Boeuf Bourguignon: How to Do It

Boeuf Bourguignon – the list of ingredients

With the right ingredients, Boeuf Bourguignon becomes a delight. However, the shopping list is quite long. To make the effort worthwhile, it is best to cook for six people at once. Our quantities are based on that.

• For the dish, you will need one and a half kilograms of beef. The meat should be cut into cubes about 4 cm thick.
• 170 grams of streaky bacon deliver a lot of flavors. Make sure the rind is included.
• Also set up one onion and one carrot and two cloves of garlic.
• The necessary liquid is provided by 400ml beef stock and 700ml dry red wine. Ideally, of course, this comes from Burgundy.
• Otherwise, to prepare the meat you will need a tablespoon of tomato paste, one or two bay leaves, two or three sprigs of fresh thyme, and some flour.
• Braised onions are also required in the classic Boeuf Bourguignon. To do this, direct about 20 very small onions.
• To stew the onions you will also need 20 grams of butter and a tablespoon of neutral oil and 125ml of liquid. Here you can choose between beef bouillon or red or white wine.
• The braised onions are refined with a small bay leaf, two tablespoons of chopped parsley, and a teaspoon of dried thyme leaves.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• In addition to braised onions, boeuf bourguignon also includes mushrooms. These are also prepared separately. In addition to 300g of mushrooms, you also need a teaspoon of oil and 30g of butter.
• Add a bunch of spring onions to the mushrooms. Optionally add a little more breadcrumbs and a crushed clove of garlic.
• Don’t forget: For the preparation, you need a large, heavy casserole or casserole.

Cooking French – the preliminary work

Once you have prepared all the ingredients, it is best to start with the preparation of the individual ingredients.

• If the meat has not yet been cut by the butcher, cut it into 4 cm pieces as already mentioned.
• Peel and dice carrots and onions. Whether you need to prepare the mushrooms depends on their size. If the mushrooms are very large, halve or quarter them.
• Cut off the rind of the bacon. But keep these. You still need them. Cut the bacon itself into smaller cubes.
• Once these preparations have been made, the actual cooking begins.

Boeuf Bourguignon – how to prepare the meat

Preheat your oven to 230 degrees.

• First, boil the diced bacon and the bacon rind in water for about 10 minutes. After that, pour off the water and dry the bacon a little. Paper towels come in handy here.
• Heat some oil in a casserole or casserole, but not too hot. Fry the bacon – this time without the rind – for two to three minutes. Then take the bacon out again.
• Turn the heat up a little so the fat gets really hot. Fry the pieces of beef in it for about three minutes. Make sure the meat is seared on all sides.
• You certainly can’t sear all the meat at once. Therefore, only ever put one portion of beef in the casserole.
• Once seared, remove the meat and sear the next portion.
• When the meat is well seared all over, set aside. Now reduce the heat a little again. Next, add the carrots and diced onions to the pot. They should brown a bit.
• Once the vegetables are lightly browned, drain off the excess fat and return the meat and bacon to the pot.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dust everything with a little flour. Stir vigorously once to distribute the flour well.
• Now the pot goes into the oven for the first time. But only for five minutes. This measure is used to lightly brown the flour.
• After five minutes, remove the pot from the oven. Also, reduce the temperature to 160 degrees.
• While your oven cools to this temperature, add the beef stock and wine to the meat in the pot. You can tell you have the right amount and liquid by the fact that the meat is lightly but completely covered.
• Now the garlic, the bay leaf, the thyme, the tomato paste, and the bacon rind are also added to the pot.
• Mix all the ingredients together and place the casserole with the lid in the oven. He stays here for at least three hours. Boeuf Bourguignon gets even better if you leave it in the oven for four hours.

Braise onions and mushrooms

While the meat is simmering in the oven, prepare the sautéed onions and mushrooms.

• You only have to peel the small onions. They come whole in a pan with hot oil and butter. Over medium heat, the onions should get an even brown color. This takes about ten minutes. It is best to swirl the pan a little regularly.
• When the onions are evenly browned, add the liquid, i.e. the wine or the bouillon.
• Add the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and let the onions simmer in this way for about three-quarters of an hour.
• You should only prepare the mushrooms when the meat is almost done. Then heat butter and oil in a pan.
• The fat needs to be really hot here when you put the mushrooms in.
• Fry the mushrooms well and then let them simmer for about five minutes. Stir the mushrooms as you go.
• Depending on your taste, add some garlic and breadcrumbs. After that, let the mushrooms stew for another two minutes. However, turn down the temperature on the stove a little.

Boeuf Bourguignon – the finale

After the time-consuming preparation, all the components come together to make the Boeuf Bourguignon.

• The meat should be nice and tender after so long in the oven. Strain the entire contents of the casserole through a sieve into a large saucepan. Rub the casserole briefly with some kitchen paper.
• Then, return the meat and other solid ingredients from the colander to the casserole. Now add the sautéed onions and mushrooms.
• The liquid you drained from the meat makes the sauce. If it’s too thin, reduce it a little. If it’s too thick, add some beef stock.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper and return it to the casserole with the meat. Now everything is boiled for about five minutes. Stir occasionally – and your Boeuf Bourguignon is ready.
• Incidentally, the French classic is served in a casserole or in a casserole. Potatoes are suitable as side dishes, but also as a simple baguette.