Beef Bourguignon Recipe

Ingredients

For the stew

• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 pounds beef chuck trimmed of fat and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 large white onion chopped
• 2 large carrots cut into 2 inch chunks
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 8 sprigs thyme tied together
• 3 cups Burgundy wine or other dry red wine
• 2 large bay leaves
• 3 cups low sodium beef broth or stock
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• Salt and pepper to taste

For finishing

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 16 pearl onions
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms quartered
• 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position rack in the middle to accommodate a large Dutch oven with a lid.
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add bacon, and cook until most fat is rendered (7-10 minutes). Remove bacon with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Pat beef cubes very dry, season with salt and pepper, toss with flour and shake off excess. Sear beef in batches until well browned on all sides. Set browned beef aside on a plate.
4. Remove excess fat from pot leaving about 1/4 cup. Add onions and cook 3-5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add carrots and cook 5-7 minutes until they start to color.
5. Add garlic and cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add a little water if paste starts to burn.
6. Add remaining flour to the pot, whisk or stir to combine, and cook until flour is no longer white, about 2 minutes.
7. Slowly whisk in wine and beef broth, scraping brown bits from the pot bottom. Add beef, bacon, tied thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Turn off heat.
8. Cover pot and place in the oven to cook for 3 hours or until beef is very tender. Check at 90 minutes and if sauce is too thick or sticking, add 1/2 cup water and mix well.
9. Remove bay leaves and thyme. Skim excess fat from sauce surface. If sauce is thin, drain contents into another pot, reduce sauce over medium-high heat until it coats the back of a spoon, then combine ingredients again. Keep covered.
10. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil and pearl onions. Cook 4-5 minutes until tender and remove with slotted spoon to a foil-covered plate. In the same pan, cook mushrooms 5-8 minutes until water releases and they brown. Add butter and cook 2-3 minutes until mushrooms are glossy. Return pearl onions to pan, mix well, season with salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Turn off heat.
11. Mix parsley into the stew pot. Serve stew with pearl onions and mushrooms mixed in or plated separately. Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread.

Notes

• For best flavor, refrigerate the stew overnight and reheat gently the next day. The flavors will be more concentrated and richer.
• Reheat on stovetop at medium to medium-low heat. Add water if sauce becomes too thick.
• Homemade beef stock is ideal, but low sodium beef base is a good alternative. Adjust seasoning accordingly as the base can be saltier.
• Leftovers keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• This recipe serves 6 large or 8 moderate-sized portions.
• Serve with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce.