Wild Mushroom Beef Bourguignon (Printable)

Tender beef slowly cooked with wild mushrooms, pearl onions, carrots, and a glossy red wine sauce.

# What 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 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 & Spices

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

→ Thickeners

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

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 325°F.
02 - Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
03 - In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the beef in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside.
04 - If using bacon, add the diced bacon to the pot and cook until crisp. Remove and set aside with the beef.
05 - Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Sauté the chopped onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
06 - Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes.
07 - Stir in tomato paste, then pour in the red wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
08 - Add beef stock, thyme, and bay leaves. Return the beef and bacon (if used) to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
09 - Cover and transfer to the oven. Braise for 2 hours until the beef is very tender.
10 - While the beef is braising, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the wild mushrooms until golden and any liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
11 - In the same skillet, add pearl onions and cook until lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.
12 - After 2 hours, add the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions to the Dutch oven. Continue braising, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
13 - Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
14 - Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The beef becomes so tender it practically dissolves on your tongue, no knife required.
  • Wild mushrooms add an earthy richness that makes this feel like restaurant-quality food without the price tag.
  • It actually tastes better the next day, which means you can make it ahead and feel like a genius at dinner time.
  • One pot does almost everything, so cleanup won't ruin the satisfaction of what you've just created.
02 -
  • Never skip the searing step or use a wet towel to dry the beef—moisture steams the meat instead of browning it, and that's where you lose half the flavor.
  • Keep the oven temperature around 160°C because higher heat causes the meat to toughen and shrink; low and slow is genuinely the only way this dish works.
  • If your sauce seems too thin after adding the mushrooms and onions, leave the lid off for an extra 15 minutes or simmer it on the stovetop—reduction is your friend here.
03 -
  • Marinating the beef in red wine overnight before you even start cooking deepens the flavor so dramatically that you'll wonder why every recipe doesn't mention this.
  • A Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid is non-negotiable because the seal creates gentle steam circulation that braises the meat perfectly rather than boiling it.
  • Leftovers genuinely taste better the next day as flavors settle, so make this when you want to impress yourself or others but aren't stressed about eating it immediately.
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