Beef Bourguignon (Julia Child Recipe)

Tender, fall apart chunks of beef simmered slowly in a rich red wine gravy make this Beef Bourguignon or (boeuf bourguignon in the traditional French spelling) the kind of dinner that feels a little bit fancy but completely comforting at the same time. Made famous by Julia Child, this classic French stew has earned its place in kitchens around the world. A proper Julia Child beef bourguignon is all about patience, building flavour in layers, and letting good ingredients do their thing. It is the sort of meal you cook with a glass of wine in hand, taking your time because every step truly matters.

This beef bourguignon recipe stays true to those traditional roots while giving you flexibility. Whether you make it in the oven, on the stovetop, in your slow cooker, or turn it into an easy beef bourguignon in the pressure cooker, the result is the same. Tender beef, a glossy wine sauce, and a dish that tastes like it has been simmering in a French countryside kitchen all day.

Beef Bourguignon

Adapting this Beef Bourguignon from Julia's best seller, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this dish raises a simple beef stew to an art form and is not too difficult to make at all. You don't need to be an experienced cook to try this in your kitchen at home.

Even though it's been remade all over the world countless times by families over the decades, it's an extremely forgiving recipe. We cut out a few steps from Julia's original to make it a little easier and maybe a little less intimidating. Still, we didn't want to mess with something so good.

Julia Child = Genius.

What is Beef Bourguignon?

While you might already know it as an iconic French dish, the name actually points directly to its origins in the Burgundy (Bourgogne) region of eastern France. Originally, it was a practical peasant meal designed to tenderise tough, cheap cuts of beef over a long, slow braise.

So what exactly separates it from a standard, everyday beef stew? It comes down to the specific garnishes. A classic bourguignon is built on a savoury base of smoky bacon (lardons) and is traditionally finished with whole pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms.

(And if you are wondering how to say it without tripping over the French: it is pronounced boof boor-geen-yon).

How Do You Make a Beef Bourguignon?

We don't know about you, but when reading the original boeuf bourguignon recipe from Julia's book, we immediately became as nervous as Amy Adams' Julie in the movie Julie and Julia. SO MANY STEPS. So we poured myself a glass of wine and began our mission to follow AT LEAST one recipe in our life as best as we could.

The results were unbelievable. We can honestly say we have never enjoyed a stew as much as we did when it was done.

Trying it again and skipping only a couple of steps to attempt to cut down on some the work and washing extra pots; adding a little more of this and that, we have to say the results were just about the same but with a little added flavour.

What Did We Do Differently?

• Julia's first step is to simmer bacon rind and fat in water for 10 minutes, remove then proceed to fry lightly in oil. We skipped this and just went straight to frying until crisp and browned.
• When beef and veggies are in, Julia suggests to set the casserole in the oven for 4 minutes, then toss the meat and return to the oven for 4 minutes more. We skipped this also and opted to continue cooking over stove top. This didn't make a difference.
• We added a couple extra cloves of garlic feeling we missed that particular flavour and added more herbs into the stew.
• Also, Julia prepares her pearl sized onions seperate from the Beef Bourguignon itself, adding them in near the end of cooking. My family completely skipped over the onions in their bowls, eating everything else and leaving them behind. So, the second time around, we added them in with all of the ingredients, saving a pot and stove top cooking time. The results were better for us. We saved the onions!
• Lastly, Julia asks us to wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it at the end of the recipe. This we couldn't bring myself to do, wanting to keep every single lick of flavour in that pot.

We were left craving this the next day, so we made it again and again. No regrets.

What Meat is Best for Beef Bourguignon?

We tried this with a few cuts of beef: brisket, chuck steak, and stewing beef (yes, the third time we made it was in our Instant Pot/Multi Cooker). Brisket yielded our favourite result.

The meat fell apart so beautifully and tasted better than the others with a juicy outcome. Having said the though, you can use whichever stewing beef you can find or have on hand.

However, to guarantee a reliable beef for beef bourguignon, we recommend avoiding generic, pre-packaged “stew meat” from the grocery store. These packages are often a mix of leftover, lean cuts from different parts of the cow, which tend to become tough, dry, and chewy during a long braise.

For a truly authentic boeuf bourguignon recipe with meat that melts in your mouth, you NEED cuts rich in connective tissue and fat marbling. Here is why specific cuts work best:

• Chuck Roast (Diezmillo) or Brisket: These are the gold standards for classic French beef recipes. As they simmer slowly in the red wine sauce, the tough collagen breaks down into gelatin. This process not only guarantees tender beef but also thickens your stew.
• Boneless Short Ribs or Beef Cheeks: If you want to elevate this to a Julia Child beef bourguignon level for a special occasion, these cuts offer unparalleled buttery texture.

Secret for Searing: Regardless of the cut you choose, always buy a whole roast and chop it yourself into uniform 2-inch chunks so they cook evenly. Most importantly pat the beef chunks completely dry with a paper towel before searing. If the meat is wet, it will steam instead of brown, and you will miss out on the caramelized crust that creates the flavor of THE world's best beef stew.

Tips to an good Beef Bourguignon

1. Taste test: We taste tested it immediately after cooking and found that the wine was an extremely strong flavour in the gravy. PLEASE don't worry or try to adjust it straight away! Let it rest for 15 minutes and the flavours begin to settle into each other. The wine flavour mellowed out and we LOVED it. If you're serving it the next day, the flavours are even better.
2. Don't skip the buttery garlic mushrooms. When we tried adding them in from the start, they had shrivelled up into nothingness by the end. They are good added in fresh from the pan, plump and buttery. We couldn't resist adding some garlic to them along with some salt and pepper. It added a lot more flavour to the end result.
3. Simmer the gravy. Please don't skip this step. After straining the liquid, simmer it for a minute or two and watch the magic of a deliciously rich and glossy gravy thicken before your eyes. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock at a time to thin it out. However, if the sauce is too thin, boil it over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until reduced to the right consistency.

You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Which Red Wine is Best for Beef Bourguignon?

Julia recommends a good quality burgundy for her Beef Bourguignon recipe. We used a $20 bottle of Pinot Noir as we love cooking with that particular wine. It doesn't need to be expensive, but try to get a good quality brand.

Worried about the amount of wine? Reduce it to 2 cups and up the stock to 3 cups (for oven and stove top methods only). If you don't want to use wine, you can leave it out all together and use all beef stock. However, we cannot guarantee the flavour. The wine makes this good.

Burgundy & a reliable Wine Replacements:

When searching for a reliable wine for beef bourguignon, it is super helpful to know that a traditional French Burgundy wine is actually made from Pinot Noir grapes. You do not need to hunt down an expensive imported bottleany dry, medium-bodied Pinot Noir, Merlot, or even a lighter Cabernet Sauvignon will create a great beef stew with red wine. A great rule in our kitchen tho: if you wouldn't pour it into a glass to drink, don't cook with it!

Non-Alcoholic Substitute:

If you prefer to cook without alcohol, replacing the wine with plain beef broth (as many recipes suggest) will result in a flat, one-dimensional flavour. The wine is CRUCIAL for tenderizing the meat and enhancing the taste in the stew. To replicate the fruity depth and colour of the wine without the alcohol, use this substitution:

• Use an equal amount of high-quality beef bone broth.
• Add 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (the alcohol cooks off entirely during the fermentation process) to provide the necessary tang and acidity.
• Add 1/4 cup of unsweetened cranberry juice or tart cherry juice to mimic the ruby colour and complex fruit notes of a real Burgundy.

What Do You Serve With Beef Bourguignon?

Definitely classic mashed potatoes! You can also serve it with plain rice or noodles. There is so much flavour in this, you need a fairly plain side to go with it.

If you want to expand beyond the basics, you cannot miss a few traditional French sides and breads for dipping that work well with sauce:

• Crusty bread: A fresh baguette or thick slices of sourdough are a classic to mop up the leftover red wine sauce. Add just a little bit of butter and thank us later.
• Green veg: The stew is HEAVY, so lightly steamed green beans (or haricots verts) help cut through the intensity of the beef.
• Extra vegetables: Even though the recipe includes braised carrots, serving a side of honey-glazed carrots adds a nice texture contrast.
• Polenta: If you want an alternative to potato mash, soft polenta soaks up the stew juices just as well.

More Beef Recipes:

Cabbage Soup With Beef

Beef Chili

Juicy Beef Brisket

French Dip Sandwich

Tender Pot Roast

Cook notes

It originates from the Burgundy region in eastern France. This area is historically famous for its cattle and its red wine, specifically pinot noir, which are the two main components of the traditional recipe.

Stews that use cuts of meat with a lot of connective tissue, combined with an acidic tenderiser like red wine, yield the most tender results. This is exactly why the slow braising method of a classic bourguignon produces meat that falls apart compared to a standard quick stew.

You want a dry, medium bodied red wine. A pinot noir is the traditional and most popular choice for this recipe. You do not need to spend a fortune on it; just choose a decent quality bottle that you would actually enjoy drinking out of a glass.

What you need

• 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces bacon roughly chopped
• 3 pounds beef brisket trimmed of fat, chuck steak or stewing beef cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 carrot large, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 white onion large, diced
• 6 cloves garlic minced (divided)
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 1 pinch ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 12 pearl onions small, optional
• 3 cups red wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or a Chianti – for a milder sauce, use only 2 cups of wine
• 2-3 cups beef stock (if using 2 cups of wine, use 3 cups beef stock)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound white mushrooms fresh, small or brown mushrooms,quartered
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté the bacon over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large dish and set aside.
2. Now cook the beef. Pat the beef with a paper towel; sear in batches in the hot oil/bacon fat until browned on all sides. Remove to the dish with the bacon.
3. In the remaining oil/bacon fat, sauté the carrots and diced onions until softened, (about 3 minutes), then add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain excess fat and return the bacon and beef back into the pot; season with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper. Sprinkle with flour, toss well and cook for 4-5 minutes to brown.
4. Add the pearl onions, wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Then add the tomato paste, bullion and herbs. Bring to a simmer on the stove.
5. Cover, transfer to lower part of the oven and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is fall apart tender (adjust the heat so that the liquid simmers slowly).
6. Heat the butter in a medium-sized skillet/pan over heat. When the foam subsides, add the remaining 2 cloves garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add in the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, while shaking the pan occasionally to coat with the butter.
7. Place a colander over a large pot (we do this in our clean kitchen sink). Remove the casserole from the oven and carefully empty its contents into the colander (you want to collect the sauce only). Discard the herbs
8. Return the beef mixture back into the dutch oven or pot. Add the mushrooms over the meat. Remove any fat from the sauce (if any) and simmer for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat that rises to the surface.
9. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper, if desired. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Add Parsley.