Beef Bourguignon
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is a recipe for the ultimate beef stew, "Beef Bourguignon". It's simply the best stew on the planet. I've perfected this recipe, mostly in the prep work and the cooking order. I sear the chuck in large pieces and then cut into bite-size pieces later, it's much easier that way. Also, I don't add the carrots and mushrooms until after the beef has cooked for 1-1 /2 hours, then I saute them in butter, add them in and they retain their shape and color and have even more flavor. I always make this the day before, the flavor continues to develop and it's very easy to remove the hardened fat, then just reheat in the oven. I serve this either with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles and lots of warm, crusty bread to soak up the sauce, it is just out of this world!
Author: Ruth Guerri
Recipe type: Beef
Serves: 10
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs of olive oil
- 8 oz of center cut applewood bacon, cut into lardons or strips
- 3 - 3½ lbs of trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into large, 4-5 inch pieces
- salt and pepper for seasoning chuck
- ⅓ cup of flour
- 5 cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed and chopped
- 1 large onion, sliced
- ½ cup of Cognac or Brandy, warmed
- 3 cups of beef broth
- 1 good bottle of Burgandy or Pinot Noir
- 1 Tbs of tomato paste
- 1 Tbs of brown sugar
- 3 tsp of kosher salt
- 2 tsp of black pepper
- 3 - 4 fresh thyme sprigs or 2 tsp of dried thyme
- ¾ lb of large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1¼ lbs of cremini or white button mushrooms, thickly cut
- 4 Tbs of butter, room temperature
- 3 Tbs of flour
- 1 lb of frozen pearl onions
- ½ - ¾ cup of fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Then, heat the oil in a heavy dutch oven and cook the bacon until crisp, remove and set aside.
- Season the beef with salt and pepper and coat with the flour. Sear on both sides working in batches, then remove from the dutch oven.
- Now, add the sliced onions and saute for 2 - 3 minutes, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Now, the fun part, pour in the warmed cognac, stand back and light it, it will flame up, then die out, burning off the alcohol. 
- Next, add the beef broth and deglaze the pan, scraping up all of the bits from the bottom. Cut the beef into bite-sized pieces and add it back to the pot along with the bacon. Add in the wine, enough to cover the beef, then stir in the tomato paste, brown sugar, salt & pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil.
- Cover the pot and place it in the oven, bake for 1½ hours.
- While the meat is cooking, add 1 - 2 Tbs of butter to a large skillet, cook and stir the carrots, over medium/high heat for 5 - 6 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for 3 - 4 more minutes.
- Then add them to the stew, and bake for 20 more minutes, remove from the oven and place on a burner over medium/high heat. Fish out the thyme sprigs if you used fresh.
- Combine the butter and flour and stir into the stew to thicken, then add the frozen onions, bring the stew to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Stir in the parsley and serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes, and some warm crusty bread, you'll be in heaven!
Notes
I know lighting the cognac on fire might seem scary, but it's really not, just use a long match and stand back, the flame flares up quickly, then dies down. It's fun! Just make sure to warm the brandy or cognac, cold liquor won't ignite. It should be at least 80 proof and don't pour from the bottle, use a measuring cup.
