Boeuf Bourguignon – a classic French slow-cooked stew with red wine, beef and vegetables.
Boeuf Bourguignon – a classic French slow-cooked dish of meltingly tender beef, bacon, red wine, shallots, carrots and mushrooms. A wonderful stew with a dark, intense and full-bodied sauce, in which the meat simmers for several hours until it is so tender it almost falls apart. Serve it with soft mashed potatoes and a little freshly chopped parsley on top – comfort food hardly gets any better.
Boeuf Bourguignon – or Bœuf Bourguignon – has its roots in Burgundy in France and is one of the great classics of French cooking. At its simplest, the dish is beef braised slowly in red wine with vegetables, herbs and bacon. It is the long, gentle cooking that makes all the difference and transforms the ingredients into the deepest, most flavourful stew.
I make my Boeuf Bourguignon with beef chuck, which is ideal for slow cooking. It is a cut with plenty of flavour and connective tissue, and given time over a low heat, the meat becomes incredibly tender and juicy. Cut the meat into large cubes so it can stand up to the long cooking without falling apart completely.
One of the most important things is to brown both the bacon and the beef properly from the start. The meat should be seared over a good high heat until it has a deep, dark crust – this is where you begin to build the flavour of the finished sauce. Brown the meat in batches if your pot isn’t big enough. If too much meat goes in at once, the temperature drops and the meat starts to stew rather than sear.
I then fry the shallots, carrots and garlic in the same pot so all the good flavours from the meat are carried through. The tomato purée is fried briefly too, before everything is dusted with a little plain flour, which later helps give the sauce just the right body.
And then, of course, the red wine. I use a whole bottle, ideally a Burgundy, but any other good dry red wine will do. The wine goes into the pot and simmers for a few minutes before the beef stock, bacon, meat, bay leaves and thyme are added.
From here on, you simply let time do the work.
Carrots with bite, or extra sweetness in the sauce
I usually add the carrots at the start, because over the long cooking they release their sweetness and become part of the deep flavour of the sauce. The flip side, of course, is that they also become very soft after several hours of simmering.
If you prefer carrots with more bite, which I do now and then, you can wait and add them for the last 30-45 minutes or so of cooking. That way they keep more texture and more of their carrot flavour.
Be aware, though, that they then won’t have time to give the sauce the same sweetness. So it is a matter of taste – I love the depth they add when they go in from the beginning, but both ways work really well.
The mushrooms are fried separately
I add the mushrooms right at the end. They are fried separately in butter in a good hot frying pan until they are golden and have released their liquid.
I find that gives a much better result than letting them simmer in the pot for hours. That way the mushrooms keep both their texture and that lovely fried flavour before they are folded into the finished Boeuf Bourguignon.
And you can actually choose between two different ways of cooking the dish. Both give an excellent result – it mostly comes down to which method suits you best.
Cooking Boeuf Bourguignon in the oven
When Boeuf Bourguignon is cooked in the oven, the dish cooks in a remarkably gentle, even heat. It is probably the method I would choose if I wanted to put the pot in and more or less let it look after itself.
Once the bacon and meat are browned, the vegetables fried, the red wine reduced and the stock added, put the lid on the pot and place it in a preheated oven at 130°C, conventional oven (top and bottom heat).
Here the dish braises for around 3 hours – and do give it a little longer if the meat isn’t yet completely tender. The cooking time can vary a little depending on the size of the pieces and the cut itself.
The great advantage of the oven method is the even heat. You don’t need to keep an eye on a burner that may be a touch too high or too low, and the dish can quietly get on with it while you do something else entirely.
Cooking Boeuf Bourguignon on the hob
If you would rather make your Boeuf Bourguignon on the hob, that works every bit as well.
Once all the ingredients are in the pot, put the lid on and let the dish simmer over a very low heat for 3-4 hours. It should only just barely bubble – it must not boil hard.
Stir the pot gently a couple of times along the way and keep an eye on the consistency. If the sauce reduces too quickly, add a little extra stock or water. Conversely, you can let the dish simmer uncovered for a while at the end if the sauce needs to reduce further.
The advantage of making Boeuf Bourguignon on the hob is that you stay in touch with the dish throughout. You can follow the consistency, adjust the heat and taste as you go – perfect if you enjoy pottering about and tending to your food.
Whichever method you choose, the tenderness of the meat matters more than the clock. If the meat still offers resistance when you prod it, give the dish more time. When the chuck is tender and juicy, the sauce is glossy and full-bodied, and the whole kitchen smells of red wine, thyme and slow cooking – it is ready.
Fold in the butter-fried mushrooms at the end, season the sauce with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper, and serve with a generous helping of creamy mashed potatoes and freshly chopped parsley.
And Boeuf Bourguignon is one of those dishes that only improves with standing. Feel free to make it the day before, keep it in the fridge and reheat it slowly before serving. The flavours settle and deepen even further – and suddenly cooking for guests is genuinely easy.
it reduces and add a little extra liquid if needed. On the other hand, you have full control and can taste as you go – perfect if you like to tend to your food along the way.
Boeuf Bourguignon – Which cut of beef should you choose?
For a classic Boeuf Bourguignon you can use several different cuts of beef – the main thing is that it is a cut suited to long, slow cooking. I recommend:
Chuck – The most classic choice and my personal favourite. Chuck has good marbling and a texture that makes the meat juicy and meltingly tender after a long time in the pot. Perfect if you want a rich, full-bodied dish with plenty of flavour.
Shoulder (blade) – Slightly coarser in texture than chuck, but still very well suited to slow cooking. Shoulder becomes beautifully tender while keeping a little more bite, which can be lovely if you prefer a slightly more rustic result.
Top rump (thick flank) – A leaner cut that gives a lighter version of the dish. The meat still becomes tender, though not quite as juicy as with chuck.
Boeuf Bourguignon
Ingredients
- 250 g bacon, cut into chunky cubes
- 1,2 kg beef chuck, cut into large cubes
- 12 shallots, peeled
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp
tomato purée
- 2 tbsp
plain flour
- 1 bottle
red wine, ideally a Burgundy
- 500 ml
beef stock
- 2
bay leaves
- 8 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 25 g
butter
- 300 g
mushrooms, quartered
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Oil
- A little cornflour + water, if needed
To serve
- Mashed potatoes
- Finely chopped parsley
Method
- Heat a large pot and fry the bacon in a little oil until golden. Set it aside on a plate.*If the dish is going in the oven, remember to use an ovenproof pot.
- In the same pot, brown the meat over a good high heat so it develops a nice dark crust. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Set the meat aside with the bacon.
- Fry the shallots, carrots and garlic in the same pot for about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato purée and heat it through for a moment. Then sprinkle over the flour and stir it in.
- Pour in the red wine and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring until the liquid is free of lumps.
- Return the meat and bacon to the pot – pour over the stock and add the bay leaves and thyme.
- Stir everything together and follow your preferred method below:
Boeuf Bourguignon on the hob
- Let the dish simmer over a low heat, with the lid on, for 3-4 hours. It should only just bubble gently, not boil. Stir a couple of times along the way.Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes of cooking so the sauce can reduce more easily.
- 20 minutes before the dish is ready, cook the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a good hot frying pan and fry the mushrooms until they are golden and have released their liquid.
- Remove the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Fold the mushrooms into the sauce, season with salt and freshly ground pepper – and thicken the sauce with a little cornflour mixed with cold water, if you wish.
Boeuf Bourguignon in the oven
- Follow all the steps up to and including step 7.
- Place the pot, with the lid on, in a preheated oven at 130°C, conventional oven (top and bottom heat), and let the dish cook for about 3-4 hours.
- 20 minutes before the dish is ready, cook the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a good hot frying pan and fry the mushrooms until they are golden and have released their liquid.
- Remove the bay leaves and the bundle of thyme and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Fold the mushrooms into the sauce, season with salt and freshly ground pepper – and thicken the sauce with a little cornflour mixed with cold water, if you wish.
To serve
- Serve the Boeuf Bourguignon with mashed potatoes and chopped parsley on top.
Nutrition
Premium
Nogen der jævner sovsen ?
En kanon opskrift .
Hej Annette
Det er jeg virkelig glad for at høre – tusind tak 🙂
Du kan sagtens jævne saucen hvis du ønsker det 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej,
Opskriften ser lækker ud.
I efteråret købte jeg 2 stk 2 kg ribeye, skar det ud til bøffer og i fryseren 2 og 2. Det viser sig så at den ene steg var sej og den anden mør. Bøfferne blev godt blandet, så bøfferne tør jeg ikke bruge til gæstemad af frygt for en sej bøf.
Nu vil jeg bl.a. bruge bøfferne i denne ret. Tror du ikke det går og at tilberedningstid kan være 30 min, hvis kødet bliver skåret ud fx. i strimler ?
Hej Anette
Uhhh det tør jeg ikke svare på. Jeg tænker – det er jo marmoreret – men ved ikke hvordan det bliver, desværre.
Tilgengæld tror jeg sauen kommer til at mangle dybden fra simringen.
Så skal du lave den på denne måde, ville jeg tilberede retten som beskrevet – uden kødet men med alt andet.
Så ville jeg brune kødet godt af, og tilsætte til saucen efter simring – incl. fedtet fra panden osv og lade det simre med til det er mørt.
Warm wishes, Dianna
Tusind tusind tak Diana,
Nåede at lave saucen med grøntsager og finde 2 fond-ben i fryseren. Det har nu simret i 3 timer. Kødet stegt med godt stegeskorpe og nu simrer det med gulerødder. Der er kommet fin smag, men ikke helt som i din ret.
Mange hilsner og tak for råd.
/Anette
Hej Anette
Tusind tak for din tilbagemelding 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej, regner med at hoppe ud i din opskrift i weekenden, lyder og ser virkelig lækker ud. Syntes det ligner perleløg på billedet men kan være det bare er helt små skalotteløg?
Hej Thomas
Det har du faktisk ret i at det gør:)
Det er dog de små runde skalotteløg.
Lyder dejligt, jeg håber den falder I din smag 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Fantastisk god opskrift – særdeles velsmagende og en ren fornøjelse at tilberede, og ikke mindst at spise. Den vil jeg bruge fremover. PS: jeg lavede retten i ovnen.
Hej Solveig
Ej hvor gør det mig bare glad at høre, tusind tak for de søde ord 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej Dianna
Hvis man skifter Forno’en ud med en ovn har du så en ide om tid og temperatur?
God dag
mvh Frederik
Hej Frederik
Ihhh hvor er det godt du skriver og spørger. Jeg har længe gerne ville have opdateret den opskrift med tilberedning både over blus, og i ovn – så nu fik jeg da lige en oplagt mulighed til at gøre det 🙂
Så hele opskriften er opdateret, så der er både fremgangsmåde for ovn og over blus 🙂 Håber du kan bruge det 🙂
Rigtig dejlig dag.
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej
Hvilken type boullion bruger du? Jeg tænker på, om det er terningeboullion eller det man finder flydene?
Vh Trine
Hej Trine
Jeg bruger oftest terninger, da det er hvad jeg altid har i køkkenet 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Ser lækkert ud.
Det er vel ikke noget problem at lave den dagen før – evt. gode fif til opvarmning?
Hej Anitta
Nej det kan du sagtens gøre, kødet har ho simret til det er mørt, så den bliver absolut ikke dårligere af at blive varmet op
Du kan evt spæde op med lidt friske grøntsager, så retten får lidt bid:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Den bedste Bouef Bourguignon jeg nogensinde har lavet og den er altid et hit herhjemme.
Familien har bestilt den til 1 juledag når vi alle samles
Glædelig jul
Hej Ministeriet;-)
Hvordan vurderer jeg om min
Boeuf Bourguignon skal have 3 eller 4 timer??
Hej Ann
Jamen det er bare at smage på kødet om det er mørt:)
Men altså, 3 timer plejer at være fint – men 4 timer skader absolut ikke, så det er egentlig hvad der passer dig bedst tidsmæssigt:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Lækker lækker. Og flotte billeder du lægger op
Tusind tak Per, det er jeg virkelig glad for at du synes 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
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