Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon recipe, simplified

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon recipe (Photo by Viana Boenzli)

5 from 8 votes

Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon recipe, simplified

Julia Child's beef bourguignon puts a smile on my face. Beef bourguignon is very forgiving and turns out absolutely fantastic every time. Don’t be intimidated.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2 15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: French

Keyword: beef bourguignon, julia child

Servings:

Calories: 1099kcal

Author: Erich Boenzli

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds beef chuck shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
6 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch squares (1 ½ cups)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 ½ cups carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 ½ cups yellow onions or shallots, roughly chopped
2 cups dry red wine like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock or bouillon
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme or a couple fresh sprigs
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
10 pearl onions (optional, but nice addition)

Mushrooms

10 ounces cremini (button) mushrooms, quartered or halved, depending on size
2 tablespoons butter (or more as necessary)
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
Olive oil as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Additional Ingredients

4 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 pound egg noodles

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pat the beef dry and cut into 1” cubes. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, and set aside.
2 ½ pounds beef chuck shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Add the bacon (it should sizzle). Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
6 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch squares (1 ½ cups)
Add beef cubes (make sure they sizzle when touching the oil) and brown the meat on all sides, about 5 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 cups beef stock or bouillon, 2 ½ pounds beef chuck shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
Add carrots and onion (or shallots) and stir for about 3 minutes. Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
1 ½ cups carrots, cut into 1" pieces, 1 ½ cups yellow onions or shallots, roughly chopped, Salt and pepper to taste
Add the cooked bacon and browned beef cubes, add 2 tablespoons flour, give it a really good stir, and cook for 2 minutes.
2 ½ pounds beef chuck shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes, 6 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch squares (1 ½ cups), 2 tablespoons flour
Add 2 cups red wine, 2 cups beef stock, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, and pearl onions. Bring to a boil. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Now, it’s time to put the lid on.
2 cups dry red wine like Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, 2 cups beef stock or bouillon, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon dried thyme or a couple fresh sprigs, 2 bay leaves (remove before serving), 10 pearl onions (optional, but nice addition)
Stir every 15 minutes or so to make sure you’ve got a good simmer going and nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
After about 1-½ hours, it should be ready, or close to it. Now is a good time to taste. Don’t sweat it if it still seems a little strong on the wine taste. It’ll mellow. But make sure it doesn’t need any more kosher salt.
Now that the beef bourguignon is almost ready, we’re going to sauté the mushrooms. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter until it slightly bubbles and foams.
10 ounces cremini (button) mushrooms, quartered or halved, depending on size , 2 tablespoons butter (or more as necessary)
Add minced garlic for just 30 seconds (you want them fragrant but not burned) and add the mushrooms.
2 tablespoons garlic, minced, 10 ounces cremini (button) mushrooms, quartered or halved, depending on size
Stir, add a little olive oil (or more butter) if you think the mushrooms are too dry. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste, Olive oil as needed
Add the sautéed mushroom-garlic-butter mixture to the Dutch oven and give it one more last stir.
Serve over your favorite side dish. In my case, that’s buttered extra-wide egg noodles.
1 pound egg noodles
Sprinkle with chopped parsley and pour everyone a nice glass of red wine.
4 tablespoons flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped

Notes

🥄 Taste, taste, taste

You know that’s my mantra, but with this dish, a word of caution: It takes a long time for the wine to do its magic with this stew. If you start tasting halfway through the recommended cooking time, you’ll find that it tastes very strongly of wine and light on salt. This is normal. Don’t do anything. Wait. Patiently. Seriously.

Taste before adding the mushrooms and taste again before serving. You won’t be able to change the harmony of flavors at this point, but you can surely perfect your dish by adding some more kosher salt if necessary.

Nutrition