Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon Recipe

Beef, bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions braised slowly in red wine until the meat falls apart. Adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3 30

Total Time4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Diet: Low Lactose

Servings: people

Calories: 660kcal

Author: Ayla Clulee

Ingredients

For the Marinade

1 ⅔ cups red Burgundy wine (400 ml)
1 ¾ lbs chunky diced beef (chuck, shin or cheek) (800 grams)
1 onion (roughly chopped)
1 carrot (roughly chopped)
2 cloves garlic (lightly crushed)
3 bay leaves
3 sprig thyme
6 black peppercorn

For the Beef Bourguignon

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion (diced)
1 large carrot (diced)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 button onions or small shallots (peeled)
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme (finely chopped)
1 ⅔ cups wine from the marinade (400 ml)
2 ½ cups beef stock (600 ml)

For the Garnish

1 tablespoon butter
3 ½ oz chopped smoked bacon (100 grams)
7 oz sliced button or chestnut mushroom (200 grams)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinate the Beef

Roughly chop the onion, and carrot, and crush the garlic. Put them in a saucepan with the wine, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorn.
Put the saucepan on medium heat and bring the marinade to a boil. Let it boil for 5 minutes and take the pan off the heat.
When cooled down, add the meat to the marinade and keep it in the fridge overnight.

Cook the Marinated Beef

The next day, remove the meat from the marinade and then pat dry with a paper towel.
Strain the marinade and discard the vegetables and herbs, reserving the liquid.
Transfer the liquid into a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes over low-medium heat.
Skim off the scum as it rises, until the wine runs clear. Set the wine aside to go into the stew later.
Preheat the oven to 170° C (340° F) and heat your Dutch oven or oven-safe heavy-based pan on medium to high heat, and put the oil in.
Fry the meat in the pan in three batches until nicely browned on all sides. Make sure your pan is hot enough before adding the meat as we need a quick caramelization. Don’t put the meat all together in one batch as a large amount of cold meat will cool the pan down and will stop the caramelization.
Transfer the meat onto a plate and then use the same pan to brown your vegetables.
Turn the heat down to medium and then add more oil to the pan if needed. Add the diced onions and then sauté for a few minutes.
Add the carrot and garlic and then sauté for a few more minutes.
Gently brown the vegetables for 5 minutes, and stir in the flour along with the tomato paste and black pepper.
Add button onions (or shallots) and return the meat to the pan. I like my button onions nicely cooked and soft so I add them to the stew at this stage. If you like your button onions crispy, skip adding them to the stew at this stage and add them with the garnishes.
Mix well and add some of the wine from the marinade. Deglaze the pan, and add the rest of the wine, beef stock (just enough to cover the meat), thyme, and bay leaves.
Bring it to a boil, cover it with a lid or tin foil, and put the Dutch oven in the preheated oven. The cooking time depends on the type and size of the meat. I usually check after 2 hours and after that every half an hour until the meat is tender and falling apart easily when touched with a fork.
45 minutes before the end of the cooking time, start preparing your garnishes.

Cook the Garnish

For cooking the garnish, heat a pan and then add the butter. Add bacon and cook until crispy.
Add the mushrooms and then cook for a few more minutes. If you like your button onions crunchy and didn’t add them to the stew already, add them to the pan as well.
Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute before taking the pan off the heat.

Finish the Beef Bourguignon

To finish the Beef Bourguignon, add your garnishes to the pan or dutch oven, and then return it to the oven.
Cook for another 30 to 45 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and check the thickness of the gravy. It should be thick enough to cover the back of the spoon. If the gravy is too thin, add some cornstarch mixed with a little cold water and stir in.
Return the Dutch oven to the stove and then simmer for a few more minutes, until the gravy has thickened.
Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. Sprinkle chopped parsley on the top to garnish.

Notes

Storage. Cool it down, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Freeze it in portions and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheating. Warm it gently on the stovetop over low heat with the lid on, loosening it with a splash of stock if it has thickened. Do not let it boil, or the meat tightens and the sauce splits.
Make ahead. It is better on day two. Chilling it overnight lets you lift the set fat straight off the top. If you are serving on day two, cook the mushrooms and pearl onions fresh on the day rather than reheating them with the stew.
The marinade is optional. The recipe works cooked straight through on the day. If you do marinate, keep the beef in the fridge, use glass or stainless steel rather than aluminum, and go no longer than 24 hours. Salt the beef in the marinade, since salt is the one thing that travels into the meat overnight.
Reuse the marinade. Strain it and bring it to a boil before it goes back into the pot. That deals with anything the raw meat left behind and takes the harsh edge off the alcohol.
Pat the beef dry before it goes into the pan. Wet meat steams instead of browning.
Beef. Use a cut with plenty of connective tissue and some fat, such as chuck, shin, cheek or brisket, in 2 inch pieces. Avoid lean cuts like round, which dry out over a long braise.
Wine. A good quality full-bodied red that you would happily drink.
Sear in small batches in a hot pan. A pan crowded with cold meat drops in temperature and the beef will not caramelize.
Stovetop instead of the oven. Keep it barely simmering with the lid on and stir every 15 to 20 minutes so it does not catch.
Slow cooker. Brown everything first, then low for about 8 hours or high for 5 to 6. Pressure cooker. 20 to 30 minutes at high pressure with a natural release, with about a third less wine.
Without wine. Use beef stock with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
If the sauce is thin, lift the meat out and boil the liquid down, or whisk in a paste of equal parts soft butter and flour. If it is greasy, chill it and lift the fat off.

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