Boeuf Bourguignon
Cercles Culinaires de France's oven-braised beef
Method sources: Cercles Culinaires de France: Boeuf bourguignon
Burgundian beef stew braised in red wine with lardons, mushrooms, pearl onions, and carrots until fork-tender.
Burgundian peasant cooking, codified by Auguste Escoffier in Le Guide Culinaire (1903) but eaten by farmers and vineyard workers for centuries before. The Burgundian Pinot Noir is non-negotiable in the regional version — wine that's 30 minutes from the kitchen, not from the supermarket. Julia Child opened her 1961 Mastering the Art of French Cooking with it; the dish became American shorthand for French cooking after that.
A classic French stew that transforms humble ingredients into a luxurious experience, thanks to that rich red wine and tender beef.
Beef chuck cut into 5cm cubes, browned in lardon fat, then submerged in red wine and simmered three hours. Meat falls apart at the touch of a fork; sauce coats the back of a spoon. Pearl onions and mushrooms go in at the end so they don't disintegrate. Boiled potato or fresh egg pasta — never rice.
On the Palate
Where Boeuf Bourguignon sits in the French flavor cloud
Ingredients
4 servings
How it's made
5 steps · About 2 h 50 min; braise until tender · Plan 50 min preparation/checking and at least 2 h braising; editorial allocation within the source total
- 1Bacon blanch 1–2 min; remaining preparation untimed
Heat oven to 180°C. Prepare garlic and both onions. Blanch bacon 1–2 minutes in simmering water, rinse and drain; prepare mushrooms and parsley.
- 25 min at 180°C after browning
Brown beef in oil in an ovenproof casserole; remove beef and discard oil. Soften chopped onion and garlic in 40 g butter. Return beef, mix in flour and bake five minutes.
- 3First 105 min of a 2–2½ h braise
Add wine and stock; stir, season and bring to a boil. Cover and braise at 180°C. Set 105 minutes, then proceed to the final stage; the full braise takes 2–2½ hours depending on tenderness.
- 43 min garnish cooking; overlaps braising
During the braise, fry mushrooms and blanched bacon in the remaining 20 g butter for three minutes. Add these and small onions about 15 minutes before finishing.
- 5Final 15 min is included in braising, not additional
Continue at least 15 minutes. Check the beef is tender; extend within the source's braising range if needed. Serve with parsley.
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