Classic Beef Bourguignon
Faith Kennedy
6–8
30 minutes
3 hours
French
Dinner, Entree, Main Meal
A rich, slow-cooked beef stew made with tender chuck roast, bacon, red wine, hearty vegetables, mushrooms, and buttery potatoes. Made in a 5-quart Dutch oven, this is the kind of meal that gets better as it cooks and fills the kitchen with the smell of a long, comforting dinner. Perfect over mashed potatoes or with crusty toasted bread.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces slices bacon, cut into small pieces
- 3 lbs chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2–3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2–3 cups beef broth, or enough to nearly cover the beef
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1–2 lbs potatoes, cut into cubes
- 2–3 tablespoons butter
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh thyme, to taste
Directions
Heat a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
Season the chuck roast generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot, brown the beef on all sides in the bacon fat. Remove the beef and set aside.
Add the diced carrots, celery, and onion to the Dutch oven. Cook until softened and lightly caramelized, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Stir in the thyme and rosemary and cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir well, coating all of the vegetables. Continue cooking until the tomato paste darkens slightly.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until everything is evenly coated. Cook for another minute or two to lightly cook the flour.
Slowly pour in the dry red wine, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven to loosen all of the browned bits. Stir until the flour and wine are fully incorporated.
Return the browned beef and bacon to the Dutch oven. Add enough beef broth to nearly cover the beef. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
While the beef begins to cook, heat a separate skillet over medium heat. Sauté the sliced mushrooms until browned and tender. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the cubed potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add a little fresh thyme. Cook until the potatoes are lightly browned and beginning to become tender.
Add the sautéed mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let the bourguignon gently simmer for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is very tender and the sauce has thickened.
Add the buttery potatoes toward the end of cooking, allowing them to warm through and absorb some of the rich sauce without becoming overly soft.
Remove the rosemary stems and thyme sprigs. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot with plenty of the rich sauce and tender vegetables.
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