Boeuf Bourgignon is the best winter dinner. Pair this hearty stew with a hearty red and I could almost be fooled into thinking winter isn’t my most-loathed season.
But even though it’s called Bourgignon, which means it’s from Burgundy, I usually don’t use a Burgundy to make it or even drink one with it. Burgundy’s red grape is Pinot Noir, which is a light red. I prefer to cook with and drink a bigger red, usually a Bordeaux-style blend (primarily Cabernet and Merlot). Maybe there’s some cheffy reason you should use a Pinot Noir to stew meat, but my Bordeaux makes it taste awesome.
This is based on a Bon Appetit recipe, but I’ve made a lot of adjustments so here’s my revised version. SO good.
- 3 pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 3 onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 12 large garlic cloves, peeled (halved or left whole)
- 3 cups canned beef broth
- 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
- 1 750-ml bottle red wine (I usually use a Bordeaux blend, not burgundy ironically)
- 1 1/4 pounds mushrooms, halved
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Season beef generously with salt and pepper; coat with 1/3 cup flour, using all of flour. Brown beef in olive oil over high heat. Transfer meat to large bowl.
- Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef.
- Add 1 cup of the broth and the Cognac to pot; boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes.
- Return meat and vegetables and their juices to pot.
- Add wine, mushrooms, thyme, sugar, tomato paste and 2 cups broth. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Cover pot and place in oven. Cook until beef is tender, at least an 1 hour 20 minutes but can be up to a few hours.
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grapefriend 
I’m with you in enjoying a bolder red to cook with, but the coq au vin episode of Good Eats actually breaks down why cooking with Pinot Noir is the default grape: http://www.ulive.com/video/cuckoo-for-coq-au-vin (go to the 6:55 mark for the wine part, complete with visual aides!). But in all seriousness, in a dish like this I think it’s way more important to cook with the red you want to drink than fall in line with a specific varietal.
Thank you! Very helpful! Will have to do a comparison of lower tannin Pinot vs higher Bordeaux blend and check out the difference. Would still want to drink a bolder red with the beef at the end, but for cooking I’ll have to explore. Cheers!
My heart be still…bourguignon and merlot!
Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
Often the reblogs don’t print right, but this sounds so good, I wanted to share it.
Reblogged this on Victual-alistic Affair and commented:
I could eat beef bourguignon 365 days a year , this is the perfect comfort food .