Boeuf (beef) bourguignon
Bœuf bourguignon is a traditional recipe of French cuisine (bourguignon means from Burgundy). It's chunks of meat cooked slowly with bacon, onions, carrots and mushrooms in red wine.
4 hours 20 min.
Easy
6 people
13 IngredientsLast modified on: February 21th 2011
For 6 people, you will need:
800 g beef
250 g smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon)
1 
3 tablespoons 
1 tablespoon 
750 g red wine
1 
3 
1 kg 
250 g 
1 tablespoon 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 5 min.
Cooking: 3 hours 15 min.
All in all: 4 hours 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 15 min.
Cut 800 g beef in pieces, remove and dispose everything that is not good meat (skin, strong parts), it's the main secret of boeuf bourgignon: a perfect meat at the beginning.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Cut 250 g smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon) in small pieces.
Stage 4 - 2 min.
In a big pan on medium fire, pour 3 tablespoons oil, when hot add grinded onion and bacon, mix well, pepper and some salt.
Stage 5 - 4 min.
Make cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, then remove pan from fire and with a skimmer put mixture in a plate, leave only some fat in the pan.
Stage 6 - 1 min.
Put back pan on lively fire, add meat pieces...
Stage 7 - 8 min.
...and make brown on each sides.
Stage 8 - 1 min.
Stage 9 - 2 min.
Add onion mix, stir again.
Stage 10 - 1 min.
Add 750 g red wine.
Stage 11 - 30 min.
Stir well, scratch bottom pan to deglaze, then add 1 bouquet garni, salt and pepper.
Reduce fire to slow, and let cook for 30 minutes.
If you get foam on top during this time, skim it and dispose.
Reduce fire to slow, and let cook for 30 minutes.
If you get foam on top during this time, skim it and dispose.
Stage 12 - 5 min.
During this time, peel, wash and cut 3 carrots in pieces.
Stage 13 - 2 hours
Add them in the pan, and let cook uncovered for at least 2 hours.
Stage 14 - 25 min.
During this time, peel, wash and make cook 1 kg potatoes in water.
Stage 15 - 10 min.
During this time, peel and slice 250 g mushrooms.
Stage 16 - 1 min.
Add mushrooms in the pan about 30 minutes before serving.
Stage 17 - 5 min.
You can brown potatoes in a frying pan with 1 tbs of oil, not absolutely needed, but in my opinion much better.
Stage 18 - 5 min.
Preparing sauce:
Put everything solid from pan in a strainer on another pan.
Dispose bouquet garni.
Your goal is to have have only liquid part in the pan, and all solid part in another.
Put everything solid from pan in a strainer on another pan.
Dispose bouquet garni.
Your goal is to have have only liquid part in the pan, and all solid part in another.
Stage 19 - 5 min.
Put back pan with liquid on medium fire, when boiling add 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with some cold water.
Whip strongly to thicken sauce, then taste to check seasoning.
Whip strongly to thicken sauce, then taste to check seasoning.
Stage 20 - 10 min.
Put back meat and vegetables in the smooth and tasty sauce, slow fire, and let stay until service time.
Stage 21
Heat plates and serve with potatoes.
Remarks
Bœuf Bourguignon is one of those dishes that get better each time they are reheated, so don't hesitate to make a lot in one go and then reheat it several times.
For the wine, it should be ideally a red Burgundy made from pinot noir grapes, but if you can't get one from this area at a reasonable price, try to get another pinot noir if possible.
If you have a good butcher, ask his advice about suitable cuts of beef for bourguignon, otherwise remember you don't need an expensive cut like steak, but preferably a cheaper cut suited to long slow cooking (such as stewing steak).
Years ago it was usual to thicken the sauce with a "roux" (mix of cooked butter and flour), it's efficient but unfortunately it dulls the flavour of the sauce. Bernard Loiseau the famous French chef, in his day, suggested replacing the roux with a little carrot purée, but cornflour also works well.
For the wine, it should be ideally a red Burgundy made from pinot noir grapes, but if you can't get one from this area at a reasonable price, try to get another pinot noir if possible.
If you have a good butcher, ask his advice about suitable cuts of beef for bourguignon, otherwise remember you don't need an expensive cut like steak, but preferably a cheaper cut suited to long slow cooking (such as stewing steak).
Years ago it was usual to thicken the sauce with a "roux" (mix of cooked butter and flour), it's efficient but unfortunately it dulls the flavour of the sauce. Bernard Loiseau the famous French chef, in his day, suggested replacing the roux with a little carrot purée, but cornflour also works well.
And to drink?
The same wine you use in the recipe, ideally a bourgogne pinot noir.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made, after Ginette Mathiot.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 210 RDI=80 % | 290 RDI=30 % | 270 RDI=40 % | 5,050 RDI=250 % | 21,150 RDI: 250 % |
| Per 100 g | 5 RDI=2 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 7 RDI=1 % | 130 RDI=7 % | 550 RDI: 7 % |
| Per person | 40 RDI=10 % | 50 RDI=4 % | 40 RDI=7 % | 840 RDI=40 % | 3,530 RDI: 40 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 6 people : 16.30 €
- Per person : 2.75 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Potatoes
Like these other recipes: Grandma's salad, Hasselback or "Swedish-style" potatoes, Potato tortilla (Spanish omelette), Avengers' potatoes, Alsatian-style salad, ... See them all 82
Beef
Like these other recipes: Beef braised in reduced red wine, How to cook red meat properly, Two-stage beef chuck , Roast beef "like they do it in Santa Fe", Home-made doner kebab, ... See them all 10
Red wine
Like these other recipes: Coq au vin, Pears in red wine with blackcurrant , Aperitif rolls, Strawberries in a thyme and lemon-flavoured red wine reduction, Mushroom bourguignon, ... See them all 19
Mushrooms
Like these other recipes: Mixed salad with curry mayo, Stuffed mushrooms au gratin, Rabbit civet "à la normande", Special Parmesan baguettes, Tomato omelette, ... See them all 62
Other recipes you may also like
Green bean and potato salad with paprika
A warm salad featuring green beans, grilled potatoes and diced Comté cheese, all tossed in a paprika mayonnaise.November 1st 202316 K 60 min.
Citrus crunch
These are fine crumbs of candied citrus peel. It can be used to sprinkle a dessert or other preparation to add both crunch and the flavour of the chosen citrus fruit. It is easy to prepare well in advance, and will keep in an airtight jar. This recipe is given for clementines, but can be made with...February 2nd 2016235 K3.7 1 hour 20 min.
Chocolate mousse
Here is a simple quick recipe for chocolate mousse. It is just necessary to be careful at the final stage, when mixing the melted chocolate and the beaten egg-whites.February 21th 2011478 K3.7 40 min.
Tahitian style fish
Little pieces of fish marinated overnight a night in lime juice.February 21th 2011272 K5 12 hours 60 min.
How to heat milk without it catching on the bottom of the pan
Very often when you heat milk in a saucepan, it forms at the bottom of the pan (especially if the milk boiled) a sticky and brown bottom of milk that burned and attached. To avoid this here is a very simple and very effective tip.February 21th 2011257 K 24.2 1 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-06-01)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 4 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 3 comments already posted on this recipe