Beef Bourguignon is a dish that originates from the Burgundy region of Eastern France. It’s widely accepted that this dish started as a peasant’s recipe, possibly as far back as the Middle Ages, as a way to slow-cook tough cuts of meat. However, it’s not mentioned in cookbooks until the early 20th century, when it was refined into the staple haute cuisine dish it’s generally regarded as today.
This dish is fairly true to the authentic recipes available today, except that a flour-based roux is often used to thicken the sauce. Personally, I decided to use a reduced sauce to finish the dish.
You’ll Need:
2 or 3 lbs beef shanks
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
6oz bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 bottle red wine (375ml)
2 to 3 cups beef broth/stock
1/2 tsp cloves
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
For later:
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
20 pearl onions
10oz mushrooms, quartered
1 lb small potatoes (yukon gold are probably best), peeled (and halved if necessary)
3 tbsp butter, ghee, or olive oil
Salt and pepper your beef shanks, and set aside. Heat a dutch oven on med-low heat, and add the bacon.
Gently sauté the bacon on med-low heat until most of the fat has been rendered out. You can tell you’re getting to that awesome fat-rendering stage when the surface bubbles get really small, like in the picture above. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon.
Raise the heat to med-high heat, and brown the shanks on both sides, about four minutes per side. Set the shanks aside.
Reduce the stove heat to medium, and preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Add the chopped onion and diced carrot to the remaining bacon grease, and sauté for until aromatic, about three minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic, and sauté for another two minutes. Return the beef and bacon to the dutch oven, then pour in the 1/2 bottle of red wine, spices, and enough beef broth to mostly cover the beef shanks. Bring to a simmer.
Cover and place in the oven for two and a half hours. When there’s an hour left, add the two coarsely chopped carrots to the dutch oven.
Once you add the carrots, it’s time to get the rest of the dish prepped. To get the pearl onions ready, drop them into some boiling water for about five minutes, then fish them out and put them in a bowl of ice water. Once they’ve cooled, you should be able to cut each end of them off and slide them out of their outer layer easily. Set them aside.
Quarter your mushrooms and set them aside.
Also, peel your potatoes (cut them in half if they’re pretty big) and add them to a pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and gently simmer until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat, then add the potatoes, mushrooms, and onions. Sauté for about eight minutes, until the mushrooms start to soften and look a little wet. Remove from the heat and set aside.
After the beef is ready (easily pierced with a fork), remove the beef and carrots with some tongs and set aside. Pour the remaining sauce into a fat separator lined with a cheese cloth. Take whatever’s left in the cheesecloth (your soggy looking bacon, carrots, and onions) and blend it into a paste.
Pour the leftover wine/broth sauce (minus the fat) back into the dutch oven, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Add the paste you just made as well, and continue to simmer for a few minutes as it reduces.
Meanwhile, cut your beef into large chunks, arrange your plates, and pour the sauce on top. That’s it!
I have always made my beef bourguinon with just stew meat (peasant fare), but the shank looks great. Thanks for the inspiration!
def any meat that contains the bone will have more flavor.
i made a roast just last weekend and make it very simply… browned in garlic, onion powder and salt, and then cooked in the crockpot. I must try all your additions. Thank u so much!
I agree, cooking meat with the bone makes a much better end product!
Thank you for demystifying beef bourguignon for me. It’s a dish I’ve always wanted to make but felt a bit intimidated by. I love the step by step photos and easy instructions. Your finished product looks delicious!
Thanks, hope you enjoy making it yourself!
Looks wonderful. I grew up on meat and potatoes, so this is making me hungry :-). I like that you cooked it with the bone, as that makes it oh that much better.
Looks delicious!
Hi,
I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could e-mail me?
Jillian
I can’t wait to try this!
Awesome Russ! :)
Beef Bourguignon is one of my absolute favorites during autumn/winter…always make it in the slow-cooker and serve it with parsnip purée.
You almost made me long for the end of summer there…almost ;)
Take care!
This is awesome! My family sells grass-fed beef (by the 1/2 and 1/4), and people NEVER know what to do with shin bones! I always make a random stew (usually in the pressure cooker), but this recipe is beautiful. I’m definitely going to send it to people that purchase our beef that are flummoxed by shin bones!
Awesome, thanks Victoria!
I didn’t realize that this dish traditionally had a flour-based roux used to thicken it! Reducing the sauce seems like a much better option. Mmm, this looks delicious! I think I have some beef shanks deep in the freezer, since we didn’t really know what to do with them. : )
I usually just slightly thicken it by shaking some tapioca flour and water, and then stir it in a little bit at a time before serving. (It also gives the sauce a nice and shiny surface.)
Just an alternative method :)
I think next time I’m going to experiment with adding a tbsp or two of cream or melted butter to give the sauce a more creamy/blended look. The graininess of the sauce in the recipe’s picture drives me nuts :)
Butter sounds worth trying, not totally convinced about cream though…
But…reducing gotta be a superior way of thickening flavor wise?
(I do the way I described since I make mine in the slow-cooker ;)
About the picture, I really like it and don’t mind the graininess at all…just makes it very rustic and authentic looking!
Would happily have a batch of that any rough autumn or winters day! :)
Cheers!
Aw, thanks, that makes me feel better about the picture! I’m still going to try and fix it though ;)