Wild Mushroom Beef Bourguignon (Printer View)

Tender beef slowly braised with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, and carrots in a rich red wine sauce.

# What you'll need:

→ Meats

01 - 3.3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
02 - 3.5 oz smoked bacon or pancetta, diced (optional)

→ Vegetables

03 - 9 oz wild mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini, or cremini), cleaned and sliced
04 - 7 oz pearl onions, peeled
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 large yellow onion, chopped
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

09 - 25 fl oz dry red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
10 - 2 cups beef stock
11 - 2 tbsp tomato paste

→ Fats

12 - 3 tbsp olive oil
13 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Herbs & Spices

14 - 3 sprigs fresh thyme
15 - 2 bay leaves
16 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
17 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Thickeners

18 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour

# Method:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F.
02 - Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper.
03 - Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides, approximately 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
04 - If using bacon, add the diced bacon to the pot and cook until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside with the beef.
05 - Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pot. Sauté the chopped onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
06 - Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.
07 - Stir in tomato paste, then pour in the red wine while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
08 - Add beef stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Return the seared beef and bacon to the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
09 - Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the preheated 325°F oven. Braise for 2 hours until the beef is very tender.
10 - While the beef braises, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the wild mushrooms until golden and any released liquid has evaporated, approximately 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
11 - In the same skillet, add pearl onions and cook until lightly caramelized, approximately 8 minutes. Set aside.
12 - After 2 hours, add the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions to the Dutch oven. Continue braising uncovered for an additional 30 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken.
13 - Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper as needed.
14 - Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The beef becomes impossibly tender and practically dissolves on your tongue without any fussy technique required.
  • Wild mushrooms add an umami depth that makes people ask for the recipe, thinking you've done something far more complicated than you actually have.
  • It's a braise you can mostly ignore once it's in the oven, leaving you free to set a table or pour a glass of wine.
02 -
  • Searing the beef in a crowded pot creates steam instead of crust; work in batches even though it feels like extra work, because that brown fond is where half your flavor lives.
  • The oven temperature matters—too high and the beef toughens, too low and it never browns; 160°C is the sweet spot where everything becomes silky without falling apart.
  • Don't skip removing the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving; someone will eventually bite into one, and it's never a pleasant surprise.
03 -
  • Marinate the beef in red wine overnight before cooking if you have the time; it tenderizes the meat and deepens the wine flavor throughout the braise.
  • Brown the beef in batches and don't move it around once it hits the pan—patience with that crust is what separates good beef bourguignon from extraordinary beef bourguignon.
  • Taste for seasoning near the end of cooking, not the beginning; the flavors concentrate as liquid reduces, and adding salt early can leave you with an oversalted sauce.
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