Beef Bourguignon

I braise fall-apart beef in Pinot Noir with mushrooms and pearl onions low and slow for cozy, restaurant-quality comfort food. This easy Beef Bourguignon can be made a day ahead and is perfect for entertaining and cold-weather nights. It’s one of the most famous French red-wine beef stews and a staple of French cuisine. I cook it in the oven and provide alternative cooking instructions for Instant Pot & Slow Cooker.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Keyword Beef Bourguignon, beef stew

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 30

Servings

Calories 639kcal

Author Julia

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs beef chuck or stew meat, cut into 1-1 ½ inch cubes
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
1 small yellow onion diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups dry red wine Burgundy or Pinot Noir
3 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
8 ounces pearl onions fresh or frozen, peeled
8 ounces cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms, halved or quartered

Garnish

¼ cup Fresh parsley roughly chopped
Thyme leaves roughly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, cook pancetta or bacon until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Leave the fat in the pot.
Turn the heat to medium high. Working in batches, sear the beef on all sides in the pancetta fat, adding a bit of olive oil as needed. Transfer seared beef to the plate with pancetta.
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot, if needed. Sauté carrots, diced onion, and thyme until the onions have softened, about 5–7 minutes.
Stir in garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute more.
Sprinkle flour over the vegetables, stirring to coat.
Slowly pour in red wine, scraping up any browned bits.
Add beef broth, bay leaf, beef and pancetta to the pot.
Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2½ to 3 hours, until beef is fork-tender.
About 30 minutes before the stew is done, sauté the mushrooms and pearl onions in a skillet with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper until browned and just tender.
Stir the mushrooms and pearl onions into the stew. Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, for the remaining 20–30 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce slightly.
Discard bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or crusty bread.
Note: I provide helpful step-by-step photos + tips below this recipe card. ⬇️⬇️

Notes

Patting the beef dry before seasoning and searing is essential for browning the meat which adds flavor and depth to this dish.
Don’t overcrowd the pot when you’re browning the meat. Be patient and work in batches.
Cook slow on low at all times! This recipe requires patience. Don’t turn the temperature of your oven up to try and hasten the cooking process. If you increase the temperature it will boil the beef and become tough which is the opposite of what you want.
Make ahead: Eating the finished stew the following day is actually the best! It gives time for the flavors to meld and gets better overnight.
Remove extra fat: If there’s a lot of extra fat on top, feel free to skim it off the top.
Blanc version: Use white wine instead of red, omit the tomato paste, and add a little bit of cream at the very end for a lighter version.

How to Make Beef Bourguignon in a Slow Cooker

Brown the meat & bacon first: In a skillet on the stove, cook the diced pancetta or bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon. In the same fat, sear the beef cubes in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer beef and pancetta to the slow cooker.
Cook veggies: Add olive oil to the same skillet if needed, then sauté the carrots, onion, and thyme for 5–7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook for 1–2 minutes.
Deglaze: Slowly pour in the wine, scraping up browned bits. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly reduced. Pour this mixture into the slow cooker.
Stir in the beef broth and bay leaf. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
Finish vegetables separately: About 30 minutes before serving, sauté the mushrooms and pearl onions in a skillet with olive oil, salt, and pepper until browned. Stir them into the slow cooker for the final 20–30 minutes.

How to Make Beef Bourguignon in an Instant Pot

Using the saute function for browning and then pressure cook everything (except the pearl onions and mushrooms), for 45 minutes with a natural release. Stir in the sauteed mushrooms and onions, cover, and let it stay warm for about 20 minutes before serving.

Storage

Rerfrigerate: Store the cooled stew into an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: You can freeze the cooled stew in an airtight freezer safe container or resealable bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat: Either place on the stovetop over medium low heat in a pot until warmed through or microwave in a microwave safe bowl, slightly covered with a cover, until it reaches your desired temperature.

Supplies

Knife
Cutting board
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
5 quart Dutch oven
Tongs

Nutrition