Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon, (also called beef Burgundy) is a beef stew braised in red wine, often red Burgundy, and beef stock. Vegetables that give flavor to this stew includes carrots, onions, garlic, and a bouquet garni (fresh herb bouquet), pearl onions, mushrooms, and bacon. With Julia Child’s world-famous recipe (and it’s worthy of its fame), it takes hours to simmer the beef to be tender, and for all of the flavors to come together for this flavorful stew. With this recipe, I used my pressure cooker to create a stew in a fraction of the time. I’m not Julia Child, but I can promise you that my version turned out to be fantastic– and I share a special cut of beef that delivers a tenderness that is incredible! We like ours over homemade noodles, but boiled potatoes is a more traditional way to enjoy this meal. It freezes well, too!
During Spring/Summer, our Weber grill gets quite a workout. Alas, our outdoor grills are tucked in for our California winters. Our tomato plants are spent, and our small herb and vegetable garden is looking a bit sparse. Sigh.
Our thyme and marjoram are still hearty, this time of year, and they don’t go to waste in the kitchen. It soups & stew season, and I’m ready!
Now that the days are chillier, with much needed rain, my Dutch oven is being put to a lot more use. This is the time of year, when I become a lean and mean “Searer” and “Braiser”. The aroma of a savory stew, wafting from the kitchen, is comforting.
My Perfect Pot Roast recipe rules as one of the most appreciated slow-cooked dinners that I make. Cooking an inexpensive cut of beef, in a braising liquid, for a long period of time yields tender meat and a succulent sauce. Drool.
Last week, I had a craving for Beef Burgundy — aka “Beef Bourguignon“. I couldn’t stop thinking about the first time I had this dish, at a catered
party. I really wanted to recreate this stew, with it’s rich and
flavorful sauce. Visions of Julia Child, popped into my head. I’ve never read– let alone, made –the esteemed Julia’s recipe– and I assumed her recipe would be a lot of work. Still, it was 1:00 in the afternoon and I had Christmas cookie dough to make. I realized that I didn’t have the time to make this classic French stew and I needed my oven! The slow cooker was out– and then it hit me.
Pressure cook it! I know, I know… pressure cookers scare a lot of newbies. There is a fear of an explosion. I tell you the truth– It’s an unfounded fear. My first pressure cooker was a stove top model, with the regulator (that “thingie” that rocks back and forth with a chhh-chhh-chhh sound). Not once, did I have an explosion. Truth.
About 9 years ago, I invested in an electric digital pressure cooker, and
I love so many features of this model. Mine has a browning cycle, and a
non-stick removable insert and I love it’s oval shape.
UPDATE: After years of use, the nonstick finish began to show a lot of wear and tear. I finally joined the Instant Pot club and bought a 6-Quart pressure cooker— and, yes I love it and use it almost every day!
Don’t worry. If you don’t own a pressure cooker, you can make this in a Dutch oven. If you want to make this in a slow cooker– I beg you to not do one thing that makes my skin crawl. Please, don’t throw in raw meat! To me, the best tasting stews come from taking the time to sear and brown the meat, first. All that beautiful brown crusty build-up, in the pan is what gives the sauce great flavor.
Pinkie promise? Thank you. I’m not gonna lie. It takes about an hour to get the stew ready. Enough talking– I’ll show you how I made this:
First, we build flavor. I keep frozen bacon, so it’s easier to cut into “lardons”. In a heavy skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
Finely chop 2 fresh carrots. Yes, I took a shortcut and let my food processor do the work. Clean and quarter one pound of fresh white mushrooms.
Pearl onions are traditional in this stew. Peeling them takes work, so I used frozen onions. I simply rinsed them, shook them dry and then sauteed them until they were lightly golden.
I then added 2 cloves of minced garlic for the last 30 seconds, removed the onions and set those aside.
In the same pan, add a little olive oil and saute the carrots for 2-3 minutes– just until soft. Remove and set aside.
When you buy stewing meat, ask your butcher about Chuck Eye Roast. I pay about $7.00 a pound, but it’s worth it. Seriously. It’s the perfect meat for stewing, and is far more tender than buying “stew cut meat”. With stew cut meat, you don’t know what the butcher has thrown together, and I’ve had my fair share of chewy stew.
I cut the meat into bite-size pieces and make sure that it’s dry. Season the meat with salt & pepper and flour and toss together to coat evenly.
In the same pan that I cooked add a little vegetable oil, and bring the pan to medium-high. Open up the windows and turn on your vents. We’re about to do some seriously searing. The key to searing is to get the pan very hot. Don’t crowd the meat and leave it alone for 2-3 minutes. If you keep moving the meat around, you won’t get the sear = less flavor = bummer. It took about 3 batches to get all the meat nicely browned. Pile the seared meat into a big bowl.
I then added a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste, and stirred it around the dark “fond” that was built. Now, we’re going to “deglaze” with 1-1/2 cups red wine. I used burgundy, but any kind of red wine will do. Scrape the pan and stir the liquid around, loosening up the brown bits.
Add one cup of beef broth and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce (my not-so-secret flavor builder).
Add the browned beef into your Dutch oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker. Pour the sauce over it.
To make a “bouquet garni”, simply tie a few sprigs of fresh marjoram and thyme (thyme only will do) and nestle it into the stew.
In a Dutch oven, place into a 275 degree oven for 3 hours or simmer on low on the stove top.
-or-
Slow cook for 6 hours, on low.
-or-
Pressure cook for 25 minutes! Yes, 25 minutes!
Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms:
Clean the same skillet, and on medium heat, melt the butter and oil until bubbling.
Add the cleaned and dry mushrooms and saute the mushrooms for about 5
minutes— shaking the skillet intermittently until the mushrooms are
lightly golden (about 7 minutes total). Remove from the skillet and set
aside.
The pressure cooker beeped, and it’s time to release the pressure.
The stew is bubbly hot, and smells so good! Remove the herb bundle with tongs, as it’s done it’s job.
Beef Burgundy (Boeuf Bourguignon) adapted for a Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chuck eye roast cut into 2-inch pieces (ask your butcher about it, it’s much more tender than stew cut meat)
- 1 bag pearl onions 10 oz. frozen (you can go with fresh, but it’s a hassle to peel those babies!)
- 2 medium carrots washed and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 slices quality bacon it’s easier to cut while frozen
- 1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine or any red wine
- 1 cup beef broth I don’t recommend bouillon cubes, as they can be salty
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste heaping
- 1 pound fresh white mushrooms quartered
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 2 to 3 teaspoons dried thyme, fresh is best
- 2 sprigs fresh marjoram
- 1 whole Bay leaf
- Flour salt & pepper (for seasoning the meat)
- Olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped for garnish
Instructions
For the bacon and vegetables:
- While you could sear the bacon and vegetables in your pressure cooker/Instant Pot, I prefer to use a Dutch Oven or heavy skillet so that I have plenty of room to build flavor. I use my Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker to actually cook the beef stew to a perfect tender. Let’s begin:
- Slice the bacon into lardons (thin strips) and cook, in a heavy bottomed skillet) until crispy, on medium heat, to render the fat. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel.
- There is no need to thaw the frozen onions; simply empty the bag into a mesh strainer and rinse with lukewarm water for a few minutes. Allow to drain and pat them dry. You can certainly buy fresh pearl onions, but to remove the skins you will need to blanch and shock them in ice water to slip them off. I find that frozen is just as good!
- On medium heat, add the onion and cook in the bacon fat (this is building flavor), shaking the pan until they are translucent and lightly golden brown (about five minutes). Add the minced garlic and stir until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Remove the onion/garlic mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Be sure to wipe any remaining garlic residue from the Instant Pot or skillet (garlic burns and becomes bitter) and add a little drizzle of olive oil. On medium heat, cook the chopped carrot for 2 to 3 minutes, just until softened.
- Remove and set aside.
For the meat:
- Be sure that the meat is completely dry. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get a crusty, brown sear, and this is essential to building flavor!
- I place the cut-up meat in a large bowl, and add about 2 to 3 teaspoons of coarse salt, 1 to 2 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper and about 1 tablespoon of flour. Toss the meat until it is evenly coated with flour and seasoning.
- Turn the heavy skillet to medium high and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Add the meat, being careful not to crowd it, and allow it to sear until golden brown (3 to 4 minutes). Lift one piece of meat, and if it doesn’t stick to the pan, it’s ready for all the pieces to be turned over. Sear on both sides and set aside. You will, most likely, need to do this in 2 to 3 batches. Add a little more olive oil, as is necessary to coat the pan.
- Your skillet should be coated with a build-up for brown (maybe almost black) “crud”. This is a good thing. Let’s build the braising liquid!
- Leaving the skillet on medium-high heat, add the tomato paste and quickly stir it around to cook– about 30 seconds.
- Add the red wine, whisk and stirring and loosening up the crust from the bottom. Add the carrots and the bacon to the skillet. Allow this mixture to reduce about to about 2/3, stirring it often– about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Your can now cook this French stew in a pressure cooker, in a Dutch oven or a slow cooker. The technique is all the same, but the cooking time is very different.
For the pressure cooker:
- Add the meat, then pour the braising liquid on top.
- Tie the fresh herbs with kitchen string and settle into the liquid.
- Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
For a Dutch oven
- Set in the oven at 275°F for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- For a slow cooker, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- (see why pressure cooking is so easy?)
- Meanwhile prepare the mushrooms:
- Clean the same skillet, and on medium heat, melt the butter and oil until bubbling.
- Add the cleaned and dry mushrooms and saute the mushrooms for about 5 minutes– shaking the skillet intermittently until the mushrooms are lightly golden (about 7 minutes total). Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Once the stew has finished cooking, it’s time to add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Release the pressure (if using a pressure cooker, obviously). Remove the herb bundle and bay leaf, then add the pearl onions and mushrooms. Pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- If using a Dutch oven, allow to cook for about 10 minutes more.
- For a slow cooker, allow 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how hot the stew is.
- NOTE: If the sauce seems too thin for your liking (I like mine a bit thick) make a cornstarch slurry. I use about 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and whisk about 1/2 cup water until it is lump-free. With the stew simmering (I use the saute function) I add in small amount of the slurry and wait a minute or so, until the sauce has thickened. Don't add the slurry all at once, or you might end up with concrete! If you do, thin with beef broth.
- Add a generous handful of fresh parsley and serve immediately.
- Traditionally, this dish is served with steamed potatoes. You can serve it with mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. I chose to make homemade egg noodles.
- This dish tastes even better the following day.
Nutrition
This looks awesome and we are big fans of the pressure cooker.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe on Pressure Cooking Today! I can't wait to make it myself. I'll have to pick up a Chuck Eye Roast. I've never tried one. Thanks for the tip.
Oh my, Deb! This looks SO rich and inviting. My kind of food when it's as cold as it is outside.
And yes, people need to brown their meat before they put it in the crockpot or the pressure cooker. Can't stand a pale piece of meat with no flavor!
What a beautiful meal. I'm sure it was wonderful. I have a pressure cooker, but it sits on a shelf and I haven't used it in years. Time to dust it off, I say!
Wow, that looks delicious. I haven't used a pressure cooker since I first started cooking many moons ago. It looks like they've changed a bit. I'll have to investigate.
Happy 2013!!
This is some serious comfort food! Perfect for the snowy cold days we're having here in the northeast.
That looks delicious!! All your photos look so yummy. I am definitely making this recipe. It is 20 degrees and snowy where I live (Connecticut) Perfect weather for this yummy stew.
Rebecca♥
I hope that 2013 is rich in experiences, filled with love and happiness and of course comforting food just like this Deb. Have a safe and happy New Year. Smile often and those around you will too. I need to break out the pressure cooker.
I could eat Boeuf Burguignon day and night and be a very happy girl. Yours looks rich and comforting.
Wishing you and your family a happy & healthy new year.
Sam
You're so right about browning the meat. The one time I didn't because I was behind on getting it in the slow cooker and it really suffered flavor-wise. This looks so rich and delicious. Thanks for including the Dutch oven cook times. Hope the coming year brings you much happiness!
I just made this recipe last night and it was absolutely wonderful, awesome and delicious. i used my pressure cooker. Only difference is i cut the meat into smaller (1 in) pieces and only pressure cooked for 15 min, not 40 min. was perfect!!
Great, Janelle! Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.
Well, this was the recipe that made me decide to finally get that pressure cooker I'd been wanting. It was a delicious meal, so rich and flavorful. Thanks!
Thanks, Tina! So glad you enjoyed your pressure cooker. Have fun with it!
nice blog… Using an electric pressure cooker is amazingly and uncomplicated. thank you for sharing information and recipes with us.
First a baguette, now beef bourguignon. I wish I was in your kitchen!
Sam
That is certainly a feast! That's why I love my pressure cooker… easy cleanup, fast cooking, and great flavor!
My first time using my pressure cooker, and it was a great success! Love the recipe. I think I reduced my sauce too much, though. I'll definitely make again, with a few changes: I'm wary of salt, so I didn't add much to the meat, and I think it needed more; I used dried instead of fresh (shame on me)–I don't like sage, so I added rosemary (yum), and I added a bit more carrot. If anyone is on the fence, I'm a pressure cooker novice and this is super yummy–GO FOR IT!
Amy,
Thanks for a great testimony!
Debby
I never used a pressure cooker before and I tried this recipe out on my new pressure cooker. I was very nervous about how to use the cooker. I really didn't know how to use it! This recipe was absolutely delicious! And sooo easy! I have made Julia's recipe before, but this one really is terrific! Thank you!
Is it one carrots or two carrots? The directions in the blog entry say 2 carrots. The recipe says 1 carrot.
Thanks
What are your proportions? because the recipe you link to asks for bigger proportions for carrots, and mushrooms, so i am thinking that it's the same for the meat.
I just double checked my recipe card with my pictorial. I edited the recipe card to be 2 carrots, to match my pictorial. As for the mushrooms, I used one pound. For the meat, I used 2 pounds. There is nothing wrong with changing the proportions to match your preferences… you can more or less beef and the same for the vegetables. What's most important is to use good quality beef and sear it, for lots of flavor. Sorry for any confusion.
My wife and I made this on Saturday after a day spent hiking in the rain. It was the perfect get-warm fall dinner, and it made great leftovers to come home from a long day of work to, today. The pressure cooker totally simplifies the recipe; it cooks just long enough to clean up all the dishes you dirty during preparation! I'm still daydreaming about that delicious sauce with bits of bacon and carrots… To anyone intimidated by this recipe, don't be. Nothing in this recipe was hard; it's just a lot of steps. Each step is simple, though, and the end result is a meal to remember.
Thank you, Dave, for a glowing review. There are a few steps, but this recipe is often requested by my family. So glad you enjoyed it!
I also prefer to have this dish with pasta, particularly with spaghetti!
I am glad I saw this blog entry; I was looking for a nice pressure cooker version of beef bourguignon! It is one of the tastiest beef dishes I tried but I just can’t spend that much time to cook it!
Made this recipe in the pressure cooker….I used the 3 t. Of salt and, between the beef broth and worshestire sauce, it was far to salty and the receipt does not dilute down with water so the broth was too pungent. Also, I would recommend using a good wine, I used an inexpensive burgundy. In the past, I have made the JULIA Childs receipe. I would use this receipe again as I liked using the pressure cooker, although the 40 minutes is too long as the meat stuck on the bottom, and I would use a better wine and only add salt to taste at the end.
Dear Dianna,
Well, this is perplexing on so many levels. I have made this recipe, many many times and have never experienced your issues. Granted, some people are highly sensitive to salt (I actually am) and that is why I use unsalted beef broth (I will update my recipe to mention this). Did you use beef beef consommé instead of broth? I don't use cooking wine, but choose to buy something reasonably priced. The general rule of thumb is to use a wine that you would drink, yourself, in your recipes. What really puzzles me is "how in the world" did meat get stuck on the bottom? I own two pressure cookers– one with a non-stick pot and one that is stainless steel. I sear meat all the time, and have never EVER had meat stick once I add liquid. The meat is to be removed, while deglazing the pan. So, once that happens, I can't figure out how a braised meat would stick. I appreciate your honest feedback, and am sorry you had issues with the recipe. I will remain, firm, that 40 minutes is not too long. In general, a dish that cooks for 2 hours, can be adapted to pressure cooking for 1/3 of the time.
I love my pressure coocker.I use Instant pot Electric Pressure Cooker.
I made this last night for dinner and it was a huge hit, outstanding flavor and super tender meat. I took some to my neighbor to try and he raved about it as well and asked for the recipe. I told him I made it in my Instant Pot pressure cooker and he asked about that too so needless to say your recipe is very good and will be making the rounds to other neighbors and family. Great job and thanks for posting this recipe.
This is an amazing recipe! I have made Julia Child's version many times. Having received an instantpot for Christmas, I wanted to try beef burgundy using my new toy. I followed this recipe (which incorporates the key techniques of Julia Child) to a T and it turned out absolutely stunning. I'll never make it any other way. Thank you so much for a finely-tuned recipe.
I have a question about adding wine to pressure cooker recipes. The first time i did a stew with red wine in my cooker, the wine was overpowering, so i thought perhaps the alcohol in wine cannot burn off in pressure cooking, as it does in an oven or slow cooker. So should one reduce the amt of wine when pressure cooking? I notice in ur recipe that u recommend same amount of wine no matter the cooking method. Thank you!
Man that looks delicious…the problem with reading all these food blogs is that you are permanently hungry!
Made this recipe in the pressure cooker….I used the 3 t. Of salt and, between the beef broth and worshestire sauce, it was far to salty and the receipt does not dilute down with water so the broth was too pungent. Also, I would recommend using a good wine, I used an inexpensive burgundy. In the past, I have made the JULIA Childs receipe. I would use this receipe again as I liked using the pressure cooker, although the 40 minutes is too long as the meat stuck on the bottom, and I would use a better wine and only add salt to taste at the end.
That’s interesting… about wine. I buy Two Buck Chuck wine at Trader Joe’s, so I’m not a wine snob when it comes to cooking. I’ve always had good luck with that. Of course, I never buy cooking wine as it’s way too salty and I would never drink that by itself. Maybe your food stuck because you didn’t use enough liquid? That’s usually the cause. Yes, I salt more at the end, to taste.
I made this for dinner tonight, (pressure cooker version) and it was the best dinner I’ve made in recent memory. I’ll never use another stew recipe, because this set the bar way too high! I made the recipe as written, EXCEPT – I was tired after a long day at work and didn’t read the recipe thoroughly enough – onions and carrots were added into the pressure cooker before the braising liquid. I used a red blend because I couldn’t find burgundy at the market. It was AMAZING. Thank you so much for a delicious dinner – I can’t wait until I can make it again! 😉
Thank you so much for the feedback! I’m thrilled that my recipe was a success.
Where I can I send you a bill for the cost of the beef which I wasted on this recipe? I questioned the 40 minutes you said was necessary for the pressure cooker. The beef burned and stuck to the bottom of the pressure cooker. After doing considerable checking on at least a dozen other recipes for Beef Bourguignon including those of Julia Childs the MOST time in the pressure cooker should be no more than 20 minutes.NOT 40minutes for . I tried the recipe a second time and reduced pressure time to 20 minutes for the beef, slow release of steam then added the pearl onions and cremini mushrooms. There is no need to saute the cremini mushrooms as they are already brown in color.. Second time was great…first batch even the dog turned it’s nose at it.
Ah, the joy of publishing recipes for free to the public. First, I’m sorry your first batch didn’t turn out. I never, EVER publish a recipe that didn’t work for me. If I’d change something, I add it in my TASTING NOTES section. I have no explanation as to why your beef burned, except perhaps there wasn’t enough liquid? Are you using a stove top or electronic pressure cooker? I’ll never really know. I’ve made so many “stews” in my Instant Pot Pressure cooker, and I assure you that the STEW button is 35 minutes. Never has my recipe burned. All I can say is I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I’ve had recipes not work out for me, from other food blogs. I’ve never left them hard criticism in such a pubic way, so as not to embarrass them. I write to them, privately (my email is on my blog). That way, they can be aware of problems, or I can have a chance to trouble shoot. I’ll publish your critical comment anyway for others to read. By the way, I’m sure my dog, Walter, would have gladly eaten the first batch. He’s not picky at all! Warm regards, Debby