Boeuf Bourguignon
Move over Julia Child! Just kidding, the woman was an amazing chef who’s recipe was the inspiration for this meal.
Let me begin with the fact that I have never eaten beef and enjoyed it, that is until I made this gem of a meal. This whole endeavor began after my hubby came along on a grocery trip with me, you may think ‘big deal’? Well it is, he never does the groceries with me so it was a very nice change. Like almost every man out there, my husband loves beef and just because I do not eat beef does not mean I deprive my man of his carnivorous cravings. However, most of his beef consumption occurs in the warmer months when he can slap a huge plate sized t-bone steak on the grill leaving very little room for sides once it is on the plate. So as we walked through the meat aisle I saw some lovely looking cubes of steak that would be perfect for a stew. I held up the steak and said the magical words….”Boeuf Bourguignon?” his eyes lit up and with a huge smile said “YUP!” How could I resist that?
I knew my evening was set, I would attempt a complex French dish that I may or may not even enjoy in the end. I read several versions of this recipe all over the web and all of them were extremely complicated and at times hard to follow. I gave up and just winged it using similar techniques I use for my Coq Au Vin recipe. After hours in the kitchen I nervously watched my husband take his first bite…as I watched a huge smile come across his face I knew I had a winner! So I sat down next to him and tried my first bite…the beef melted away in my mouth and the flavorful and rich sauce seemed to almost hug me. I can eat beef like this everyday! Now to the recipe…I will try to arrange it as easily as possible below. All together you will require about 4 ½ Hours.
What you will need for a complete dish:
- 3 Lbs Beef (cubed and preferably with some nice marbleizing)
- 4 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 1 Tsp each of Salt & Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 6 Slices of Thick Bacon
- 20-25 White Pearl Onions
- 5 Medium Carrots (sliced)
- 10 Crimini Mushrooms (cut into ¼” slices)
- 2 Celery Sticks (sliced)
- 15 Small Red Nugget Potatoes (quartered)
- ½ Cup Flour
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 2 ½ Cups Beef Broth
- 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 Cups Red Wine (full bodied is preferable, I used a Burgundy
How To:
- Place your beef into a large bowl, pour in the 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper and the leaves from 2 Sprigs of Thyme. Mix together and let it sit for an hour.
- While the meat is marinating, cut up your bacon and cook it in a large pan on medium heat. Once the bacon is crispy remove it leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
Prep your veggies:
- Clean and slice up the celery, carrots and mushrooms and set aside in a bowl together.
- Peel the onions cutting off the ends and set aside in a bowl.
- Peel and quarter your potatoes and set aside in a bowl filled with cold water (this will prevent them from turning brown)
Begin the Cooking:
- Place the ½ cup of flour in a shallow dish.
- Dry your marinated meat with a paper towel then dredge in the flour.
- Heat up the bacon fat and add 2 Tbsp of butter.
- Once the fat is hot place your meat in and begin browning it on all sides. Approx. 10 minutes. (do not crowd the meat or it will not brown properly, I did mine in 2 batches)
- Once all the meat is browned set it aside in a bowl.
- Using the left over fat in the pan toss in your onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Sauté for 5 minutes to allow the veggies to soften. Set the pan aside.
Prep your Liquids & Continue Cooking:
- Take out a large cast iron pot or an oven & stove top safe dish with a lid.
- Combine the 2 ½ cups beef broth with tomato paste and garlic in a large container.
- Set the 2 cups of wine on the side.
- On high heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in the pot and toss in the browned meat, Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- De-glaze the pot with 1 ½ cups of the beef broth and tomato paste mix saving the rest of the broth mix for later. Toss in 2 Sprigs of thyme into the pot and add the wine. Bring everything to a boil.
- Cover and place into the oven.
- Cook for 1 ½ Hours. Check on it after an hour and you can stir it to prevent it from sticking to the sides.
- After time is up, remove and stir the contents. Add in the sautéed veggies, quartered potatoes and the rest of the broth and tomato mix. Stir to combine.
- Place back into the oven and cook for another 1 ½ Hours.
If the potatoes are soft when poked with a fork after this time then serve and enjoy, if not, pace back into the oven for 10 – 15 more minutes.
I hope you enjoy this as much as we did 🙂
