Best Beef Bourguignon

By Thom7747

Beef Bourguignon, or beef in red wine sauce, is a classic French dish known for its deep rich sauce. Teri says, this is delicious. It takes a lot of work, but is worth the effort. As with most stews, it can be made ahead and reheated to add even more flavor.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces slab bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1½ inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 large onions, cut into eight wedges each
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups homemade beef stock or low-salt canned broth
• 1/4 cup cognac or brandy
• 1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
• 3/4 pounds mushrooms, whole or halved if very large
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from teriskitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325° F.
 
Sauté bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
1. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
2. Season beef cubes generously with salt and pepper.
3. Coat with all of the flour.
4. Working in 2 batches, brown beef in the bacon grease over high heat, about 3 minutes per batch.
5. Transfer meat to large bowl using slotted spoon or tongs.
6. Add onions and carrots to the same pot and sauté until light brown, about 8 minutes, adding a small amount of olive oil if needed.
7. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
8. Transfer the vegetables to bowl with beef.

Add ½ cup of the beef broth and the Cognac to the pot; boil until almost reduced to a glaze, about 8 minutes, scraping up any browned bits.
1. Return the meat, vegetables and their juices to pot.
2. Add the wine, mushrooms, thyme, brown sugar, tomato paste, remaining 1 cup of broth and bacon.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover pot and place in oven.
5. Cook until beef is tender, about 1½ hours.
6. Remove the beef and vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon. 
7. Spoon excess fat off the liquid.
8. Boil the liquid until reduced to about 2 cups, about 15 minutes.
9. Taste sauce for seasoning; add salt and pepper if desired.
10. Return the beef and vegetables to the pot.
(Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
 
Re-warm over low heat or return to a low oven until needed.
 
Serve with Buttered Noodles.