Beef bourguignon
See this recipe step by step

Beef bourguignon

This sumptuous, step-by-step recipe for slow-cooked stew from Gordon Ramsay makes a great winter supper

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

beef bourguignon only

Method

  1. Heat a large casserole pan and add 1 tbsp goose fat. Season the beef and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 mins, then turn over and fry the other side until the meat is browned all over, adding more fat if necessary. Do this in 2-3 batches, transferring the meat to a colander set over a bowl when browned.
  2. In the same pan, fry the bacon, shallots or pearl onions, mushrooms, garlic and bouquet garni until lightly browned. Mix in the tomato purée and cook for a few mins, stirring into the mixture. This enriches the bourguignon and makes a great base for the stew. Then return the beef and any drained juices to the pan and stir through.
  3. Pour over the wine and about 100ml water so the meat bobs up from the liquid, but isn't completely covered. Bring to the boil and use a spoon to scrape the caramelised cooking juices from the bottom of the pan - this will give the stew more flavour.
  4. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Make a cartouche: tear off a square of foil slightly larger than the casserole, arrange it in the pan so it covers the top of the stew and trim away any excess foil. Then cook for 3 hrs. If the sauce looks watery, remove the beef and veg with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Cook the sauce over a high heat for a few mins until the sauce has thickened a little, then return the beef and vegetables to the pan.
  5. To make the celeriac mash, peel the celeriac and cut into cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Tip in the celeriac and fry for 5 mins until it turns golden. Season well with salt and pepper. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, bay and cardamom pods, then pour over 200ml water, enough to nearly cover the celeriac. Turn the heat to low, partially cover the pan and leave to simmer for 25-30 mins.
  6. After 25-30 mins, the celeriac should be soft and most of the water will have evaporated. Drain away any remaining water, then remove the herb sprigs, bay and cardamom pods. Lightly crush with a potato masher, then finish with a glug of olive oil and season to taste. Spoon the beef bourguignon into serving bowls and place a large spoonful of the celeriac mash on top. Garnish with one of the bay leaves, if you like.
Try

Make ahead

Try to make this dish a day in advance, then slowly reheat in the oven. You'll find that the flavours will really develop overnight and the dish will be richer and more mature.

Beef shin

Beef shin is a great cut for slow-cooking. It's good value and the ripples of fat running through it ensure that it doesn't dry out. You could also use wild boar, which gives a really special flavour.

Know how - Bouquet garni

To make a bouquet garni, use a piece of string to tie together a couple of rosemary, thyme and parsley sprigs and a handful of bay leaves. Remove from the pan at the end of cooking and discard.

Tip - peeling onions

To peel shallots or pearl onions quickly, place in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave for a few minutes, then drain and the skins will slip off.

Per serving

571 kcalories, protein 42g, carbohydrate 16g, fat 32 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 8g, sugar 15g, salt 1.47 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, January 2008.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 101-120

  • Binder photo SHinnell

    25 April 2010

    SHinnell rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great cook ahead winter grub

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Fiona Mathers

    20 May 2010

    Fiona Mathers commented on this recipe

    Made this in the slow cooker and it was delicious - don't know if it would be better the next day, there's never any left!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Martin

    31 July 2010

    Martin rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    this is an easy n tasty recipe. I eat it with plain chinese rice and was fabulous dinner.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Milesofsmiles

    31 August 2010

    Milesofsmiles rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fabulous recipe, very tasty, went down very well with 2 dinner parties I had. Behaves itself too which means it doesn't spoil if you've been chatting & drinking vin rouge too long! Can't go wrong with garlic and parmesan mash too - yummy!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo PegoHart

    10 November 2010

    PegoHart rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Nice but not as rich and as full of depth of flavour as I was hoping/expecting but was definately a lot tastier a few days later. Will cook again, maybe with a fuller bodied red wine than I used.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Martha

    23 November 2010

    Martha rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was absolutely wonderful. Browning the beef in goose fat gave the dish a delicious depth; the celeriac mash finished it off perfectly. Would definitely do again.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Jet

    27 November 2010

    Jet rated this recipe

    4 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Gubsie

    14 December 2010

    Gubsie commented on this recipe

    Made this last night as a 'trial run' for Boxing Day. Made for four adults, and there was only just enough to go round - so just in case will be tripling the ingredients for 8 adults & 2 kids on the 26th. Really deliciously lovely - the meat (scottish shin) melted in the mouth. Having read all the comments, added one tbsp of plain flour at the tomato puree stage and blended to make a roux with the wine/stock. The end result after 3 hours in the oven was a perfectly balanced 'stew' sauce - not too thin, not too thick.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo niknac

    16 December 2010

    niknac rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    AMAZING!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Deborah Ann

    20 December 2010

    Deborah Ann commented on this recipe

    love this and make it all the time. Perfect made the day before and chilled, skimmed and reheated

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo littlemissysunshine

    03 January 2011

    littlemissysunshine commented on this recipe

    Fantastic recipe, I made this 3 days in advance for a NYE party for 12 of us and there were empty plates all round! I served it with carrots, green beans and creamy mash, with a basket of crusty bread on the table to soak up the juices. Yum!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Spot the dog

    04 January 2011

    Spot the dog rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I searched my recipe books and this site for good beef bourgignon for New Years Day. Went shopping for ingredients after work on New Years Eve (at Tesco!). Tesco did not do shin of beef (surprisingly) and the stewing steak took a bit longer to cook before it was soft etc. No shallots (as I know them) left on shelves - just some odd shaped 'finest' that no one else wanted. Searched the shelves for a Burgundy wine. I don't drink red wine and Burgundy sounded pretty easy to get - not at Tesco! I bought a French red wine but have no idea what it was (it was pretty cheap!) Having read your comments I added some flour to thicken the sauce. All in all it should have been a disaster! Not so. Obviously a meal for all seasons and talents. A triumph despite being completely wrong. One day I will cook this exaclty as stated. That will be a first!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Emma

    30 January 2011

    Emma rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Tasted amazing but the sauce was a little thin. I think next time I would add some flour to the onions and mushrooms before I add the wine to help thicken it. The recipe is definitely a keeper though!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Rebel

    07 March 2011

    Rebel commented on this recipe

    I made this for a dinner party on Friday and it seemed to go down very well. Very tasty. I couldn't get shin beef and had to use sirloin so i cooked this for 2 hours as opposed to the 3. I sealed the beef and followed the recipe as above and just added the beef in after 1 hour. I was very worried about how thin the sauce looked but i left it overnight in the fridge and by God the flavours really developed and the sauce thickened up. (I doubled the recipe and didn't quite put in two full bottles of wine. Am definitely going to make this again and will try it with the shin beef.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Meerkat

    08 March 2011

    Meerkat rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Enjoyed this recipe. Used a better cut of meat. Watch amount of goose fat used. Tasty!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Gaubelau

    10 March 2011

    Gaubelau rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Excellent ! Although the celeriac is an acquired taste. Garlic sauteed potatoes or gratin dauphinois would have been more our taste. Otherwise, it s easy to do and tastes amazing. I will use this recipe again when having people over for dinner.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Fruitybooboo

    20 March 2011

    Fruitybooboo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was amazing will def cook again so much gorg flavours mmmmm :0)

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo elsacraig

    21 March 2011

    elsacraig rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this on Saturday night, delicious. Trust me, it tastes much better than what it looks on the picture. The beef is so tender and the stock is very rich. I made a puff pastry to go with it and instead of celeriac mash, I made new potatoes to go with it. Last night I had enough left over for another meal but the stock/gravy was almost gone so I had it with a beef gravy, very easy to make but between preparing and cooking it, leave yourself a good four hours before serving. Enjoy!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo pinkystan

    28 March 2011

    pinkystan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this yesterday and it was amazing! So rich and full of flavour! I couldn't get hold of celariac so made a garlic & olive oil mash as suggested in some of the comments, and it worked very well. The sauce was quite thin when I took it out the oven but it only took 5 minutes to thicken it once I'd scooped the meat and mushrooms etc out. I wish there'd been enough for leftovers as I really want to see how it can get even tastier the next day!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo necochan

    31 March 2011

    necochan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Used potatos, instead of celery, but beef was wonderful and very very easy.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 mins

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

beef bourguignon only

Make ahead for the best flavour

Ingredients

  • 3 tsp goose fat
  • 600g shin beef , cut into large chunks
  • 100g smoked streaky bacon , sliced
  • 350g shallots or pearl onions, peeled
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms (about 20)
  • 2 garlic clove , sliced
  • 1 bouquet garni (See know-how below)
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 750ml bottle red wine , Burgundy is good

FOR THE CELERIAC MASH

Print this recipe
Add to your binder

Per serving

571 kcalories, protein 42g, carbohydrate 16g, fat 32 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 8g, sugar 15g, salt 1.47 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
  • You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, and receive your first 3 issues for just £3

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here

Buy ingredients

With just one click, the full list of recipe ingredients will be put into a basket at your choice of provider. Choose from:

mySupermarket Compare prices and choose a retailer you wish to buy them from.

Ocado Let Ocado deliver all you need for this recipe, right to your door

Tesco Buy all the ingredients from our recipes through your Tesco online shop.

new

Asda Shop with Asda? You can now buy ingredients for our recipes via your Asda online shop.

In association with the above providers. Terms and conditions apply.

Close