french beef stew

Recipe video above. Considered by many to be the mother of all stews, Beef Bourguignon is a French dish made with beef, bacon lardons, carrots, onions and mushrooms slow-cooked in a rich red wine sauce. For the most magnificent stew of your life, start this 2 days before you plan to serve it, do not shortcut pan roasting ingredients individually, and use homemade beef stock if you can!

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

800 grams/ 1.6 lb chuck beef (,

carrots

onions

bay leaf (, fresh (sub: dried))

thyme

milliliters/ 25 oz pinot noir or other red wine ((Note 3))

tbsp oil (, olive, canola or vegetable)

salt

tsp pepper

mushrooms (, halved (quarters if large))

50 grams/3 tbsp unsalted butter

garlic (, minced)

tomato paste

tbsp flour (, plain/all purpose)

beef stock (low sodium)

tsp salt

tbsp chopped parsley (, for garnish)

Marinate beef: Place the Beef Marinade ingredients in a large, non-reactive ceramic dish or ziplock bag. Marinate overnight in the fridge (minimum 12 hours, maximum 24 hours).

Strain liquid into a bowl, reserve marinade. Separate the beef, carrots and onion.

Reduce wine: Pour red wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Simmer vigorously, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, until reduced by half. Set aside.

Marinate beef:

Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan).

Dry beef: Line a tray with paper towels, spread beef out, then pat dry with paper towels.

Season beef: Sprinkle beef with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.

Brown beef: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy-based, oven-proof pot over high heat. Add 1/3 beef and brown aggressively all over. Remove into bowl, then repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil if needed.

Fry bacon: Add bacon and cook for 3 minutes until golden. Add to bowl with beef.

Sauté mushrooms: Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove into a new bowl.

Sauté onion: Add a bit of extra oil if needed, then cook onions for 5 minutes or until there are nice golden patches. Add to bowl with mushrooms.

Sauté carrot: Add butter into pot. Once melted, add carrot and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until there are golden patches. Add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.

Tomato paste: Add tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Flour: Add flour and cook for 2 minutes.

Add wine and stock: While stirring, slowly pour in beef stock – this helps the flour dissolve lump-free into the stock. Then add wine and mix until flour mixture is dissolved and mostly lump-free (Note 6).

Add beef into pot: Add beef, bacon, thyme, bay leaf, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper into the pot, then stir well.

Brown beef and vegetables:

Oven 1 hour: Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven for 1 hour. (Note 7)

Mushrooms and onion: Remove from oven, stir in mushrooms and onion.

Oven 1½  hours: Cover with lid and return to oven for 1½  hours, or until beef is &quot;fall-apart tender&quot;.

Adjust salt: Remove from oven, taste sauce and add salt if needed. (Note 8 - important!)

Leave overnight (recommended): If time permits, leave the stew overnight before serving because as with all stews, it gets better with time! Reheat gently on a low stove.

Serve over mashed potato – Essential for mopping up every drop of that amazing sauce!

Slow-cook:

French beef stew is an easy version of the classic bourguignon recipe. Make this recipe to serve for Christmas or a comforting winter meal.

French Beef Stew (Bourguignon)

pancetta (or bacon lardons)

olive oil

lbs lean stew beef ((See Note 1))

tbsp all purpose flour

tsp salt and pepper

onion (sliced)

shallot (large, diced)

garlic (diced)

thyme (tied)

red wine ((750 milliliters))

beef stock

bay leaf

Cipollini onions

lb Crimini mushrooms

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Cut the pancetta into small bite size cubes and beef into 2-inch cubes. Set aside.

Heat a cast iron skillet or casserole pot and render the pancetta low and slow over medium heat. Remove browned pancetta and set aside.

Add 2-inch beef cubes to rendered pancetta fat and brown on all sides. Season with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Set aside.

Add olive oil to pan and sauté the sliced onion until golden in color then add the diced shallot and crushed garlic. Cook for several minutes.

With spoon scrape up all the little bits on the bottom of the pan from the pancetta and beef.

Next, add the browned pancetta and beef, sprinkle with flour and stir, cooking for several minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to mix in.

Pour the red wine and beef stock in mixing thoroughly. Place the bay leaves and tied thyme bundle in the pot and stir.&nbsp;Cover and place in oven to bake for 2 hours.

After 2 hours check liquid and if more is need to just cover meat then add beef stock. At this point add the mushrooms and onions to the pot and stir to mix in. Cover and continue to bake for 2 1/2 more hours.

When time is up remove from oven, remove thyme bundle and stir.&nbsp;Serve with your choice of potato, rice or over pasta. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

This boeuf bourguignon is worth the work you put into it.  My husband's first bite, he said this is AMAZING!! Once he finished eating he said this was STUPENDOUS.  Thank you, Nagi!! I have tried many of your recipes, and they are just fantastic.

Made this many times now, always a winner with family and guests. I do change one thing, when browning the beef etc I always use goose fat. Readily available here in France.

Easy to follow the directions. Slightly less easy to execute. 
Well worth it in the end.

The best Beef Burgundy we’ve ever had. Thank you 😘🤌

Yes, great.  Good easy recipe.  Pearl onions we call french or brown shallotts

Do yourself a favour and cook this!! Oh my gosh it is SO good. So flavourful

Delicious recipe! Worth the effort. Highly recommended!

I love this recipe and often cook it in camp oven over a fire. Just wondering if this has been tried with Venison meat, or you think the flavour combo would be worth trialling before i waste a good bottle of wine ?

Worth the time investment. Absolutely loved it!

I used the insert of my slow cooker and unscrewed the plastic lid knob. Worked really well in the oven. I had to adjust initial cooking time in oven because I could not bring ceramic insert to a simmer on the stove because putting it in oven. But besides added oven time it did not change the flavor or the texture of the beef.
This recipe is fantastic!

Worth every minute you spend making this. Plus, it’s a prepare ahead dish - great for entertaining.

Made this exactly as written, home made beef stock and all!
All I can say is !Fantastic! The pinot noir was just the right body for this, and I never left the beef in such big chunks before, but it made such a big difference! This took our beef burgundy to the best, most complex flavor ever! This will be our forever go to recipe for beef burgundy from now on! Thanks again Nagi for another excellent recipe, you never disappoint!

This is one of my favorites!

I cheat and use 100% red wine and two teaspoons of Demi glacé.

This is soooo yummy! 
It is more steps than I had originally expected with 3 kids running around but so so worth it! 
The whole fam liked it
I would definitely make again

This truly is an excellent recipe! I followed it to a "T" with one exception - I used a semisweet red wine instead of Pinot Noir. I tried another recipe using Pinot Noir and was truly disappointed. So, with all the work and time that goes into this recipe I used the semisweet red wine. I am so, so glad I did! You should try it sometime!! Yours IS a fantastic recipe! Glad it is online for our use!!

I've made beef bourguignon soooo many times and it's always been good but this was next level good. Amazing good.

The ingredients are the same as I always use but somehow the process just made it taste that much better.

Mine was too salty (bacon I think) so I added more wine to balance it out and it was sensational.

A rich and hearty traditional French beef stew with a tangy-savory flavor profile.

French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned Vegetables

For the Marinade:

beef chuck (,

red wine vinegar

bouquet garni

For the Stew:

onion

tomato sauce

cloves

carrots (,

turnips (,

parsnips (,

potatoes

black pepper

Place the beef in the dutch oven with the onions and carrots and and bouquet garni.  Add the red wine and the red wine vinegar. Cover and let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.After it has fully marinated, remove the beef and pat it with paper towels to remove the excess moisture. This will enable it to brown properly and get that brown crust that is essential for the flavor of the stew.

Heat the oil in the dutch oven over medium-high heat once the oil is very hot add the beef, a few pieces at a time. Be sure not to overcrowd the pot otherwise the beef won&#039;t brown, it will simply steam. Generously brown the pieces on all sides. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.Add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Strain the contents of the marinade into a sieve over the dutch oven (DO NOT discard the marinade).  Discard the onions and carrots from the marinade but keep the bouquet garni.

Return the beef to the Dutch oven with the bouquet garni and the whole cloves. (Note: You can choose to wrap the cloves in a bit of cheesecloth or muslin so that you don&#039;t have to fish them out later from the serving on your plate.) Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.Towards the end of the hour, chop up the vegetables. (For contrast and variety, I like to chop each of the vegetables into different shapes and sizes.)  Add the vegetables along with the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Stir a bit to combine.Return everything to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for another hour or until the vegetables are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If you think the beef can handle further cooking without falling apart, go ahead and simmer it for another 30 or more minutes, it will only get better!)

Serve with some crusty bread.This stew is even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld.

Delicious recipe, something a little different than a typical beef stew. The only thing I changed was reducing the cloves to two, as I'm not a big clove fan. I think four would have been fine. Next time I'll put the turnips and rutabagas in with the beef, because they were still hard after an hour+ and the beef was falling apart.

I made this stew last winter and my family were licking the bowls, it was that good. I followed the recipe except I used sweet potatoes instead of the Yukons. I am making this again today and my grown kids will be coming over with their own bowls to take some home. 😄 Thank you for publishing the wonderful recipe!

I have saved this recipe and  prepared it for years now. No cold weather requirement in my household. We love it! Thank you so much for sharing. Karol

This recipe would have been perfect without the vinegar. We never add vinegar to the wine in beef Bourguignon. Too bad. It’s not a “French taste”. But great idea to include heirloom roots vegetables. I wouldn’t have thought about it!

Amazing ! I followed this recipe from "For the Stew" on ... IN A CROCK POT !!
I crocked it on LOW for 6hrs ~ It was so good !
I obv used 2lbs of Beef Cubes &amp; of course the Red Wine &amp; Red Wine Vinegar :)
The combination of the ingredients made our home smell wonderful 
Thank You to the Chef !

I am sorry to say this is the first time I have commented on a recipe not to compliment the recipe poster, but to warn against the recipe because it did not work out well. Marinating the beef for 24 hours and then browning it and then simmering it for at two hours - it was just mush. I am also disappointed with the powerful clove aftertaste that comes from making a sachet with cheesecloth and having the cloves in for those two hours. I love to use winter root vegetables but will stay with my old recipe using red wine and tomato sauce. Browning the meat first is essential but the long marinade is not, in my opinion.

I use spicy V-8 juice and beef bone broth for my stews and everyone always raves about how the root vegetables soak up the flavors / haven’t marinaded the beef before making beef vegetable  stew so giving this a go tomorrow xoxo

Tripped on this recipe a few years ago. It has become a must make item at least 2 times during the winter at our house. It's tough to fit in a 3rd time as we don't have a long cold season in the the Southeastern US. Makes the house smell amazing.

A classic French beef stew with tender beef, a rich red wine sauce, and buttery herbed mushrooms. This version stays true to Julia Child’s beloved recipe, with just a few simplified steps.

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

bacon

beef

Salt and pepper

all-purpose flour (for dusting)

garlic (finely chopped)

Cognac

red wine

beef stock (add more if needed)

bay leaves

unsalted butter

button or cremini mushrooms (quartered)

pearl onions

thyme leaves

Cook the bacon: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the bacon, and cook until the fat renders. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Sear the beef: Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. Lightly dust with flour. Increase the heat to medium-high and sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides, about 2–3 minutes per side. Set aside with the bacon.

Sauté the vegetables: In the same pot, add the carrots and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the tomato paste and cook for one more minute.

Deglaze with Cognac: Turn off the heat if using a gas stove. Carefully pour in the Cognac and ignite with a long lighter or match to burn off the alcohol (optional, but fun!). Once the flame subsides, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Add the liquids and herbs: Return the beef and bacon to the pot. Pour in the wine and enough beef stock to just cover the meat. Add the thyme and bay leaves, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Braise in the oven: Cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Lower the temperature to 325°F and cook for 2½–3 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce has reduced by about a quarter.

Prepare the mushrooms and onions: While the stew cooks, heat butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned and their moisture evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the pearl onions, wine, thyme, bay leaf and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer until the wine has reduced and the onions are tender.

Combine and serve: When the beef is done, remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. Skim any excess fat from the top if needed. Stir in the mushroom and onion mixture, sprinkle with fresh parsley, and serve.

Awesome recipe! I love Julias recipes.50 years ago I watched every one of her cooking shows on PBS and copied all the recipes into a school notebook-I still have it!!  I was 9 or 10. I loved her show talked about it all the time and cooked everything she made on tv for my family-by 13 I was quite accomplished. Started cooking classes at our college at 14 got my bachelors at 16 and my Masters by 18.  I never made it to the Le Cordon Bleu Paris 
but became a Nanny in Switzerland for 15 years and learned a diverse portfolio of European cooking over the years ALL BECAUSE OF JULIA and her belief to be 
“FEARLESS”-“TRY NEW RECIPES”- “LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES” and “HAVE FUN”! She has been my inspiration over 50 years of cooking!

so buttery and creamy and goes so good with rice!! always make extras

Looks amazing! The flavors are so delicious in this bourguignon. YUM!

Julia was such a wiz in the kitchen! I've made several of her recipes, but never her beef bourguinon. It looks delicious.

Hello
Today I will be daring myself to prepare this recipe for the first time...I've watched the movie Julia  &amp; Julie, since I'm so into cooking more and trying new things...thank you for sharing this recipe

I love Julia because she was funny and could easily laugh at herself.

I just made Julia's boeuf bourguignon again a couple weeks ago (and took that opportunity to change the old photo in the blog post!). Yours looks delicious. Funny about Julia's last cat - when I was on the phone with her assistant the day after Julia died, she asked me if I wanted to take Julia's cat! I couldn't, but she went to a good home!

What is not to love about Julia Child.  She loved and enjoyed cooking and shared it with all of us.  I too, after watching Julie and Julia, a gazillion times weekly, started Cooking again.  Have to say, so fat, her Beouf Bourguignon has turned out the best.  Thank you and Bon Apetite!!

I loved watching Julia on PBS as a child.  Always made me smile and helped me learn to love to cook!

I was introduced to Julia Child through the movie "Julie &amp; Julia" (which I have watching over 50 times).  I haven't cooked my way through the whole collection of recipes in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" but she did bring me back to cooking and now I am obsessed with her cookbooks &amp; DVDs.
I cooked Scalloped Potatoes with Heavy Cream and Cheese and my son asks or it weekly....I made Boeuf Bourguignon last winter and can't wait to do it again.
This morning I am making an amazing omelet for my husband and a poached egg for myself (Julia taught me how to poach eggs in her DVD series "The Way to Cook".
Thank you, Julia, for bringing me back to cooking.  I forgot how much it relaxes me and how much I love it!

Julia was such a frank, humorous woman  Strong and savvy.  I loved her recipe for a chocolate cake with a caramel dome.  FAB!

i love Julia Child beccause he made cooking look so easy and her love for food showed

This dish is absolutely beautiful, Sam! Perfect, even. I would love to dig right in. Yum! My favorite Julia dish is her chocolate mousse. It's beyond delicious.

I am very happy to met you through this wonderful experience we were blessed to be apart of. Cheers, Tara

I've never attempted this dish but her tomato sauce is a favorite at our house.

Top 6 french beef stew recipes from across the web

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Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

French Beef Stew (Bourguignon)

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned...

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

Top 6 french beef stew recipes from across the web

The most viewed french beef stew recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

French Beef Stew (Bourguignon)

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

Beef Bourguignon (Beef Burgundy)

French Beef Stew with Old-Fashioned...

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon

The most viewed french beef stew recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine