Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

When the weather cools, I can’t wait to start preparing soups and stews again! Beef bourguignon is one of those dishes that feels like it was made for a cozy weekend dinner with friends and family. Slowly braised beef in a rich stew infused with red wine is a perfect flavor combination that takes advantage of many elements that can be found in the farmer’s market this time of year: carrots, onions, mushrooms, and locally sourced beef. The tomato paste and mushrooms add a lovely umami flavor to the stew. The key to this dish is using a homemade beef stock. The rich flavor and gelatin in the stock greatly enhances the final stew. You can use a store-bought stock or bouillon, but be sure to pick a low/no sodium option so that you can control the amount of seasoning in the final stew. I love pairing this stew with mashed potatoes loaded with butter and cream, but serving with egg noodles or a nice crusty bread is delightful as well.

Beef Stock

Ingredients

• 3 pounds beef neck bones or beef shank
• 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 tbsp tomato paste

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Dry beef with towel, and place on baking sheet pan along with chopped onion and carrots.
3. Place pan in oven for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and flip the beef and vegetables. Spread tomato paste on exposed upper surfaces of beef.
5. Place pan in oven for 20-30 more minutes. At this point, the beef and vegetables should be roasted, but not overly charred.
6. Remove from oven and transfer the beef and vegetables to a large slow cooker.
7. Place a cup of water on the sheet pan and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to get all the drippings.
8. Pour drippings into slow cooker, then add water until the beef and vegetables are just covered.
9. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 12 – 14 hours (an overnight cook is good at this point).
10. Discard the beef and vegetables and strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve to remove any particles.
11. Cool the stock in an ice bath, then refrigerate for several hours. The fat should be easily removable at this stage, and the stock with have a gelatin-like consistency.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON

Adapted from recipes by Julia Childs and Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into two large steaks
• ½ lb bacon, diced
• 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch chunks
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 5 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb pearl onions (fresh if possible, but frozen is ok too)
• 1 lb fresh mushrooms (any variety can do here, but cremini, shititake, and oyster mushrooms work particularly well)
• 2 – 3 tbsp neutral oil (avocado or ghee would work well here)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups (500 mL) beef broth
• ½ cup brandy
• One bottle (750 mL) dry red wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3-5 springs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 5 tbsp room temperature butter
• ½ cup diced Italian flat leaf parsley

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. Take the chuck which has been cut into steak-sized portions (about 1 inch thick). Dry thoroughly with a paper towel, and generously season with kosher salt.
3. Sear steaks in a cast iron or stainless-steel skillet with the neutral oil over high heat (about 3-4 minutes each side). The purpose of this step is to get a good browned sear on each side of the steak, but not to fully cook it. Remove steaks from heat and rest them on a rack or plate for 10 minutes. You can use about a half cup of the red wine to deglaze the pan, saving this for later.
4. Cut the chuck steaks into bite-sized cubes.
5. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 10 minutes or so, until bacon is fully rendered and crispy (but not burnt). Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate, reserving the fat in the Dutch oven.
6. Put the chopped carrots and onions into the Dutch oven, sauteing over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and just starting to brown. Add the tomato paste and garlic, and sauté until the bottom of the Dutch oven starts to build a golden brown fond.
7. Deglaze the Dutch oven with the brandy, letting the brandy reduce until the strong alcohol aroma evaporates off.
8. Put the chuck, bacon, and deglazed chuck pan juices into the Dutch oven. Add the bottle of wine. Add enough beef broth to almost cover the meat and vegetables. Stir to combine, then bring to simmer over medium-high heat.
9. Add the thyme and bay leaves, submerging into the broth.
10. Cover Dutch oven tightly with lid, then put into oven on a middle rack.
11. Add pearl onions after 1 ½ hours.
12. The stew should cook for about 2 ½ hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork. Check at the 2-hour mark, then check every half hour until the desired tenderness has been reached.
13. Sauté chopped mushrooms in 2 tbsp butter until lightly browned. Reserve to add to stew.
14. Once beef has reached desired tenderness, bring Dutch oven onto stovetop again. Add mushrooms to stew.
15. Mix together 3 tbsp flour and 3 tbsp butter to form a paste. Add to stew, whisking to incorporate into stew broth. Thicken the stew by bringing to a boil, then lowering heat to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring/whisking occasionally to ensure there are no lumps.
16. Add salt and pepper to taste.
17. Serve with mashed potatoes/egg noodles/bread/rolls, sprinkling with diced parsley as a garnish.

This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Evelyn Lockhart, MD. Evelyn is an amateur baker and cook, who is also a professor of pathology at University of New Mexico and a medical illustrator (www.evelynlockhart.com). She recently won best-in-show for pies at the 2025 New Mexico State Fair baking contest.