Beef Bourguignon
We’re past Thanksgiving now and the temperature has continued to drop. Winter is just a few weeks away which means it’s time to start thinking about those cozy comfort meals. Today, I am going to be sharing one of my favorites: Beef Bourguignon. This French classic is not only delicious, but also warm and comforting. Prepare yourselves for a dish that you’ll be making all winter.
Beef preparation
The first thing that we need to do is season our beef the night before we are going to cook. I recommend using a chuck roast that is cut into 2-3 inch pieces. Season all over with our Open Fire BPS Rub. Alternatively, salt and pepper will work just fine as well. Put the seasoned beef into a bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Brown the beef
Now that our beef got some good rest in the refrigerator overnight, it’s time to start cooking. Using a Dutch oven (on any oven safe pot), cook down some pancetta over medium-low heat. The goal here is to render out the fat and get the pancetta nice and crispy. This can take a little bit of time (maybe 15 minutes). Once done, remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and put in a small bowl – but keep the rendered fat in the Dutch oven. We are now going to brown our beef in this rendered fat. Boost the heat to medium-high and, working in batches (do not overcrowd), brown all sides of the chuck pieces. Do not skip this step – browning the beef really helps increase flavor and color to the dish. Repeat with remaining beef and set aside.
Add the veggies
With the beef browned and set aside, it’s time to add our veggies to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the chopped onion and carrot and season with some salt. Then add 1/4 cup of brandy and flambé (aka light it on fire) – or you could just let the brandy cook down if you’re not comfortable doing that. Cook until the veggies are softened, stirring occasionally. Next add some chopped garlic and tomato paste, cooking for about 1 minute. Then stir in some flour, cooking again for about 1 minute. Finally, add red wine, bay leaves, and thyme. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom (more flavor).
Put it all in the oven
In the meantime, you’re going to want to light your oven to 350ºF. Add the browned beef to the Dutch oven, making sure it is mostly submerged in the wine. Add the crispy pancetta as well. You can save half of the pancetta for the individual servings if you’d like – I don’t. Cover the Dutch oven and put it in the oven for 3 hours. I recommend checking on the beef at the halfway mark, turning the beef as well.
Prepare the toppings
When the beef bourguignon is ready to serve, we are going to want to top it with some cipollini onions and baby portabella mushrooms. To prep them add the following to a medium pan:
- Cipollini onions
- Baby portabella mushrooms
- Water
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sugar
Over high heat, bring to a simmer, then cover. Reduce the heat to medium and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Uncover and boost the heat back to high and cook until the veggies are browned to your liking, making sure to stir/toss from time to time. This should take about 5 more minutes.
A fancy meal that’s doable at home
Beef bourguignon is certainly a meal that has a “fancy” feel to it but is extremely doable at home. Is it a little time consuming – yes – but my goal was to give you step by step instructions that make it easier to pull off. I think we accomplished that but I’d love to hear from you in the comments. This is a dish I love to enjoy all winter as it is extremely flavorful, warm, and cozy. It really gives off comforting vibes. Enjoy this one and make sure to make it the next time you’re snowed in or it’s just too cold to go outside. Bon appétit!
Beef Bourguignon
Ingredients
Beef Bourguignon
- 3 lbs Chuck Roast cut into 2-3 inch pieces
- Open Fire BPS Rub
- 1/4 lb Pancetta diced into cubes
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 Carrots diced
- 1/4 cup Brandy
- 4-6 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Flour
- 1 Red Wine Bottle
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 3-4 Sprigs of Thyme
Toppings
- 8 oz Cipollini Onions
- 8 oz Baby Portabella Mushrooms
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Pepper
- 1 pinch Sugar
Instructions
Beef Bourguignon
- The night before you are going to cook, generously season the cube chuck roast pieces all over with Open Fire BPS Rub. Alternatively, you could use salt and pepper. Put in a bowl, cover, and put in the refrigerator overnight.
- Using a Dutch oven or an oven safe pot, cook the pancetta over medium-low heat until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crispy. Remove the crispy pancetta with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl. Set aside. Leave the rendered fat in the Dutch oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Increase the stove heat to medium-high and, working in batches (do not overcrowd), brown all sides of the cubed chuck beef. Repeat until all beef is browned and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add in the onion and carrots. Season with salt. Add the brandy and flambé or cook down. Continue to cook until the veggies are softened.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, cooking for about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add the red wine, bay leaves, and thyme and scrape any browned bits at the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Add in the browned chuck beef, making sure it is mostly submerged in the red wine. Add the crispy pancetta (you can also save half for a topping when you serve). Cover the Dutch oven and put in the oven.
- Cook for 3 hours. Check on it at the 1 1/2 hour mark and turn the meat.
Toppings
- With about 15 minutes to go before the beef is done, combine cipollini onions, baby portabella mushrooms, water, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar in a medium sized pan over high heat.
- Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and boost the heat to high again. Cook until the veggies are browned to your liking, about 5 more minutes. Stir and toss frequently during this step.
To Serve
- Add the beef bourguignon to a bowl and top with the cipollini onions and baby portabella mushrooms. If desired, serve with garlic mashed potatoes or polenta. Enjoy!
