Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon (Delia Smith)

Beef bourguignon (boeuf à la Bourguignonne) is a classic traditional French recipe which originated from the Burgundy region in France. This is why it is also sometimes called beef Burgundy and traditionally, it is made using Burgundy wine. The beef is braised for many hours (in this recipe for a total of 3 hours) with garlic, onions and herbs as well as bacon, shallots (pearl onions) and mushrooms added towards the end of cooking.

Beef Burguignon, served like a steak

The slow cooking makes the gelatinous connective tissue meat melt-in-the-mouth

For this stew, I have used my favorite braising cut - the Black Angus oyster blade. The meat is first browned in hot oil  to lock the juices in and give the stew a richer flavour. The slow cooking also makes the meat melt-in-the-mouth, especially the gelatinous connective tissue that runs through it. Although the recipe is quite time consuming, very little time has to be spent in the kitchen for this stew. Instead of cutting the meat into small pieces, I decided to leave some in large chunks as it looks more elegant when served, almost like eating a steak! The sauce is rich and very flavorful and I really liked the addition of shallots as it has a lovely sweetness.

A hearty stew

I made quite a large portion, which was enough for 2 meals (or 6-7 pax in total). I found that the flavour improved overnight. The traditional way of serving beef burguignon is with potatoes boulangere, however I couldn't make both simultaneously in the same oven so I opted to serve it with colcannon potatoes instead. We really enjoyed this stew, and I wouldn't mind making this again although it takes quite a bit of time.

Very rich, flavorful sauce

Beef bourguignon served with Irish colcannon potatoes

Boeuf Bourguignon 
Recipe adapted from Delia Smith
Preparation time: 30 minues
Cooking time: 3 hours
Serves 6-7

Ingredients
1kg braising steak cut into 2 inch (5 cm) squares
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
450ml red Burgundy or other red wine
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
350g shallots, whole
150g smoked or unsmoked streaky bacon, cut into cubes
150g mushrooms, sliced (I used a mixof grey oyster mushrooms, porcini and shitake)
Salt and freshly milled black pepper


1. You can either cut the braising steak into large chunks (5cmx 5cm) or leave it whole (like a 2" steak).

2. Preheat oven to 140°C.

3. In a casserole or pan, heat  2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat and sear the beef, a few pieces at a time, to a rich, dark brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a plate.

4. Add the sliced onion to the casserole and cook for 3 minutes, until softened. Return the meat to the casserole or pan and sprinkle in the flour, stirring round to soak up all the juices. Then gradually pour in the
Burgundy, again stirring all the time. Add the chopped garlic, herbs and seasoning, put the lid on and cook very gently on top of the stove on a very low heat or transfer to the oven – either way it will take 2 hours.

5. Just before the 2 hours is up,  fry the shallots and bacon with 1 tbsp oil for 2 minutes to colour them lightly. Add to the casserole, together with the mushrooms, then put the lid on and cook for a further hour. Serve with the French accompaniment of potatoes boulangères and green salad , or tiny new potatoes and ratatouille or mashed potatoes like I did.

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