We set out to make the ultimate Beef Bourguignon — using three different cuts of beef, layered French techniques, and chef-level finesse to elevate this classic dish. In this video we break down exactly how to build deep caramelisation, reduce wine properly, roast vegetables separately, and finish the sauce like a Michelin kitchen.
Beef Bourguignon started as a humble French peasant stew before chefs like Carême, Escoffier and Julia Child transformed it into a global icon. Our version blends tradition with modern technique: short rib for richness, shin for collagen, chuck for flavour, and a carefully reduced red wine base inspired by Joël Robuchon.
If you want to learn how chefs actually build flavour, or you’ve always wanted to cook a perfect Beef Bourguignon at home, this is the definitive guide.
INGREDIENTS
750 g Chuck, Off the Bone, Cubed
750 g Beef Shin
750 g Short Rib
1 Large Onion, Thickly Cut
300 g Pearl Onions, Peeled
4 Carrots, Thickly Cut
6 Garlic Cloves, Smashed
30 g Flour
20 g Tomato Purée
200 g Lardons
750 g Beef Stock
1 Bottle Full Bodied Red Wine
5 g Thyme
5 g Parsley Stems
3 Bay Leaves
250 g Small Button Mushrooms, Stems Trimmed and Quartered
20 g Unsalted Butter
Parsley, Finely Chopped
EQUIPMENT
1 Cartouche
2 Sauté Pans
1 Dutch Oven
1 Sieve
RECIPE
1. On a tray or plate, place flour and season with salt. Lightly flour all the meat and tap off any excess
2. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over a medium heat. Brown the meat on all sides in batches. Set aside for later
3. Add a bit more oil into the Dutch oven and add in the vegetables. Immediately turn off the heat and place the lid on so the vegetables can steam. Mid way through, add in the thyme, parsley stems, and bay leaves. When the vegetables have cooked, scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside
4. Add the whole bottle of wine into the Dutch oven and reduce by 50%
5. Add the meat, vegetables, and herbs back into the Dutch oven. Cover with beef stock
6. Place back on heat and bring the mixture up to a simmer. Place a cartouche then a lid and place into a 160°c oven for 4-6 hours until the meat is extremely tender and falling apart
7. Remove from the oven and let the meat cool down in the liquid
8. Strain the meat and vegetables from the liquid. Reserve the meat and bin the carrots, onions, herbs, and garlic.
9. Place the liquid back into a pan and slowly reduce until you reach a coating consistency. Skim off any fat or impurities
10. In a sauté pan, add in a new nubs of butter and the button mushrooms. Cook until fully tender and set aside for later use
11. In the same pan as the mushrooms, cook lardons until golden and crispy. Remove lardons from the pan for later use. Leave as much fat in the pan as possible
12. In the same pan, add in the pearl onions along with a few nnnubs of butter. Cook until tender and lightly golden on the outside
13. When the sauce is finished, add the meat and vegetables back into a pan and pour the sauce over
14. Serve with mash
34 Comments
You'll see so many wine reductions used but ask a winery about vin cotto and you usually get a blank look. It's such a versatile alternative to balsamic.
"light Beef Stock" *pours in gallon of demiglace*. Never change 😂.
You mentioned Julia Child but missed out Elizabeth David.
And present day English cookery owes a huge debt to her.
Mushrooms at the end is a good tip for many dishes that is cooked primarily in liquid. Soups, stews, bolognese, etc otherwise they can go soggy and/or slimy. Mushrooms need to be sauteed really.
i don't know how it is usually done in restaurant but traditionally my french grandma will marinate the meat at least overnight in wine, veg and aromat.
Is there another term for 'chinabeef'?
The wine flavor comes through even when using a half bottle (for those of us who don't live in wine growing countries).
Naaan, u perfidious Albion would never do it right … back to fish & chips , green peas , boiled meat and bloody jelly crap …
Really great recipe! I would try guanciale instead of bacon, and if you put it in the pan when the pan is still cold it will leave a lot more grease in the pan! That's how we do it for pasta e fagioli or pasta carbonara
The first stage is marinading the beef in red wine 🍷 🤦♂️
Very nice! Mom warched Julia and cooked for a farm family of 10. We had sheep, beef cow's, and chickens, plus deer, duck, and other game. Fishing was our hobby, too. Mother cooked it all!
Haggis and plum pudding for Xmas. Short ribs braised in a huge Dutch oven.
Taught me it all.
Flour to thicken the sauce? Didn’t make it past that nonsense.
"…But actually done properly"
Continues to say how and what he does differently from the proper way…
When we say “done properly” it means following Escoffier’s recipe, which you are not following. So no it is not done properly.
Chef for 30 years, this is the best recipe I have ever seen.
Congratulations boys 🎉
why don'y upi trim the blackened parts
I know as a purist it’s beef and onions but I gotta say I love carrots dammit and they are going in there 😂
some of the best descriptions / explanations anywhere.
please show how to make donor kebab and garlic sauce
It's always a good day when Fallow uses both a cartouche and a knob of butter. It's a guaranteed chef's kiss.😘🤏
how many people does that recipe serve please? I'm def gonna try to make it but I'm guessing that I need to double everything for 8? I have a huge dutch oven to work with
"red wine which was very cheap at the time" cries in modern society
To much protein, please do a light meal. Not everyone can eat meat daily.
Wait, hold on, but… this man seems to be… british. He can't make a Boeuf Bourgignon!!
every time I see your wobbly cutting board I get so triggered 😉
Focus on the food not the fucking "Chef"
Can you use pickled pearl onions or will it taste acidic?
The recipe as shown and the recipe in the description don't match. Where does the garlic go? In the written recipe the tomato paste isn't mentioned etc. I'm making it anyways but it's a bit annoying to have to switch constantly
personaly i like coq au vin more
This person can’t talk clearly or properly needs a different and better presenter.
I made this today here in Malaysia (wet dreary day), it was delicious! Rich, and yummy – great call on the pearl onions and mushrooms / bacon at the end – I don't like how a braise destroys all veg along the way. Used Beef ribs, topside and some random other cheap cut that the butcher had. Amazing recipe – and certainly going into the roster. Many thanks.
Hairs come in nicely mate wise investment
Everyone says their version is the ultimate, cringe.
Can I addord to get these ingredients? No. Have I bought my accessible version of them? Yes 😅 Bring on tomorrow.