 cup of 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel aged red wine and added 2 cups ruby port from Trader Joes. This time I only used 2 cups of beef bone broth (from Trader Joes), 1 tablespoon of good quality fish sauce in place of boullion. Again I couldn’t find pearl onions at my grocer so used shallots like I did the last time. This was absolutely delicious, I overslept from my nap and left this in the oven at 350 degrees for 4 hours. The sauce was much more reduced than the slow cooker method and the beef was fall apart tender. Next time I will follow others’ suggestions and keep the oven at 300 degrees and bake for 3 hours (don’t want the beef to become “machaca like”. The sweetness of the bourbon barrel aged red wine and port was a different level of umami and tasted even better the next day. Served with Persian herbed rice (Sabzi polo). Thank you so much for a better than restaurant quality dish to rotate on the menu. I do want to add I used Australian grass fed beef stew meat. I truly believe the quality of the beef makes a difference.
Also, want to add that I added much more
fresh thyme by tying up a small handful along with 2 bay leaves with kitchen string and placed it in
the stew when called for.
So, you didn’t follow the recipe at all !
You got that right Andrew. Maria didn’t follow the recipe at all. Why even comment on this recipe if you didn’t make it but created one of your own?? I hate it when people do this.
Exactly! I hate it when people ‘review’ a recipe and then go into all the changes they made to the original recipe.. They’re only reviewing their own version., And then so many have the nerve to criticize the recipe … follow the recipe then you’re allowed to criticize. Their changes probably were the reason for a less than expected result.
I’d add the following steps which are truly worth the extra time (most of which is waiting):
1) Make your own beef broth with marrow bones. Do it nice and slow (2 days). The difference in task and silky sauce is hard to overstate.
2) Marinate the beef overnight in the wine with a little garlic and thyme. I know a lot of online studies/people say it makes no difference. Believe you me it does.
3) Refrigerate day the beef uncovered for 1-d days. I do 2, salt top and leave for a day, turn over, salt and leave ouot for another
The browning you get with this in the bacon fat makes the dish sublime; texture, taste, complexity.
Lastly I deglazed the mushroom step with cognac to add some smokey-iness.
I did appreciate the step where you strain the sauce and thicken and pour back over.
I had a bottle of cab sauv that I took one sip of and found it undrinkable so figured I’d cook with it. I’ve been perfecting my coq au vin recipe over the past year, but thought I would try something new so found this recipe and gave it a shot. Everything turned out delicious, though reading some of the comments I made a few tweaks. I cooked this in my dutch oven and used the oven.
First, I put the beef chunks in a bag with 1 cup of wine and the herbs for 4 hours. I would have done overnight, but the roast took a while to defrost. This is similar to what I do for coq au vin. I also added some diced sage, just because I had some on hand and like its flavour. I added that to the rest of the wine and stock when it was time to add.
I also increased the garlic to 6 cloves for the dish with the onions and used 4 fairly large carrots – 1 seemed really light. I pretty much followed the rest of the steps until putting it into the oven. I did slice 4 very large brown mushrooms into relatively large sliced to toss in while it cooked to release that earthy flavour into the gravy. I also added three sprigs of rosemary and 4 full cloves of garlic to the top of the dish before putting it in the oven for some added flavour.
I cooked for about 3 hours 20 minutes at 300 and the beef was pull-apart melt in your mouth at that point and I was left with a little over 2 cups of gravy, so that worked perfectly. I did add a touch of corn starch to help thicken it as I didn’t want it to reduce too much. I also added the garlic butter mushrooms, as suggested and served on garlic mashed potatoes, using greek yogurt, butter and a dash of sour cream for them rather than any milk. Delicious!
Hi Kevin,
I noticed that you drew similarities between this dish and Coq au Vin. You may be interested to know that it is, in fact, basically the same recipe for both iconic dishes. The only things that change are the protein and cooking time.
Traditionally made with beef cheek or shin, the marinade, sauce and garnish are near identical.
Thank you so much for sharing a slightly modified version of this classic! I’ve never made it before, but I made this with brisket in my instant pot with dried shiitake (forgive me—I hate when people make subs but it was unavoidable) and those classic pearl onions…! I was worried they’d be gross and make it too onion-y, but O.M.G. This. Stew. Is. Amazing. I feel like a complete genius warrior princess for making it. :)))) I am literally obsessing about eating the leftovers tomorrow. I honestly think this stew could solve a lot of world political issues…people need to make stew together, and then sit and eat it with crusty loaves of bread, and a glass of wine, and realize that we have more in common than we have differences.
Anyway, brilliant recipe, and thank you tons for the instant pot modifications, and I’m so happy right now. :))))
I made the oven version of this today, and it was phenomenal! My grocery store only sells brisket in 10 lbs or larger cuts, which is way too much for one person (and I don’t have the freezer space), so I used chuck steak. I did 2 cups of Beaujolais wine and 3 cups beef broth, and based on several reviews saying 350 was too high, I cooked it at 300F for 3 hours, which was perfect. Falling apart tender, with rich complex flavors, and I was in heaven. I followed the instructions pretty exactly. I cooked the mushrooms separately and added them at the end so they were nice and meaty. And simmering the gravy on the stove top to remove the fat made a huge difference. It got so rich and creamy. I didn’t have anywhere near 2 1/2 cups gravy — closer to half that, I think. But it was great. Served over mashed potatoes and it was seriously to die for. Thank you so much! It was great to have a slightly simplified version of Julia Child’s recipe.
Only thing I will say is that this took me over six hours to make. 😂 1 1/2 hours to prep all the meat, veggies, herbs (which I did the night before, thank goodness). And then 1 1/4 hours to cook everything and get it into the oven. And then 3 hours actually in the oven, plus another half hour to finish up the gravy, mushrooms, and potatoes. But still, worth every second.
I wish I had read the comments prior to making as 350 degrees was too high and I had virtually no liquid left. So I added the remainder of the wine and more beef stock and although the sauce was not thick it still was delicious. Next time I will make it and cook at 300 degrees. It didnt take me as long to prep since my husband was my sous chef.
This was sooo good that I forgot to drink the glass of wine I’d poured and also now have gravy down my front.
Made this using the pressure cooker instructions but had to modify a bit cos were still in lockdown here in New Zealand and I was missing a couple of ingredients. Reduced the liquid to compensate as l only had canned tomatoes. Also hadn’t realised l was out of carrots and bacon until I had already begun so had to leave them out too.
Julia Child would probably be horrified but I like my vegetables so, being lazy, added frozen peas and whole green beans when l added in the mushrooms.
Served with a pile of mash.
Wouldn’t change a thing although next time I will make sure l have bacon and carrots.
So happy there’s leftovers.
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I found that 350 was perfect if you only cook it in the oven for 2.5 hours.
This was delicious! Just finished dinner and had to comment. I made this exactly as written ( except I could not find Pearl onions at any store) for my husbands birthday. We went to Paris for our honeymoon 7 years ago, we were there for a week and he ate beef bourguignon twice and hasn’t had it since. He said this rivaled what he had there. Thanks for the recipe!
I also had to use a different cut of beef, I think mine was chuck or something similar. I started mine in the morning, in between homeschooling, chores, lunch and nap and knew I would never get it started in the afternoon early enough. Once everything was simmering in the pot nicely I transferred it to the oven at 350, then turned it down to 235, although it probably should have been 250 to have a good simmer. It was in the oven for about 4 hours, meat was nice and fall apart tender. Plenty of sauce left. I will add many more carrots and probably more vegetables – not authentic bourguignon I’m sure but we like a veggie heavy stew and I ended up adding some to my bowl anyway. The flavor is so nice, although I think I will try your 3 cups broth and 2 cups wine, I did the reverse and it was a touch too salty.
i love this recipe! thank you! very delicious! and you managed to simplify it too. amazing. ive been cooking this often and ill definitely be making it more.
Oh wow…I made this today…The flavor is wonderful. I have made it before but never with Julia’s recipe. Never use another Just hers DELIcIOUS…..Thanks
Karina, your recipes are the best on the web. This bourguignon is amazing. I’ve made it several times now and it’s so awesome. Always trust Karina!
-Kevin
Winnipeg, MB
I made this last week since I wanted to learn how to many a new dish from another country and WOW this was a real winner. I served this with my whipped parmesan mashed potatoes and it was a WONDERFUL meal. I made this recipe with the oven (baking at 3 hours) using about 3 lbs of beef chuck in my Staub dutch oven. This worked better for me since it freed up my kitchen to make mashed potatoes and mousse for dessert. I used 2 cups of wine (Jean Bouchard Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018) and it was outstanding. I did everything including the mushroom step at the end and cooking the gravy (my oxo fat separator really came in handy). I served this with wine and mashed potatoes but I suspect this would also be good with potatoes au gratin. This recipe was better than any other pot roast type recipe that I have found (including some from Disney). Make this and you will NOT regret it. It made us about 6 servings. As a side note, I found that the pearl onions like DISAPPEARED when doing the slow cooking in the over.
I was disappointed. I put in oven for 3 hours, 350 and nearly burned it. I followed recipe as stated w the liquid.
It could be your pot or your oven. I find 3 hrs in a Creuset dutch oven works perfectly. My advice is to pull it out at 2 hours and stir it to get a sense for the liquid. If it’s getting thick already, only cook for 30 min more. Or add some beef stock.
Wow. Just. WOW. I made the stove-top version today because it is COLD in April in Stockholm, and it was perfection. My no-sauce-eating, no-food-is-allowed-to-touch, meat-hating 5 year old gobbled it down (with EXTRA sauce, and all blended with her mashed potatoes) as did my carnivorous veggie-hating 3 year old. I had to make some adjustments since I didn’t plan ahead, (read; drank too much of the wine and didn’t save enough for the pot) or remember to buy fresh herbs… or pear onions. And I tripled the carrots because they’re always everyone’s favorite part. So I can only imagine how amazing this is when the ingredients and method are followed properly. Due to the water content of the extra carrots and regular onions I added, I had to thicken the sauce at the end. But again, THIS DISH WAS AMAZING. Now I want to try all the cooking methods for it. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE!! Sorry for shouting— it was just that good.
Cooked the stovetop version. Came out beautifully. I cooked a day earlier and it really does taste much better the following day. We ate it with mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potato. A keeper indeed.