Boeuf Bourguignon
Beef braised in wine until it can be eaten with a spoon.
240 min total, minimal dishes
Timing: 4 hours
Boeuf Bourguignon
Beef braised in wine until it can be eaten with a spoon.
240 min total, minimal dishes
Timing: 4 hours
Key move
Treat it as a wine braise with structure: brown the beef hard, reduce the Pinot Noir into the pot, and keep the mushrooms and pearl onions separate until the end so the garnish stays distinct instead of dissolving into the sauce.
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The Setup
- Dutch Oven5-7 qt
- Skillet12-inch
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon
The Mise en Place
3Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/1)
The Braise (0/1)
Other (0/1)
My beef is coming out dry and tough.
Ah, the classic tough beef! This usually means one of two things: either you cooked it too fast, like a boil, which tightens up those proteins, or it just didn't cook long enough f…
My sauce is too thin.
Sauce looking a bit watery? No problem. Take the meat out for a moment, and let's get that sauce to thicken up. You can either let it bubble away on its own to reduce, or for a qui…
Chef's Notes
Sear beef in batches until deeply browned for maximum flavor. Don't overcrowd the pan.
Deglaze the pan with red wine to capture all the flavorful browned bits from the beef.
This dish improves overnight. Make it a day ahead and gently reheat before serving.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, crusty bread, or egg noodles to soak up the rich sauce.
Watch the Technique
Video source: YouTube
The Method
THE DRY & SEAR
Time-sensitivePaper towel the beef until bone dry. SEAR in batches in bacon fat.
Steaming the beef: Crowding the pan drops the temperature, causing the beef to release juices and boil in its own liquid instead of searing.
Beef is patted completely dry.
THE FOND
Remove meat. Add carrots/onions. SCRAPE the bottom of the pot. DEGLAZE with wine.
Burnt fond: If the bottom bits look black rather than dark brown, they are burnt and will make the sauce bitter.
Bottom of the pot is scraped clean.
THE BRAISE
Return meat. Add stock until meat is *mostly* submerged but peeking out.
Boiling too hard: A rolling boil will toughen the meat fibers. Keep the heat low for a gentle simmer.
Meat is mostly submerged in liquid.
THE SIMMER
Time-sensitiveCover and cook in oven at 300°F (150°C) for 3 hours.
Over-reduction: If the seal is loose, the braising liquid will reduce too far, causing the beef to toughen.
Meat is fork-tender and slides off easily.
THE FINISH
Sauté mushrooms and pearl onions (200 g) in butter. Add to the pot for the last 15 mins.
Soggy garnish: Adding these too early causes them to lose their structural integrity and disintegrate into the sauce.
Mushrooms and pearl onions are sautéed and added.
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