Beef bourguignon is the great French farmhouse braise — beef chuck slow-cooked in red wine with lardons, mushrooms, and pearl onions until the collagen in the meat converts to gelatin and the wine reduces into a glossy, deeply complex sauce. Julia Child's version in Mastering the Art of French Cooking is definitive, and she specifies butter and lard (the traditional French cooking fats) throughout.
Beef Bourguignon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.2kg (2.6 lb) beef chuck, cut into 5cm cubes
- 3 tbsp beef tallow
- 150g lardons or thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 bottle (750ml) red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
- 500ml beef stock
- Bouquet garni: bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems
- 250g button mushrooms, sautéed in 2 tbsp butter
- 250g pearl onions, cooked in 1 tbsp butter until golden
- 2 tbsp grass-fed butter to finish
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). Heat tallow in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Cook the lardons until golden. Remove.
- In the same fat, brown the beef in batches — do not crowd. 3-4 minutes per side. Remove.
- Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine and stock. Stir, scraping up all the browned bits. Return the beef and lardons. Add the bouquet garni. Season.
- Bring to a simmer, then transfer to the oven. Braise covered for 2.5 hours until the beef is very tender.
- Transfer the beef to a plate. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan. Simmer the strained sauce until reduced by one-third.
- Return the beef, mushrooms, and pearl onions to the Dutch oven. Pour the reduced sauce over everything. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the butter to enrich and gloss the sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes.
Is bourguignon seed oil free?
Yes with tallow and butter. Julia Child's original recipe uses lard and butter — both animal fats, both seed oil free.
What wine?
Use wine you would drink. A Pinot Noir or any decent red Burgundy is traditional. Avoid cooking wines — they contain added salt and preservatives.
Can I use a slow cooker?
Yes — complete steps 1-5 in a Dutch oven, then transfer to a slow cooker. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
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