The Beef Bourguignon Worth Making This Weekend — A French Classic, Done Properly
- Nov 28, 2025
- 4 min read
Beef braised low and slow in Burgundy wine with bacon, carrots, pearl onions and baby potatoes until the sauce turns dark, glossy and entirely itself. The French classic that rewards every hour it spends on the stove.
By: HF kitchen
Julia Child said that if you were careful about the browning, the rest of the beef bourguignon took care of itself. She was, as usual, correct — but it is worth understanding what she meant. The browning is not a preliminary step to be rushed through before the real cooking begins. It is the real cooking. The dark, caramelized crust that forms on each piece of beef in a hot pan is what gives the sauce its depth, its colour, and the quality that separates a properly made bourguignon from a wine-flavoured stew.
Everything that follows — the bacon, the vegetables, the wine reducing, the long slow braise — is the sauce building on what the sear began.
Beef bourguignon is not a complicated dish. It is a patient one. It asks you to start early, to resist hurrying, and to trust that three hours at a low simmer will produce something considerably greater than the sum of its parts. The beef becomes tender enough to pull apart with a spoon. The sauce turns dark and glossy and coats everything around it. The baby potatoes — added in the final thirty minutes — absorb the wine and the stock and the rendered bacon fat and become, quietly, the best thing in the pot.
Make it on Saturday. Serve it on Sunday. It will be better for the rest.
A Few Notes Before You Begin
The wine is the backbone of this dish — use one you would actually drink. A Burgundy or Côtes du Rhône is traditional. A good Pinot Noir works equally well. Avoid anything labelled "cooking wine" — the flavour concentrates significantly during the braise, and a thin, acidic wine will produce a thin, acidic sauce.
Dry the beef thoroughly before searing. Any moisture on the surface will steam rather than sear, and you will lose the browning that the sauce depends on. Work in batches without crowding the pan — each piece needs direct contact with the hot surface.
A Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid is essential. The braise needs to maintain a low, even temperature for the full cooking time. If the liquid is boiling rather than barely simmering, it is too hot — the beef will tighten and toughen rather than yielding.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes to catch the sauce, buttered egg noodles, or crusty bread. A simple bitter green salad alongside cuts through the richness of the braise.
Beef Bourguignon recipe
INGREDIENTS
900 grams beef stew meat, such as chuck, cut into 5cm cubes
1.5 teaspoons sea salt
0.5 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons olive oil
170 grams of bacon, cut into lardons
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons plain flour
480 millilitres full-bodied red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir
480 millilitres of beef stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
450 baby potatoes, halved
1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped to finish
DIRECTIONS
1. Sear the beef: Pat 900 grams of beef stew meat, such as chuck, cut into 5cm cubes, thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1.5 teaspoons sea salt and 0.5 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned — about 3–4 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan. Remove each batch and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon and vegetables: Add 170 grams of bacon, cut into lardons, to the same pot over medium heat and cook until the fat renders and the lardons are crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot. Add 1 large onion, finely chopped and 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add 3 garlic cloves, minced and cook 1 minute more. Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and 2 tablespoons plain flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Build the braise: Pour in 480 millilitres of full-bodied red wine such as Burgundy or Pinot Noir and scrape up all the browned bits from the base of the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Add 480 millilitres of beef stock, 2 bay leaves, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme. Return the seared beef and bacon to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Braise low and slow: Cover tightly and braise over the lowest possible heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is completely tender and beginning to yield when pressed. The liquid should barely simmer — adjust the heat as needed.
5. Add the potatoes: Add 450 baby potatoes to the pot, nestling them into the sauce. Cover and continue cooking for 25–30 minutes until the potatoes are completely tender and have absorbed the flavour of the braise.
6. Finish and serve: Remove and discard the 2 bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning. Scatter 1 small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped to finish generously over the top and serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate overnight for a deeper flavour.
NOTES
Beef bourguignon improves significantly when made a day ahead — reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of stock if the sauce has thickened too much overnight. Chuck is the ideal cut: it has enough fat and connective tissue to become deeply tender over a long braise without drying out. Lean cuts like round or sirloin will disappoint. The baby potatoes go in for only the final 30 minutes — added earlier, they will disintegrate into the sauce.
You might also like: → The French Coq au Vin Recipe Worth Making This Weekend → Baked Brie in a Skillet with Cranberry, Walnuts and Maple Syrup
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