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.
Last modified on: February 21th 2011
Keywords for this recipe:Traditional recipeFranceBurgondyMeatBeefSlow cookingRed wineBistrot.
800 g beef
250 g smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon)
1 
3 tablespoons 
1 tablespoon 
750 ml red wine
1 
3 
1 kg 
250 g 
1 tablespoon 
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour 5 min. | 3 hours 15 min. | 4 hours 20 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
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 ml 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.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 5,058 Kcal or 21,177 Kj | 213 gr | 287 gr | 269 gr |
| 253 % | 82 % | 27 % | 41 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 132 Kcal or 553 Kj | 6 gr | 7 gr | 7 gr |
| 7 % | 2 % | 1 % | 1 % |
| Per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 843 Kcal or 3,529 Kj | 35 gr | 48 gr | 45 gr |
| 42 % | 14 % | 5 % | 7 % |
How much will it cost?
Source
Home made, after Ginette Mathiot.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Potatoes: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Grandma's salad, Express sauerkraut, Normandy seafood stew, Potatoes with prawns, Potato and broccoli gratin, ... All |
 | Beef : You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Two-stage beef chuck , Taos hotpot, How to slow cook meat, Upside-down Parmentier, Roast beef "like they do it in Santa Fe", ... All |
 | Red wine: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Pears in red wine with blackcurrant , Tenderloin steaks marinated in red wine with rosemary, Coq au vin, Mulled wine Belle-Plagne style, Marchand de vin sauce, ... All |
 | Smoked pork belly (or thick cut streaky bacon): You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Express sauerkraut, Soup Cornouaillaise, Warm lentil salad, ... All |
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Your 3 comments or questions on this recipe
- You can add a bit of chocolate in the sauce to thicken it and make it smoother...Posted by agnes january 15th 2011 at 22:37 (n° 3)
- Well, almost... ;-) I suppose that the part of femininity in me (like all mens on earth as I read), added to the great satisfaction of demystifying some famous French recipes, make me walking in Julia's foot print ?After the movie now, it's difficult to imagine her as somebody else than Meryl Streep...Posted by jh december 13th 2009 at 20:04 (n° 2)
- Are you sure you are not Julia Child is disguise? LOL:) I've been wanting to try my hand at this recipe ever since seeing the movie. Your guidance is all I needed. Thank you JH.I will be preparing this one day over the holiday season. I will let you know how I do!!!Thanks for sharing. Your site is really unfolding nicely...Posted by Louise december 13th 2009 at 19:46 (n° 1)
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