The BEST Beef Burgundy aka Beef Bourguignon

Recipe Video Print

This beef Burgundy recipe or beef bourguignon is beef pieces bathed in Burgundy wine, and cooked long and slow with herbs and mushrooms until they are fork-tender. This ultimate comfort food can be made in the slow cooker, stovetop as well as the oven.

Slow cooked Beef called Burgundy or Bourguignon or bourgignon — Slow-cooked French Beef Recipe with Burgundy wine, Bourguignon.

Beef Burgundy, as it's also called Beef Bourguignon in French, is a stew prepared with braised beef and red wine. Traditionally, they used Burgundy wine that's why often this dish is called Beef Burgundy instead of its original name, beef Bourguignon. And, I called it Beef Burgundy because I'm really terrible with French pronunciations.

In the old days, slow-cooked meat was often used to soften tough cuts of meat. And, although this started off as a peasant dish, today, it's at the heart of French cooking. In fact, often, you will find it at some very high-end French restaurants.

This Beef Burgundy or Beef Bourguignon is the ultimate French comfort food. Chunks of beef pieces bathed in burgundy wine are cooked long and slow with herbs and mushrooms until they are fork tender and just melt in the mouth. — Best Bourguignon aka French Beef Burgundy recipe slow-cooked in the slow-cooker

Table of Contents

About this beef

This is fork-tender pieces of beef in a rich red-wine gravy along with mushrooms. A very simple and easy recipe to make. And it's also very versatile. You can make it on the stovetop, slow cooker or oven. In fact, each and every method is so easy that I have listed them all below.

The progress pictures are of the stovetop method and the video shows how to make it in the slow cooker. And, in both methods, you still have to slow cook it until the meat is fork-tender. The advantage of the slow-cooker is that you don't have to stir it often.

Also, we love to have it with rice. And yet, my kids enjoy it with mashed potato or couscous. When I'm on a low carb mood I usually serve it with cauliflower rice. In addition, you can also serve it with creamy polenta.

Ingredients and substitutes

Beef - When slow cooking it's great to use cheap cuts of meat that can endure and benefit from the long and slow cooking. So, go ahead and use whatever cut is affordable. I love to use chuck or shoulder, which do great in slow long cooking. You want meat that has a good marbling of fat. Since, this fat then when cooked over a long time, gives the sauce that gelatin thickness, which is absolutely amazing.
Vegetables - I only use mushrooms as the main vegetable. And yet, you can use carrot and pearl onions as in a traditional Beef Burgundy. I prefer a thick sauce so I actually avoid vegetables that will dilute the thickness of my sauce. In fact, I even saute the mushrooms until all their juices are dried out. It's a personal preference but I highly recommend you try it at least once. As a result, the flavor is so much richer and thicker.
Herbs - Traditionally, they use a bouquet garni, which is a combination of herbs. There are many variations of a bouquet garni, but most common you will find parsley, thyme, bay leaves, sage leaves, and celery stalk. Today, I'm only using thyme, sage, and bay leaves. I think that alone is plenty of flavors.
Ginger - I know. Traditionally, there is no ginger in beef Bourguignon, but I love to flavor red meat with ginger and you must trust me when I say, don't omit it! It adds so much depth of flavor.
All-purpose flour - You can add cornflour/cornstarch if you prefer. The flour helps sear and brown the meat on all sides as well as helps thicken the sauce.

Step by step instructions (pin)

Using a sturdy cutting board and chefs knife cut lamb into bitesize pieces not too small
Season with salt and pepper. Coat well in flour and dust off excess. And, set aside.
Wipe the mushrooms with a clean kitchen cloth and chop the large ones into two so they are all the same size – And, set aside.
Add the tomato paste to the beef stock and mix well – And, set aside.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottom saute pan and brown the meat on all sides; 3 to 5 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. If necessary do this in batches. Remove and keep warm.
To the same pan, add bacon pieces and cook until all the oil is released ( if not using bacon add 2 tbsp olive oil).
Add, onions, and saute until translucent. Then add the garlic and brown sugar. Saute until the sugar caramelizes.
Tip - keep the heat on low so the sugar does not burn. This also adds a nice color to the dish.
Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat up to medium-high and saute until all the liquid from the mushrooms is almost dry.
Lower the heat to medium, add the red wine. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes so the alcohol evaporates.
Next add thyme, bay leaves, and sage leaves. Followed by the beef stock.
Lastly, return the beef back to the pot along with any juices. Season with salt and pepper.

Stovetop

Continue to cook in the on the stovetop, stirring frequently, until meat becomes fork-tender - about 1 to 1 ½ hour.
Always ensure you have enough water so the meat has enough moisture to cook. If necessary, add ¼ to ½ cup more.

Oven

Alternatively, transfer to a preheated oven at 170 C / 340 F. Cook for about 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender
Always ensure you have enough water so the meat has enough moisture to cook. If necessary add ¼ to ½ cup more.
Tip - This has a thick sauce so don't add too much water either.

Slow-cooking

Alternatively, transfer to a slow cooker or crockpot, and cook until the meat is fork-tender
Tip- You can cook for 6 to 8 hours on low or for 3 to 4 hours on high. Personally, I like cooking on low so the meat is moist, juicy and fork-tender

Frequently asked questions

How long with this beef Burgundy keep?

This slow-cooked beef bourguignon will keep in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. It can also be frozen for up to a month.

What kind of red wine works best for bourguignon?

A good quality burgundy red wine. Any wine that you like to drink with, no cooking wines or wine that you would not drink. It makes a huge difference in taste and flavor.

What can I substitute for the wine in this recipe?

Well, you can omit the wine completely and add more stock or broth. It won't be the same but it will be delicious.

How can I reduce the liquid in the slow-cooker?

While we do need liquid to cook the meat, the excess liquid does not evaporate when slow-cooking. You can serve the extra liquid with bread or rice. Alternatively,
Remove the meat from the slow cooker and transfer the liquid in a saucepan. Reduce it over medium heat on the stovetop until it's a thicker consistency. Then add the meat back to the liquid.

What do you serve with this beef recipe?

Steamed rice or noodles are very popularly served with Mongolian beef but try a side of potatoes like mashed potatoes, lemon rosemary roast potatoes, lemon dill potatoes, potato wedges. Rice pilafs and pilaus are perfect with slow-cooked meats such as quick vegetable pilaf or fragrant rice with fruit and nuts. If you looking for a low carb alternative try cauliflower rice.

What side dish goes with this beef?

Almost any vegetable works great on the side. Try
quick garlic sesame asparagus or garlic Parmesan asparagus, Swiss chard patties, sesame green beans, oven-baked butternut squash, oven-baked carrot sticks

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