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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!
Absolutely incredible dish!
First time attempting this famous beef entree -/ and it was a huge hit with my meat eaters in my family! I cooked it in the oven for 3 1/2 hours at 325, uncovering it for the final hour. I upped the carrots, onions and garlic. The mushrooms came out perfectly, and the deglazed the pan with cognac as someone had suggested. Added mushrooms and cognac bits to the stew, then left it in the oven covered to slowly cool in the turned off oven. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. As a pescatarian, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my family devour this famous Julia Child dish! The whole house smelled wonderful, and was a perfect mid January meal.
Thank you for all of the research and for sharing your expert tips. This was delicious. Crowd pleaser!! I did cook at 300 for a little under 3 hours, otherwise followed your recipe to a T, and it was perfect.
Im a little new with crock pots. I cooked this as close as I could to the recipe. Mine turned out oddly bland. I half way starting to wonder if thats a thing with slow cooking….I mean I couldn’t discern any different flavors. All the ingredients ended up tasting the same as everythingelse in there. ….this may be a slow cooker/ crock pot thing. ..I’ve tried multiple ingredients in a slow cooler before and not had much luck….
I made this the other day in my Dutch oven. Amazing! I skipped the “strain/ boil gravy” step entirely since it was plenty thick enough as is. Maybe because my Dutch oven is big and oval shaped, allowing more surface area to come in contact with the air? Anyways, we will definitely be making this exact recipe again. Preparing the mushrooms separately was a nice touch since they had a different flavor than the rest of the food but still went together perfectly.
This was the first ever recipe I used a Dutch oven for and it made me super enthusiastic about trying more recipes! Thank you for the easy to follow instructions.
I’m making this tonight (first time ever for Beef Bourguignon), and I’m also using an oval Dutch oven. I’m hoping I can skip the straining step too. So far, it smells aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing!
I have made the crock pot version many times. I omit the mushrooms but my husband adds them to his bowl. The kids ask for this recipe a lot. It’s delicious over mashed potatoes. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and many different ways to make it!
I would have said the same thing, word for word….including the pot and the straining! Will make again, but will ask for help with the Oreo. Took over an hour…we’ll worth the wait!
I’ve always wanted to try making this since I saw Julie & Julia and I’m so glad I found your version! I don’t have a pot I can put into the oven (as tradition) so I’m so thankful to see there’s a stovetop version. Thank you for taking your time to do this and for sharing it! Really can’t wait to give this a go! 🙂
I made the instapot version but sauteed in a large fry pan over gas to brown the meat. It still was a bit lacking at the end until I added 3 shakes of worcesetershire sauce & it made a world of difference.
So freaking good! ! Not being able to dine at my hubby and I favorite French restaurant during COVID, I wanted to surprise him and make our favorite dish there. I’m not a cook at all ( he does most cooking or we order out ) and this was very easy to follow. The flavors were amazing! I was planning on cooking it in the crock pot, but time got the best of me. I made it on the stovetop and it was great, but not tender enough. I will for sure try the crock pot version ASAP! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.
I have wanted to cook boef Bourguignon for a few years, ever since I tasted a really rich version cooked by my French son in laws mother in Paris. This recipe is marvellous. I used a bottle of burgundy , purchased in Irancy. It didn’t need any attention to the sauce as it was the right consistency. I cooked it for 3 hours , stirring it at hourly intervals. Thank you very much for the recipe. It even beats my signature dish of lamb tagine.
I used the stove top method. This recipe is highly recommended. Slight variations – 2 large carrots (I wish that I used more), 2 stalks celery, 3 prunes cut in small pieces to add a bit of sweetness, no pearl onions, sauteed the tomato paste in the pan and then added the liquid, removed the lid for the last hour of cooking – it thickened nicely with no need to strain the contents. I just pulled out the thyme stems near the end of cooking. Served with mashed potatoes and a baguette – delicious! Thank you.
This was my first time making this and I want to thank you big time for the amazing video, clear instructions and everything!! You’re fantastic – but mine came out dry 🙁 somewhere I did something wrong and I can’t figure out what it was!! The only thing I can think of is maybe the pre-cut stew beef from the store wasn’t great? I chose a $20 Pinot noir and used 3 cups of it, and 2 cups of beef broth. I did 3 hours in the oven at 350 and when I pulled it out, most of the liquid was gone and I had about half a cup of ‘gravy’ in the strainer, so I just added more beef broth to the gravy and let it simmer on the stove to thicken it – any tips? Was this supposed to taste kind of beef stew-y or was that my bad choice in the meat part lol
I would think that your pot didn’t seal well or the lid has a vent maybe? Over that long a period of time a lot of moisture can escape while it’s simmering in the pot.
Hi guys, i just finished mine, tastes amazing, no need to reduce sauce. After 1,5 hrs in the oven (in dutch oven ‘pot’). Also a bit too little sauce though. (Would have been dry if i left it 2 hrs). My suspicion is: i’ve used the hot air program in the oven rather than traditional heat (top & bottom). Happened to me with a similar dish too… that must be it!!! (No vents in the pot – Le croissete iron dutch oven is mine)
I never buy already cut up stew beef from the supermarket. Those chunks of beef can come from multiple cuts so some may cook faster or slower and some may not respond well to long cooking recipes. Buy a chuck roast (or other full price of meat) and cut to size yourself. This practice changed my steed, chilis and this dish. Thanks for adapting this recipe for the slow cooker!
The exact same thing happened to me! Most of the juice evaporated. And I cooked mine in the oven on 350 for 3 hours in a heavy cast iron pot with matching lid. Meat is dry. Fortunately, there was JUST ENOUGH sauce for me to add a couple cups of beef broth to in an attempt to save it. Meat is still dry but flavor overall is delicious. I used stew meat from our butcher. I feel like I always get duped by stew meat, despite reading many times that any cut will work if cooked low and slow. Not true!
All ovens are not the same. My old one ran high while my new one runs low. Also sealing the pot is key. Lastly meat quality helps. I have given up on stew meat in the store. It is always tough no matter what. Try again.
Hi Hannah! I would suggest getting a hunk of braised beef instead of precut stew beef pieces. They are different meats and not certain how you prepped your meat but you need to cut them in chunks, pat dry and salt allowing the salt to retain the moisture in the meat.. you want to sear the meat until browned on the outside. Hope this helps. I’m actually making this dish as we speak 🥰
This recipe is incredibly good. Although mine seemed to come out with a little less liquid after sitting in the oven for 4 hours at 350, adding the rest of the beef stock seemed to work perfectly. I paired it with mashed potatoes, a loaf of french bread, generous amounts of butter, and a 2017 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir.
Tasted great, but I had zero liquid left after 2.5 hours at 350 degF. I used 3 cups of wine and 2 cups of broth. I have a good quality Dutch Oven, with no vents. And I have calibrated my oven , so the temperature is very accurate.
I noticed only a few people commented on the same issue. Not sure what I did wrong?
The recipe does say to adjust the heat so the liquid simmers very slowly. Not sure how you confirm this while it’s in the oven with a lid? I think a much lower temperature (250 degF) would be better. This is the temperature recommended in other recipes.
Absolutely incredible dish!
First time attempting this famous beef entree -/ and it was a huge hit with my meat eaters in my family! I cooked it in the oven for 3 1/2 hours at 325, uncovering it for the final hour. I upped the carrots, onions and garlic. The mushrooms came out perfectly, and the deglazed the pan with cognac as someone had suggested. Added mushrooms and cognac bits to the stew, then left it in the oven covered to slowly cool in the turned off oven. Served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes. As a pescatarian, I thoroughly enjoyed watching my family devour this famous Julia Child dish! The whole house smelled wonderful, and was a perfect mid January meal.
Thank you for all of the research and for sharing your expert tips. This was delicious. Crowd pleaser!! I did cook at 300 for a little under 3 hours, otherwise followed your recipe to a T, and it was perfect.
I’m a fan of the Hairy Bikers as well.
Im a little new with crock pots. I cooked this as close as I could to the recipe. Mine turned out oddly bland. I half way starting to wonder if thats a thing with slow cooking….I mean I couldn’t discern any different flavors. All the ingredients ended up tasting the same as everythingelse in there. ….this may be a slow cooker/ crock pot thing. ..I’ve tried multiple ingredients in a slow cooler before and not had much luck….
I made this the other day in my Dutch oven. Amazing! I skipped the “strain/ boil gravy” step entirely since it was plenty thick enough as is. Maybe because my Dutch oven is big and oval shaped, allowing more surface area to come in contact with the air? Anyways, we will definitely be making this exact recipe again. Preparing the mushrooms separately was a nice touch since they had a different flavor than the rest of the food but still went together perfectly.
This was the first ever recipe I used a Dutch oven for and it made me super enthusiastic about trying more recipes! Thank you for the easy to follow instructions.
I’m making this tonight (first time ever for Beef Bourguignon), and I’m also using an oval Dutch oven. I’m hoping I can skip the straining step too. So far, it smells aaaaaaaaaaaaaamazing!
I have made the crock pot version many times. I omit the mushrooms but my husband adds them to his bowl. The kids ask for this recipe a lot. It’s delicious over mashed potatoes. Thank you for a wonderful recipe and many different ways to make it!
I don’t know why it posted as a reply. I’m sorry!
I would have said the same thing, word for word….including the pot and the straining! Will make again, but will ask for help with the Oreo. Took over an hour…we’ll worth the wait!
I’ve always wanted to try making this since I saw Julie & Julia and I’m so glad I found your version! I don’t have a pot I can put into the oven (as tradition) so I’m so thankful to see there’s a stovetop version. Thank you for taking your time to do this and for sharing it! Really can’t wait to give this a go! 🙂
I made the instapot version but sauteed in a large fry pan over gas to brown the meat. It still was a bit lacking at the end until I added 3 shakes of worcesetershire sauce & it made a world of difference.
So freaking good! ! Not being able to dine at my hubby and I favorite French restaurant during COVID, I wanted to surprise him and make our favorite dish there. I’m not a cook at all ( he does most cooking or we order out ) and this was very easy to follow. The flavors were amazing! I was planning on cooking it in the crock pot, but time got the best of me. I made it on the stovetop and it was great, but not tender enough. I will for sure try the crock pot version ASAP! Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.
I have wanted to cook boef Bourguignon for a few years, ever since I tasted a really rich version cooked by my French son in laws mother in Paris. This recipe is marvellous. I used a bottle of burgundy , purchased in Irancy. It didn’t need any attention to the sauce as it was the right consistency. I cooked it for 3 hours , stirring it at hourly intervals. Thank you very much for the recipe. It even beats my signature dish of lamb tagine.
To make it more tender on the stove top, just simmer longer.
I used the stove top method. This recipe is highly recommended. Slight variations – 2 large carrots (I wish that I used more), 2 stalks celery, 3 prunes cut in small pieces to add a bit of sweetness, no pearl onions, sauteed the tomato paste in the pan and then added the liquid, removed the lid for the last hour of cooking – it thickened nicely with no need to strain the contents. I just pulled out the thyme stems near the end of cooking. Served with mashed potatoes and a baguette – delicious! Thank you.
This was my first time making this and I want to thank you big time for the amazing video, clear instructions and everything!! You’re fantastic – but mine came out dry 🙁 somewhere I did something wrong and I can’t figure out what it was!! The only thing I can think of is maybe the pre-cut stew beef from the store wasn’t great? I chose a $20 Pinot noir and used 3 cups of it, and 2 cups of beef broth. I did 3 hours in the oven at 350 and when I pulled it out, most of the liquid was gone and I had about half a cup of ‘gravy’ in the strainer, so I just added more beef broth to the gravy and let it simmer on the stove to thicken it – any tips? Was this supposed to taste kind of beef stew-y or was that my bad choice in the meat part lol
I would think that your pot didn’t seal well or the lid has a vent maybe? Over that long a period of time a lot of moisture can escape while it’s simmering in the pot.
Hi guys, i just finished mine, tastes amazing, no need to reduce sauce. After 1,5 hrs in the oven (in dutch oven ‘pot’). Also a bit too little sauce though. (Would have been dry if i left it 2 hrs). My suspicion is: i’ve used the hot air program in the oven rather than traditional heat (top & bottom). Happened to me with a similar dish too… that must be it!!! (No vents in the pot – Le croissete iron dutch oven is mine)
I never buy already cut up stew beef from the supermarket. Those chunks of beef can come from multiple cuts so some may cook faster or slower and some may not respond well to long cooking recipes. Buy a chuck roast (or other full price of meat) and cut to size yourself. This practice changed my steed, chilis and this dish. Thanks for adapting this recipe for the slow cooker!
The exact same thing happened to me! Most of the juice evaporated. And I cooked mine in the oven on 350 for 3 hours in a heavy cast iron pot with matching lid. Meat is dry. Fortunately, there was JUST ENOUGH sauce for me to add a couple cups of beef broth to in an attempt to save it. Meat is still dry but flavor overall is delicious. I used stew meat from our butcher. I feel like I always get duped by stew meat, despite reading many times that any cut will work if cooked low and slow. Not true!
All ovens are not the same. My old one ran high while my new one runs low. Also sealing the pot is key. Lastly meat quality helps. I have given up on stew meat in the store. It is always tough no matter what. Try again.
Hi Hannah! I would suggest getting a hunk of braised beef instead of precut stew beef pieces. They are different meats and not certain how you prepped your meat but you need to cut them in chunks, pat dry and salt allowing the salt to retain the moisture in the meat.. you want to sear the meat until browned on the outside. Hope this helps. I’m actually making this dish as we speak 🥰
This recipe is incredibly good. Although mine seemed to come out with a little less liquid after sitting in the oven for 4 hours at 350, adding the rest of the beef stock seemed to work perfectly. I paired it with mashed potatoes, a loaf of french bread, generous amounts of butter, and a 2017 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir.
I think you left it in the oven too long. The recipe suggests 3-4 hours.
I meant to say 2-3 hours. Can’t seem to edit my comment.
Tasted great, but I had zero liquid left after 2.5 hours at 350 degF. I used 3 cups of wine and 2 cups of broth. I have a good quality Dutch Oven, with no vents. And I have calibrated my oven , so the temperature is very accurate.
I noticed only a few people commented on the same issue. Not sure what I did wrong?
The recipe does say to adjust the heat so the liquid simmers very slowly. Not sure how you confirm this while it’s in the oven with a lid? I think a much lower temperature (250 degF) would be better. This is the temperature recommended in other recipes.