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Julia Child beef bourguignon with pearl onions and mushrooms in a Dutch oven
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Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

Julia Child's beef bourguignon made entirely with Walmart ingredients, featuring a dry brine upgrade, blanched bacon for cleaner flavor, a $10 French wine Julia recommended, and optional fish sauce and dark chocolate umami boosts. A 3-hour braise turns an inexpensive chuck roast into fork-tender beef in a rich, silky wine sauce with glazed pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms.
Course Main Course
Cuisine French
Keyword beef bourguignon, chuck roast braise, dutch oven recipe, french beef stew, julia child, julia child beef bourguignon, walmart beef bourguignon
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Dry Brine 12 hours
Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 780kcal
Author Jason Farmer

Equipment

Ingredients

Beef Bourguignon

  • 3 lbs chuck roast Cut into 2x2-inch cubes; salt and dry-brine 2-24 hours
  • 6 ounces bacon Thick-cut preferred; blanch 5 min before cooking
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 brown onion
  • 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups red wine Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, or Côtes du Rhône; never "cooking wine"
  • 2 cups beef stock Better Than Bouillon recommended; already seasoned, so hold salt
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic Grated
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme Or 1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • salt

Braised Pearl Onions

Sautéed Butter Mushrooms

Buttered Parsley Potatoes (Side Dish)

Buttered Egg Noodles (Side Dish)

Buttered Green Peas (Side Dish)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prep and Dry Brine

  • Pull beef apart at the seams and cut off the hard pieces of fat and silver skin.
  • Cut beef into roughly 2-inch by 2-inch pieces.
  • Salt beef on all sides and place on a baking sheet lined with a wire rack.
  • Place salted beef in the fridge, uncovered, for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. If you are not salting in advance, dry the beef well with a paper towel and salt immediately before the searing step.
  • Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).

Blanch and Sauté Bacon

  • Slice bacon into roughly ¼-inch pieces. If the bacon is difficult to slice, freeze it for 15-20 minutes first.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the bacon slices for about 5 minutes to remove the smoky flavor and excess salt.
  • Remove the bacon from the water and pat very dry with paper towels.
  • Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
  • Add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
  • Remove the bacon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pot.

Sear the Beef

  • Working in batches, sear the beef chunks in the bacon fat until all sides are well browned. Do not overcrowd the pan. If the pot looks dry, add a bit more oil.
  • When all the beef is seared, remove it from the pot and set aside with the bacon.
  • Add the sliced carrot and onion to the pot and sauté until lightly caramelized, scraping up the fond as the vegetables release liquid. If it gets too brown, deglaze with a splash of wine or stock.
  • Turn off the heat. Add the bacon and beef back to the pot and stir into the vegetables.
  • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour over the beef and stir until everything is coated in a light paste.
  • Slide the pot, uncovered, into the 450°F oven for 4 minutes.
  • Remove, stir, and return to the oven for another 4 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 325°F (162°C).

Braise

  • Pour in 3 cups of red wine and add enough beef stock (2 to 3 cups) so the meat bobs gently at the top.
  • Stir in the tomato paste, grated garlic, dried thyme, bay leaf, and black pepper. Do not add salt if using Better Than Bouillon.
  • Cover the pot and place in the oven for about 3 hours, or until the meat is easily pierced with a fork. Check halfway through to make sure the liquid isn't reducing too much; add more stock if needed.

Braised Pearl Onions

  • Bring a pot of water to a simmer and drop in the pearl onions for 1 minute.
  • Drain and plunge into cold water for 1 minute.
  • Slice off the top end to peel off the outer skin. Rub between paper towels if the thin skin is difficult to remove.
  • Cut off the root end and poke a paring knife into the bottom in the shape of a cross.
  • Heat 1 ½ tablespoons each of butter and oil in a pan over medium heat until the butter bubbles.
  • Add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
  • Pour in ½ cup of stock, season with salt and pepper, and add the bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bay leaf tied with kitchen twine).
  • Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and braise until tender but holding their shape, 20-30 minutes. Check every 10-15 minutes.
  • Remove onions from the pan and set aside.

Sautéed Mushrooms

  • Clean and quarter the mushrooms.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  • Add 4 tablespoons of butter and heat until the foaming subsides.
  • Add mushrooms, toss in the fat, and cook until they have released their liquid and are golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Finish and Assemble

  • When the beef is fork-tender, strain everything through a colander over a large bowl. Pick out the beef and bacon; discard the vegetables.
  • Wash the Dutch oven. Return the beef and bacon to the pot, then add the pearl onions and mushrooms.
  • Pass the strained sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a saucepan. Skim off excess fat from the surface.
  • Reduce the sauce over medium heat until it thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 ½ cups of sauce. If too thick, add a splash of stock.
  • Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • Optional: stir in 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and 1 ounce of 70% dark chocolate until melted.
  • Pour the sauce over the meat, onions, and mushrooms and stir gently.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Buttered Parsley Potatoes (Side Dish)

  • Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a simmer.
  • Add the potatoes and simmer until the largest one is easily pierced with a knife.
  • Drain and return to the dry pot over low heat for 1-2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture.
  • Toss with butter, salt, and pepper until coated.
  • Sprinkle with chopped parsley and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Buttered Egg Noodles (Side Dish)

  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
  • Add egg noodles and cook until al dente, about 7-9 minutes.
  • Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.
  • Return drained noodles to the warm pot with butter.
  • Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of pasta water until the butter emulsifies and coats the noodles evenly.
  • Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Buttered Green Peas (Side Dish)

  • Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add butter, water, salt, and sugar.
  • Stir until the butter is frothy.
  • Add the frozen peas and toss to coat.
  • Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pot frequently.
  • Remove the lid. When the sauce has turned into a glaze and isn't watery, turn off the heat.
  • Season with additional salt if needed, black pepper, and parsley. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

Dry Brine: Salting the beef overnight is the single biggest upgrade over Julia's original method. It seasons the meat through to the center and dries the surface for a much better sear. If you don't have time, at least 2 hours helps. If you're truly short on time, dry the beef very well with paper towels and salt right before searing.
Wine Selection: Julia recommended Beaujolais as a budget-friendly substitute for red Burgundy. Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages (about $10) is made in Burgundy using the Gamay grape instead of Pinot Noir. Any young, dry Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Côtes du Rhône works well too. Never use "cooking wine."
Bacon Blanching: Most American bacon is injected with liquid smoke and heavy brine. Blanching for 5 minutes removes the excess salt and artificial smoke so the bacon adds clean, savory flavor. Traditional French recipes used unsmoked salt pork (petit salé). Pancetta is also a good substitute since it's salt-cured but not smoked.
Why Discard the Braising Vegetables? The carrots and onion have given all their flavor to the sauce during the 3-hour braise. Their texture is completely broken down by that point. Julia always strained them out. If you want carrots in the final dish, cook fresh ones separately in salted water with thyme and add them at the end.
Better the Next Day: This dish genuinely improves after a night in the fridge. The sauce tightens, the beef absorbs more braising liquid, and all the flavors come together. It can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Let it cool to room temperature with the lid off before refrigerating, then reheat gently on the stovetop.
Stovetop Alternative: You can braise on the stovetop over low heat instead of in the oven. Keep the lid slightly cracked and check more frequently. The oven is preferred because it provides even, all-around heat and reduces the risk of scorching.
Storage: Fridge up to 4 days. Freezer up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of stock if the sauce is too thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 780kcal