Wild Mushroom Beef Bourguignon (Printable Version)

Hearty beef braised with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, and rich red wine for a comforting French-inspired dish.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Meats

01 - 3.3 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
02 - 3.5 oz smoked bacon or pancetta, diced (optional)

→ Vegetables

03 - 9 oz wild mushrooms (chanterelles, porcini, or cremini), cleaned and sliced
04 - 7 oz pearl onions, peeled
05 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, diced
07 - 1 large yellow onion, chopped
08 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Liquids

09 - 25 fl oz dry red wine (Burgundy or Pinot Noir)
10 - 2 cups beef stock
11 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste

→ Fats

12 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
13 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Herbs and Spices

14 - 3 sprigs fresh thyme
15 - 2 bay leaves
16 - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
17 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Thickeners

18 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat beef cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear beef in batches until browned on all sides, approximately 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
03 - Add diced bacon to the pot and cook until crisp, approximately 5 minutes. Remove and set aside with the beef.
04 - Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Sauté chopped onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
05 - Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 2 minutes to eliminate raw flour taste.
06 - Stir in tomato paste, then pour in red wine while scraping up browned bits from the pot bottom with a wooden spoon.
07 - Add beef stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Return seared beef and bacon to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
08 - Cover the Dutch oven and transfer to the preheated oven. Braise for 2 hours until beef is very tender.
09 - While beef braises, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté wild mushrooms until golden and any liquid has evaporated, approximately 8 minutes. Set aside.
10 - In the same skillet, add pearl onions and cook until lightly caramelized, approximately 8 minutes. Set aside.
11 - After 2 hours, add the sautéed mushrooms and caramelized pearl onions to the Dutch oven. Continue braising uncovered for an additional 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
12 - Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the braise. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
13 - Transfer to serving vessel and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The wild mushrooms add an umami richness that makes the sauce taste like you've been simmering it for days when really it's just hours.
  • It's the kind of dish that feeds a crowd and actually tastes better the next day, which means less stress and more praise.
  • Your kitchen smells so incredible while it's cooking that guests arrive expecting something far fancier than what's actually involved.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step of patting the beef dry—moisture on the surface steams instead of browns, and that's the difference between a restaurant-quality crust and a pale, boiled-looking surface.
  • If your sauce seems thin after the thirty-minute finish, you can whisk together a little softened butter and flour into a paste and stir it in while the pot simmers—but honestly, the flour you added at the beginning usually does the job if you're patient.
  • The bacon isn't essential, but if you use it, save a bit of the fat to render with the mushrooms instead of starting fresh oil—that little detail shifts the entire flavor profile.
03 -
  • If wild mushrooms are expensive or hard to find where you are, a mix of cremini and regular button mushrooms works beautifully and costs half as much—they won't have quite the same earthy intensity, but the dish is still remarkable.
  • Toast your thyme sprigs lightly in a dry pan before adding them to the braise if you want their flavor to come forward more boldly, and wrap them loosely in twine so they're easier to fish out at the end.
  • A splash of brandy added when you deglaze with wine adds a subtle warmth that makes people pause and ask what you did differently, even though it's barely noticeable.
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