Hearty Beef Bourguignon
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What comes to mind when you think of “Christmas dinner?” For me, it’s a warm hearty dish, paired with starchy sides and a good drink, that brings the family and loved ones together!
This Beef Bourguignon recipe gives you exactly that! Plus, despite it appearing seemingly fancy, it actually is not that difficult to make at all! I’ll give you all the tips and tricks you need in this post to prepare a Christmas gift that will have your guests wanting more!
I’ve heard of Beef Bourguignon for many years and I’ve always wanted to make it for a special occasion. This holiday season, it was finally time to check it off my bucket list! If you’ve been itching to make this extravagant French dish for your family, then now it’s the time for you to do it too as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Get started for free today by signing up to my free email newsletter, plus you’ll get all of my latest recipes sent straight to your inbox so there’s never a dull moment in the kitchen!
For all the details and to grasp all the concepts presented in this post, be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already, and be sure to press the bell button so you’re notified when all of my video recipes go live along with the written ones! Let’s get cooking!
What is Beef Bourguignon?
Beef Bourguignon, also known as “Beef Burgundy,” is a French beef dish.The French name is “boeuf Bourguignon,” where “bouef” is beef in French, and “Bourguignon” means “of Burgundy,” where Burgundy is a region in France. This recipe was popularized in America by Julia Child. You may say that Beef Bourguignon is the beef-based cousin of the chicken dish, Coq au Vin!
The key to this very special beef dish is cooking the beef in pork fat! While typically you would use lardons cubes, using bacon will do the job just fine! This adds a tremendous amount of flavour that makes Beef Bourguignon a true indulgence!
What’s the difference of Beef Bourguignon from a regular beef Stew?
Beef Bourguignon has much deeper flavours than a typical beef stew. This is due to the red wine added here, in addition to the focus of the bacon flavours and the pearl onions.
What Wine Should I use for Beef Bourguignon?
A deep red wine is what you want to look for in Beef Bourguignon. I used Cabernet Sauvignon, but other great options include Pino Noir, Petit Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot or Barbera.
What Meat should I use for Beef Bourguignon?
For Beef Bourguignon, you want to look for beef that is higher in fat and that can become nice and tender. I used beef brisket for two reasons:
I’ve never had a brisket except in a burger once.
I’ve heard that this yields the juiciest and tenderest result.
So there you have it! If you want other ideas, however, try using beef stewing cubes, or you could also use chuck steak or sirloin tip roast, cut into cubes.
Why you’ll Love Beef Bourguignon
Simple to make: While you may think that there is a lot of involvement in this Beef Bourguignon recipe, the steps are quite straightforward! You just need some patience for slow-cooking to do its thing!
Warm and cozy: Looking for Christmas dinner? I’m sure your family will be delighted for this on a chilly Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or whenever you would host your Christmas or holiday meal! To me, this is just the perfect choice for the holidays!
Make-ahead friendly: The holidays are a very busy time of year indeed. As a result, if you’ve got other components of your Christmas dinner that do need to be prepared and served fresh, then feel free to make this the day before! It’s very easy to reheat over the stove and will taste just as delicious - if not better because all the flavours would have had time to seep in!
Tools Needed for Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients for Beef Bourguignon
The FULL PRINTABLE recipe card is at the bottom of this post, where you can save the recipe instructions for later and see the complete ingredient list with quantities. You can also scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make so that you know exactly how much meat and veggies you’ll need to feed everyone well! No need to do ratios on your end!
Beef broth: To add some good flavour!
Beef: I’m using beef brisket here. Whatever cut of meat you choose, have it cubed.
Bacon: You need to get thick-cut bacon so that you can cut the slices into lardons, which are big chunks of bacon. Ideally, you would get the bacon from the butcher and ask them to cut your bacon into 1/2 inch thickness. Furthermore, look for smoked or double-smoked bacon.
White button mushrooms: Alternatively, brown cremini mushrooms will also work.
Red wine: The type of red wine I used was Cabernet Sauvignon. Pinot Noir is actually the most famous type of wine in the Burgundy region, so feel free to go for that if you’d like!
Cognac: Not mandatory for this recipe, but I threw it in here and it adds some more richness!
Pearl onions: Small little onions that add wonderful texture and a nice sweetness! They will be cooked with the mushrooms and added at the end.
Red onions: Diced red onions for more flavour. You can technically use your favourite onion, but red are my favourite! This will be cooked with the meat.
Garlic cloves: Essential for flavour! They’ll be minced here.
Tomato paste: Julia Child swears by using fresh whole tomatoes, but I like the richness of tomato paste, so this is my personal touch here!
All-purpose flour: To thicken the sauce.
Dried thyme and bay leaf: You can use fresh thyme if you have it on hand, but if you’ve got fresh, then definitely use that instead! As I describe in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, if you have suitable substitutions that are in your home, I would prioritize those instead of going out to buy something new - especially when it comes to perishables! In my case, I didn’t want to buy thyme since I knew it was going to spoil anyway. If you already have fresh thyme, this is the perfect occasion to use it! Because dry spices are more potent than fresh, use double the amount of fresh spice to dry.
Olive oil: For sautéing the veggies.
Carrots: I just used baby carrots here for some body.
How to Make Beef bourguignon
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut the bacon to lardons or cuboids, roughly 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch thick. Place in a cold stock pot or cast iron pan and turn the heat to medium. Sauté until they turn golden brown and crispy, around 15-20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to set the bacon aside.
Season the brisket cubes with salt and pepper and increase the heat to medium-high. Once hot, add the meat to the same stock pot with the remaining bacon grease and cook until browned on each side. Cook in batches if you need to and then set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and deglaze the pan with brandy or cognac. Add the onions and carrots and sauté until they have softened.
Add minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add flour and mix until you no longer see any dry flour.
Pour in the wine, a little bit of a time, and mix to combine before adding the rest of the bottle.
Add the beef broth, brisket from earlier, thyme, bay leaves and half the cooked bacon.
Cover the dish with a lid and place in the middle rack of your oven. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
When roughly 30 minutes are remaining, heat a pan on medium heat and then add the butter. Add the pearl onions and mushrooms, 1/3 Cup of water and then cover with a tight fitting lid. Cook with the lid on for 8-12 minutes.
Remove the lid and saute until all of the water has evaporated from the pan. The mushrooms should shrink by more than 50% and continue to cook until the mushrooms and onions are browned. Season the mushrooms and onions with salt and pepper.
Remove the beef bourguignon from the oven and add the mushrooms and onions mixture and top with the remaining cooked bacon. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Adjust as required.
Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes and fresh bread.
Tips To achieve an amazing beef bourguignon
Make this dish ahead of time to develop more flavour - plus that means dinner night will be stress free.
While most red wines will result in a great tasting dish, to be more authentic to the origins of the dish, pick a burgundy style wine.
Talk to your local butcher to get the best cuts of meat for braising. If you ask nicely, the butcher could save you time and cut the meat into cubes if you’re buying a whole piece.
Add a burst of flavour with additional aromatics by making a bouquet garni. Once the dish is done, you can easily remove the bouquet garni.
How to Serve Beef Bourguignon
Pasta: Fettuccine, tagilatelle, pappardelle, or any thick-cut pasta shape will be great!
Bread: Dinner rolls, baguette, Ciabatta, or any bread of your choice will be amazing to scoop up the incredible sauce!
Mashed potatoes: Simple Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Garlic-Herb Mash, or Savory Sweet Potato Mash are all excellent side dish choices!
Potatoes: You could also serve with a good baked potato, Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes, or Crispy Patatas Bravas.
Herbs: You can garnish with fresh parsley, thyme, or tarragon for some colour on your plate!
Can I make Beef Bourguignon in advance?
Yes you definitely can! Since you must slow cook Beef Bourguignon for several hours, this is the perfect recipe to make the night before your holiday meal, and then reheat it when your loved ones are ready to dig in!
How to Store Beef Bourguignon
It is important to allow your Beef Bourguignon to completely cool down before storing it. Then, transfer it into an airtight container. Due to the garlic, bacon and beef in this recipe, I wouldn’t keep it in the fridge for longer than 4 days.
While you technically could freeze Beef Bourguignon if you have leftovers, I personally would not freeze it. I prefer to make the amount that I would actually enjoy fresh. In my mind, fresher is always better than frozen, so if you can avoid freezing it, then great! Otherwise, if you really cannot finish your Beef Bourguignon in 4 days, then go ahead and freeze it for up to 3 months. Then, allow it to defrost naturally in the refrigerator overnight.
How to Reheat Beef Bourguignon
Reheat the desired portion in a pot on low heat until entirely warmed through. You may need to add more water or stock to adjust your desired consistency.