Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon

As long as I can remember, Julia Child has held a position of reverence in our family. My mother was obsessed with her PBS cooking series, The French Chef, her approachable demeanor, and no-apologies matter-of-factness.

Mom had her own copy (it’s a two book set) of Julia’s first incredible cookbook, pictured above, and cooked from it regularly, as evidenced by the worn jacket and pages inside.

She gifted the books to me, and while I’m not as obsessive as Julie Powell was when she cooked her way through every recipe in both volumes of MTAOFC, I’m every bit as devoted and starry eyed about Julia Child and her importance to the cooking world.

Julia’s recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon doesn’t take shortcuts and neither did I, however, I do have a few options for braising your beef burgundy in other cooking vessels including the Instant Pot and Crock Pot.

Ingredients you’ll need for Julia’s boeuf bourguignon recipe:

Real beef burgundy from scratch is worth the time

This beef burgundy recipe isn’t difficult to make, but it does take time. I suggest making this on a rainy or nasty day when the thought of leaving the house doesn’t even enter your mind. Give yourself over to the process and I promise you’ll be rewarded with the most amazing flavors and life-affirming accolades.

How to make Boeuf Bourguignon like Julia

1. Crisp the bacon in a heavy pot and transfer to a paper towel lined dish.
2. Dry the chunks of beef and brown it in the bacon fat. Transfer to another dish.
3. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook until tender and browned, stirring occasionally.
4. Return the beef to the pot and sprinkle with flour, stirring to coat.
5. Transfer the pot to a 450° oven for 4 minutes to give the meat a nice crust.
6. Add wine, beef stock, tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaves.
7. Cover the pot and braise in 325° oven for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender.
8. While the beef burgundy braises, caramelize the onions and sauté the mushrooms separately.
9. After the meat is tender, use a slotted spoon to transfer the chunks of beef to a plate and strain the vegetables and sauce through a mesh sieve.
10. Transfer the beef back to the pot and add the strained burgundy wine sauce, onions and mushrooms. ( I also added the simmered carrot to the pot, because I love carrot).
11. Heat through and serve.

What’s the best pot or vessel to make Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon in?

Well, if you want to do it like Julia, you HAVE TO use an enameled dutch oven. Dutch oven’s are one my favorite cooking vessels too, as they go seemlessly from the stovetop to the oven and finally, to the table. They keep the meal warm (even at the table) because they’re made of cast iron which holds heat remarkably well.

Some dutch oven brands can be prohibitively expensive (Le Creuset and Staub come to mind). However, you can buy off-brand varieties at Homegood’s, Marshall’s and TJMaxx for a fraction of the price — and come to think of it, keep your eyes peeled, because they sometimes have those fancy brands too.

How to make beef burgundy in the Instant Pot

Making the beef and wine stew is a no-brainer for the Instant Pot. In fact, this is one area where it really excels.

You’ll still need to follow all of the steps, but instead of placing the flour coated beef in the oven to crisp, just set the Instant Pot to sauté and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to create a fond (those crispy, caramelized bits).

Then, instead of slow braising the boeuf bourguignon for 3-4 hours, cook the beef for about 1 hour at high pressure. When the meat is tender, continue to follow the rest of the recipe.

How to make beef burgundy in a Crock Pot or slow cooker

Slow cookers are wonderful for evenly braising tougher cuts of meat and works brilliantly on the chunks of chuck roast called for in Julia’s Boeuf Bourguignon recipe.

The only difference is that you’ll need to start with another skillet over the stovetop to crisp the bacon, brown the beef and sauté the carrots and onions.

Once that’s done, transfer everything to your slow cooker and braise on high for 3 hours or low for 6-8. Then follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Braising pearl onions & sautéing mushrooms

Pearl onions and mushrooms have way different cooking times than the beef for this bourguignon. The onions need to simmer for about half an hour to 40 minutes. Mushrooms can be ready in half that time.

Where Julia goes the extra mile is by lightly browning the onions in butter, and then simmering them with fresh herbs, a bay leaf and beef broth, until they reach the perfect level of tender, but not mushy, doneness. They are golden, richly caramelized and ethereal.

Additionally, she cooks the mushrooms in foamy butter until they’re rich and browned, but haven’t shrunk down to nothingness.

These (seemingly excessive) steps make so much more sense when you put it into that context. I mean, look at the glistening, golden pearl onions (below) after they’ve simmered. I don’t know about you, but I could dive into this pot as is and be perfectly happy.

This is the difference between a “good enough” beef stew and authentic boeuf bourguignon. Yep, I was schooled by Julia.

What to serve with Julia’s boeuf bourguignon

• Boiled Potatoes – This is the way Julia recommends serving with her beef burgundy stew.
• Buttered Noodles are another good option. I would go with wide egg noodles and spoon the beef burgundy and sauce over them.
• Steamed Rice – Julia offered this as a suggestion, but I have to disagree here. In my mind rice and stew have nothing in common. I’d save the rice for a beef stir fry.
• Mashed Potatoes – This is definitely my choice. Create a well in a mound of mashed potatoes and spoon the beef, vegetables and wine sauce into and over the spuds. Bliss.
• Cauliflower Purée – If you’re cutting back on carbs, a good cauliflower mash is a great substitute for potatoes.
• Creamy Polenta – I know that Julia’s recipe is a classic french stew, so polenta might seem an odd choice, but soft cooked cornmeal, with plenty of butter and cream will go perfectly alongside this boeuf bourguignon recipe.
• French Bread – from a good French bakery
• Buttered peas – Julia recommends serving peas on the side, but in all honestly, if you want peas, I’d just mix a cup of frozen peas into the bourguignon right before serving.
• Green Salad – I always like to serve a green salad with rich hearty stews like this. A good vinegary dressing and vibrant greens are a great palate cleanser between indulgent bites of the burgundy stew.

You should also have a good of red wine to enjoy alongside the beef bourguignon. Julia recommends “a full bodied young red wine such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux St.-Émilion or Burgundy. I’ll add to that a fruity Pinot Noir, like Meiomi is one of my favorites.