Classic Beef Bourguignon – Rich & Tender One-Pot Dinner

It's a gray Sunday and you've got a three-pound chuck roast staring at you from the fridge. This is the recipe that turns that tough, cheap cut into something people will talk about at work on Monday.

Beef Bourguignon is a French beef stew braised in red wine with bacon, carrots, and pearl onions. Braising means cooking low and slow in liquid with the lid on, so the meat gets soft instead of chewy. The wine does double duty: it flavors the sauce and its acid helps break down the beef.

It is not a fast dinner. It takes about three hours of mostly hands-off time. The trade-off is real, but you get a pot of glossy, deep-flavored stew that reheats better than almost anything else I cook.

About the Ingredients

3 lb (1.35 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes

Chuck is the best balance of price and collagen, which melts into gelatin and makes the sauce silky. If chuck is gone, use beef shin or short rib, but avoid lean stew meat like round, which turns dry and stringy.

6 oz (170 g) thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces

Thick-cut bacon renders slowly and gives you smoky fat to brown the beef in. Pancetta or salt pork works too; if using salt pork, skip the added salt until the end.

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, plus more as needed

You need a high-smoke-point fat because the beef browns at 450°F (230°C). Avocado oil or beef tallow are fine swaps; don't use butter alone here, it will burn.

1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1½ cups / 200 g)

Yellow onion gives sweetness without sharpness. Shallots are a good substitute if you want a more delicate flavor, but use 4 of them.

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks

Carrots hold their shape through a long braise and add sweetness. Parsnips work as a swap but turn softer, so add them in the last hour instead.

3 garlic cloves, minced

Fresh garlic, not the jarred paste, gives a cleaner flavor here. One teaspoon of garlic powder can stand in in a pinch, but add it with the flour, not the wine.

3 tbsp (24 g) all-purpose flour

Flour thickens the sauce and helps the beef brown. For gluten-free, use 1½ tbsp cornstarch whisked into 2 tbsp cold water at the very end instead of dusting the meat.

3 cups (720 ml) dry red wine, like Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône

Use a wine you'd actually drink; cooking wine tastes flat and salty. No wine? Use 2½ cups beef broth plus 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, but the sauce will be less round.

2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium beef broth

Low-sodium matters because the bacon and the reduction concentrate salt. If you only have regular broth, use 1 cup broth and 1 cup water.

2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste

Tomato paste adds body and a little sweetness without making it taste like tomato sauce. Sun-dried tomato paste is a fine substitute with a slightly deeper flavor.

1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

Kosher salt dissolves evenly and is easier to taste as you go. If using fine table salt, start with 1 tsp; it's much saltier by volume.

1 lb (450 g) pearl onions, peeled, plus 1 lb (450 g) cremini mushrooms, quartered

Pearl onions and mushrooms go in near the end so they keep their texture. Frozen pearl onions save 20 minutes of peeling and work just as well; thaw them first.

Tips & Tricks

Dry the beef before browning

Pat the cubes very dry with paper towels. Wet meat steams instead of sears, and you lose the browned crust that gives the stew its depth.

Brown in batches, no crowding

If the cubes touch, the pan temperature drops and they gray out. Two or three batches at 450°F (230°C) for 3 to 4 minutes per side is the fix.

Don't boil the braise

Keep the oven at 325°F (165°C) so the liquid barely bubbles. A hard boil tightens the beef fibers and you'll chew for an hour longer than you planned.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the oven

Set a rack in the lower third and heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). This low temperature is what keeps the braise at a gentle simmer for the full cook time.

2. Render the bacon

Cook the bacon in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp and golden brown, then scoop it out and leave the fat behind. That fat is your browning oil.

3. Brown the beef

Pat the beef dry and season with the salt. Sear in batches in the bacon fat over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned on all sides, then set aside with the bacon. Add olive oil if the pan looks dry.

4. Soften the vegetables

Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion and carrots in the same pot for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the edges are golden. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant, not brown.

5. Build the sauce

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then sprinkle the flour over everything and stir for 1 minute to coat. Pour in the wine and broth, scraping up the browned bits, and bring to a simmer at 200°F (93°C) at the edges.

6. Braise low and slow

Return the beef and bacon to the pot, cover, and slide it into the oven. Cook 2 hours 15 minutes, until the beef shreds easily when pressed with a spoon and the sauce coats the back of that spoon.

7. Add the vegetables

Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms, cover, and cook another 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced with a knife and the mushrooms are soft. Taste and add salt as needed.

8. Rest and serve

Let the pot sit off heat for 15 minutes so the sauce thickens. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or crusty bread, spooning plenty of sauce over each bowl.

Delicious Variations

Instant Pot Version

Brown everything in the pot using sauté mode, then pressure cook 35 minutes on high with a 10-minute natural release. Add the mushrooms and pearl onions after and simmer 10 minutes on sauté.

White Wine Bourguignon

Swap the red wine for a dry white like Chardonnay and add 1 tsp Dijon mustard. The result is brighter and lighter, better for spring.

Mushroom-First Version

Double the mushrooms and add 8 oz (225 g) quartered portobellos, using vegetable broth instead of beef for a meatier vegetarian-adjacent pot.

How to Store Classic Beef Bourguignon

Frequently Asked Questions

Buy a chuck roast this week, brown it properly, and let the oven do the rest. Make a double batch and freeze half for a night when you have nothing left to give. Keep it small, keep it going.

Classic Beef Bourguignon

Classic Beef Bourguignon turns cheap chuck roast into fork-tender beef in a glossy red wine sauce, all in one Dutch oven with almost no babysitting.

★★★★½ 4.8 (214 ratings)

30 minPrep time165 minCook time8Servings512 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 3 lb (1.35 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes
• 6 oz (170 g) thick-cut bacon, cut into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1½ cups / 200 g)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp (24 g) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (720 ml) dry red wine, like Pinot Noir or Côtes du Rhône
• 2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tbsp (30 g) tomato paste
• 1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 lb (450 g) pearl onions, peeled, plus 1 lb (450 g) cremini mushrooms, quartered

📋 Instructions

1. 1Heat the oven — Set a rack in the lower third and heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). This low temperature is what keeps the braise at a gentle simmer for the full cook time.
2. 2Render the bacon — Cook the bacon in a 5 to 6 quart Dutch oven over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until crisp and golden brown, then scoop it out and leave the fat behind. That fat is your browning oil.
3. 3Brown the beef — Pat the beef dry and season with the salt. Sear in batches in the bacon fat over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned on all sides, then set aside with the bacon. Add olive oil if the pan looks dry.
4. 4Soften the vegetables — Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion and carrots in the same pot for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the edges are golden. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until fragrant, not brown.
5. 5Build the sauce — Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then sprinkle the flour over everything and stir for 1 minute to coat. Pour in the wine and broth, scraping up the browned bits, and bring to a simmer at 200°F (93°C) at the edges.
6. 6Braise low and slow — Return the beef and bacon to the pot, cover, and slide it into the oven. Cook 2 hours 15 minutes, until the beef shreds easily when pressed with a spoon and the sauce coats the back of that spoon.
7. 7Add the vegetables — Stir in the pearl onions and mushrooms, cover, and cook another 30 minutes, until the onions are tender when pierced with a knife and the mushrooms are soft. Taste and add salt as needed.
8. 8Rest and serve — Let the pot sit off heat for 15 minutes so the sauce thickens. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or crusty bread, spooning plenty of sauce over each bowl.

👨‍🍳 Chef's Note: The sauce is the point here, so don't rush the reduction at the end. If it looks thin after the last 30 minutes, simmer uncovered on the stovetop for 5 to 10 minutes at 200°F (93°C) until it coats a spoon.

Servings: 8

Cuisine: French

Course: Main Course

Nutrition (per serving): 512 kcal · 38g protein · 14g carbs · 31g fat