I have tried many beef stew recipes over the years, because I absolutely love a good beef stew. I tend to find that many recipes lacked a bold flavor, and the vegetables are a soggy mess by the time the stew has cooked. I have played around with recipes in the oven and in the slow cooker, as well as recipes with and without red wine, and with various types of vegetables as well. This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s “Boeuf Bourguignon” recipe and its the best tasting one I have come across. I also love that it does not have potatoes in it, because that way I can vary the dish by adding a side of mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes, and that changes it up. The broth is so yummy that when piled on a bed of smashed or mashed potatoes, its incredible. You could also serve it with rice.
TIPS: It took me a while to get over I had to use an ENTIRE bottle of red wine in this recipe, but it is worth it. I use an inexpensive but totally drinkable red wine, that is medium bodied, but not heavy or too full of tannins. So I usually choose a milder red cabernet blend, a chianti, a burgundy, or a pinot noir. You also may be tempted to leave out the cognac but Ina knows what she is doing and that makes it great. Be sure to prep all your ingredients ahead of time as there are a lot, and once you start cooking you don’t have time to stop and chop things. The mushrooms are optional, and Ina also adds frozen pearl onions in during the last half hour of cooking. I do not, as that is too much onion for me. You could also add frozen peas at the end if you like. I have tried this in the slow cooker as well, but for some reason the texture of the meat and carrots is better from the oven. This stew is great the next day also, so feel free to make it ahead. For a no-carb version, omit the flour thickener at the end.
Beef Stew in Red Wine (Beef Bourguignon)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 2 1/2 lbs beef chuck meat cut into 1 inch cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
- 2 yellow onions cut in half and sliced
- 2 tsp garlic minced (about 2 cloves)
- 1/2 C Cognac (or Brandy)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 750 ml good dry red wine (1 bottle)
- 1-2 C beef broth
- 1 lb mushrooms (optional) thickly sliced
- 3 Tbsp butter (divided and softened)
- 3 Tbsp flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees (300 convection). Pat the beef chuck meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add bacon and cook oven medium heat, stirring occasionally until bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon fat in the dutch oven.
- Add half of the beef to the dutch oven and cook on all sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, place beef on the plate with the bacon. Repeat with the second batch of beef. Set aside. Leave grease in bottom of dutch oven.
- Place all the carrots and onions into the dutch oven along with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp of pepper. Sauté vegetables over medium heat until onions start to soften and brown, about 8 minutes. (If bottom of the pan starts to burn in spots, add a couple of tablespoons of water into the vegetables). Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cognac (carefully) and reduce it by about half to burn off the alcohol. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and stir in the tomato paste and thyme. Cook 1 minute. Add the beef and bacon back into the dutch oven. Stir in the red wine and just enough beef broth to just get to the top of the meat. Raise heat and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid, and place in the oven.
- Bake stew for 2 hours, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, if adding mushrooms : Heat 1 Tbsp butter in skillet over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until they just start to release their liquid, about 6-7 minutes . Set aside. Add them to stew in the last 30 minutes of baking.
- Remove stew from the oven. In a small bowl, mash together 2 Tbsp softened butter and 3 Tbsp flour until a smooth paste is formed. Stir the paste into the stew, and put the stew back in the oven for 15 minutes to thicken. Remove from oven and let rest uncovered for 15 minutes, and then serve.
- Enjoy!