🍷🥩 Beef Bourguignon: A Complete Guide🍲🇫🇷

Hello fellow cooking enthusiasts! This time, I'm challenging you to a classic French comfort food: Beef Bourguignon . This dish is known for its complex preparation, but the flavor is unmatched. Perfect for slow-cooking on the weekends and enjoying with family and friends. 🥰

Its essence is beef rib + red wine + onion + bacon + herbs . After a long slow cook, the beef is tender and flavorful, and the aroma of red wine blends with the gravy to form a rich gravy. It is extremely satisfying when paired with mashed potatoes 🥔, French bread 🥖 or white rice 🍚.

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🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4–6)

• 1.2 kg beef ribs or beef cheeks (cut into large pieces, about 5cm)🥩
• 150g bacon (cut into strips or small pieces)
• 750ml red wine 🍷 (Burgundy or other dry red wine is recommended)
• 500ml beef broth 🍲
• 2 onions (cut into large pieces)
• 3 carrots (cut into dice)🥕
• 4 cloves of garlic (crushed)🧄
• 250g mushrooms 🍄 (cut into half or quarters)
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for sealing the gravy)
• Herbs (2-3 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, a little parsley)
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper 🌑 to taste
• A little olive oil
• 30g butter 🧈

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👩🍳 Detailed cooking process

1. Prepare the beef

• Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper (this way it will have a burnt aroma before frying).
• Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly, then lightly dust with flour to help seal in the meat juices.

2. Pan-fried beef

• Heat a little olive oil in a large wok and sear the beef in batches until golden brown on all sides🔥.
• Don’t be impatient to flip it over. Wait until it smells burnt before turning it over. This way, it will have a richer flavor.
• Remove the fried beef and set aside.

3. Processing bacon + vegetables

• In the same wok, fry the bacon until crispy and oily. 🥓
• Add onion, carrot and garlic and sauté until onion becomes transparent.
• Add tomato paste and sauté for 1–2 minutes until caramelized.

4. Add red wine to deglaze

• Pour the red wine into the wok and scrape up the burnt bits at the bottom (these are the real gems!).
• Bring to a boil and reduce the sauce slightly. After about 10 minutes, the alcohol will evaporate, leaving only the aroma of red wine. 🍷

5. Stew the main part

• Place beef and vegetables in a crockpot or cast iron skillet.
• Pour in the red wine sauce and beef broth, making sure the liquid covers the ingredients.
• Add thyme and bay leaves.
• Cover and simmer over low heat for 2.5–3 hours, until the beef is tender and flavorful. 🕰️

6. Sautéed mushrooms (separate)

• In another wok, add butter and fry mushrooms until golden brown. 🍄
• Add to the stew pot during the last 30 minutes to maintain the taste and aroma.

7. Seasoning & Finishing

• Taste and add more salt and black pepper if needed.
• Garnish with fresh chopped parsley before serving. 🌿
• Serve with mashed potatoes, French bread or rice, perfect! 😍

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💡 Editor's Tips & Variations

• Wine choice : It doesn’t need to be too expensive, dry red wine will be fine, but remember, “If you can’t drink it down, don’t drink it.” 😉
• Beef parts : sirloin, ribs, and cheek are all suitable, the key is to have fascia, and stew until tender and smooth.
• Pre-marinate the beef : Some recipes recommend marinating the beef and herbs in red wine the night before and cooking it the next day for a richer flavor.
• Quick-cook version : If you’re short on time, you can use a pressure cooker, which takes about 45 minutes, but slow cooking always gives it a more complex texture.
• Hong Kong Fusion : I’ve tried adding oyster sauce or Chu Hou sauce to make it a fusion of Chinese and Western styles, called “Red Wine Beef Brisket”. It’s surprisingly delicious!

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🎉 Summary

Braised Beef in Red Wine is a true masterpiece of "time for taste." 🥘 After a long simmer, each bite of beef is tender and flavorful. The red wine and beef broth blend into a rich sauce that leaves a warm and satisfying feeling.

Although this dish has many steps, as long as you follow the process carefully, you will definitely succeed. I think it is perfect for weekend cooking. Slowly simmering a pot will fill the house with fragrance, and then pair it with a glass of red wine 🍷, it is a great enjoyment in life~