Chef Ally
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
The iconic Tuscan steak: two inches of well-marbled beef, seared over a roaring fire, rested until the juices settle, then sliced and dressed with nothing but olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Beef Bourguignon
Created by
Humble beef transformed by good red wine, patience, and the kind of slow cooking that fills a house with warmth and brings everyone to the table asking when dinner will be ready.
Main Dishes
French
Dinner Party
Make Ahead
Comfort Food
45 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•3 hr 45 min total
Yield6 servings
Start with the beef. Find a butcher who knows the farmer, or find the farmer yourself. You want chuck from an animal that lived well, with fat marbled through the muscle and a deep, clean smell. This is not a dish that hides mediocre meat. The wine will not save you. The long braise will not save you. You must begin with something worth cooking.
Beef bourguignon comes from Burgundy, where peasant cooks discovered that tough cuts of beef, braised for hours in the local wine, became tender and rich. The dish is not fancy. It is not complicated. It is honest food that rewards patience and punishes shortcuts.
I learned to make this in Paris, watching women at the markets select their meat with the same care they used choosing husbands. They knew the farmers. They asked questions. They were not impressed by labels or promises. When I cook this now, I think of those women and their absolute certainty about what good food required.
Your choices shape the food system. Buy the wine you would drink, from a producer who farms responsibly. Find pearl onions at the farmers market in autumn. Use mushrooms with dirt still clinging to them. Then get out of the way and let time do the work.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
beef chuck
Quantity
3 pounds
cut into 2-inch pieces
thick-cut bacon
Quantity
6 ounces
cut into lardons
red Burgundy or Pinot Noir
Quantity
1 bottle (750ml)
beef stock
Quantity
2 cups
preferably homemade
tomato paste
Quantity
2 tablespoons
carrots
Quantity
4 medium
peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
pearl onions
Quantity
1 pound
peeled
cremini mushrooms
Quantity
1 pound
quartered
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
smashed
fresh thyme
Quantity
4 sprigs
bay leaves
Quantity
2
all-purpose flour
Quantity
2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
Quantity
3 tablespoons
divided
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
kosher salt
Quantity
1 tablespoon, plus more to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly cracked
fresh parsley (optional)
Quantity
for serving
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| beef chuckcut into 2-inch pieces | 3 pounds |
| thick-cut baconcut into lardons | 6 ounces |
| red Burgundy or Pinot Noir | 1 bottle (750ml) |
| beef stockpreferably homemade | 2 cups |
| tomato paste | 2 tablespoons |
| carrotspeeled and cut into 2-inch pieces | 4 medium |
| pearl onionspeeled | 1 pound |
| cremini mushroomsquartered | 1 pound |
| garlicsmashed | 4 cloves |
| fresh thyme | 4 sprigs |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| all-purpose flour | 2 tablespoons |
| unsalted butterdivided | 3 tablespoons |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| kosher salt | 1 tablespoon, plus more to taste |
| black pepperfreshly cracked | to taste |
| fresh parsley (optional)chopped | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large Dutch oven (6-quart minimum, enameled cast iron preferred)
- •Large skillet for mushrooms and onions
- •Wooden spoon
- •Slotted spoon
Instructions
- 1
Dry and season the beef
Pat the beef pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of a proper sear. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Let the meat sit at room temperature for thirty minutes before cooking. Cold meat will not brown; it will steam.
The quality of your beef matters more than your technique. Look for grass-fed chuck with good marbling from a farmer or butcher you trust. - 2
Render the bacon
Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bacon lardons and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the pieces turn golden and slightly crisp, about eight minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon. Leave every drop of fat in the pot.
- 3
Brown the beef in batches
Increase heat to medium-high. Working in batches of five or six pieces, brown the beef on all sides. Do not crowd the pot. Each piece needs contact with hot metal. You are building the foundation of flavor here. The fond, that dark crust forming on the bottom, is precious. Transfer browned beef to the plate with the bacon. This step takes twenty minutes. Do not rush it.
If the fond threatens to burn between batches, add a splash of wine and scrape it up. Then continue browning. - 4
Build the aromatic base
Lower heat to medium. Add one tablespoon of butter and the olive oil to the pot. Add the carrots and cook for three minutes. Add the smashed garlic and tomato paste, stirring until the paste darkens slightly and smells sweet, about two minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for one minute more.
- 5
Add wine and stock
Pour in the entire bottle of wine. Watch it bubble and listen to it speak. Use a wooden spoon to scrape every bit of fond from the bottom. This is where the depth lives. Add the stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Return the beef and bacon to the pot along with any juices. The liquid should nearly cover the meat.
- 6
Braise low and slow
Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and transfer to a 325°F oven. Let it braise undisturbed for two and a half hours. The meat is ready when it yields to a fork with almost no resistance but still holds its shape. Check once at the two-hour mark to ensure a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil.
Oven braising is more reliable than stovetop. The heat surrounds the pot evenly. If you must use the stovetop, use your lowest flame and check often. - 7
Prepare pearl onions and mushrooms
While the beef braises, melt one tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pearl onions in a single layer and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until golden on several sides and just tender, twelve to fifteen minutes. Season lightly and transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining butter and the mushrooms. Cook without stirring for three minutes to let them brown, then stir and cook until tender and deeply colored, another five minutes. Season and add to the onions.
- 8
Finish and adjust
Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Skim any fat from the surface if you wish, though some is welcome. Gently fold in the pearl onions and mushrooms. Return the pot to low heat on the stovetop and simmer uncovered for ten minutes to marry the flavors. Taste. Adjust salt. The sauce should be rich and glossy, coating a spoon.
- 9
Rest and serve
Let the bourguignon rest off heat for ten minutes before serving. Scatter fresh parsley over the top. Serve in warm, shallow bowls with crusty bread, mashed potatoes, or buttered egg noodles. This dish is better tomorrow. And better still the day after that.
Chef Tips
- •Buy wine you would actually drink. If a wine is not good enough for your glass, it is not good enough for your pot. A decent Burgundy or Pinot Noir will serve both purposes.
- •This dish improves with time. Make it a day or two before you plan to serve it. The flavors deepen and the meat becomes more tender as it rests in the braising liquid.
- •To peel pearl onions easily, blanch them in boiling water for one minute, then plunge into ice water. The skins will slip right off.
- •Cold weather is the season for this dish. Autumn through early spring, when you want the oven on and the windows fogged. It does not belong on a July table.
- •Save your homemade beef stock for this recipe. The commercial stuff will work, but the depth of flavor from a real stock, made from roasted bones and time, cannot be replicated.
Advance Preparation
- •Complete the dish through step 8, then cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The fat will solidify on top; remove some before reheating if you prefer a leaner sauce.
- •Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes until warmed through. Add a splash of stock if the sauce has thickened too much.
- •Freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 470g)
Calories
960 calories
Total Fat
56 g
Saturated Fat
22 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
32 g
Cholesterol
215 mg
Sodium
1495 mg
Total Carbohydrates
20 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
74 g
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