This rich and flavorful roast originated in the Burgundy region of France southeast of Paris. Elevated to its current status as the standard-bearer of all roasts by the likes of Julia Child and Ludo Lefebvre, the famous dish hails from humble beginnings as mere peasant fare. Only in France could a peasant dish have a full-bodied, classic Burgundy wine as a base braising ingredient.
You can find the episode of Julia Child preparing it on YouTube (note she does it all in 1 take) or you can check out Ludo’s Crave cookbook on Amazon; they say a picture is worth a thousand words. There’s a 10th Anniversary Edition of Crave for $148.
Beef Bourguignon uses a braising process, a common technique to turn cheaper cuts of meat into amazing meals. Braising basically involves searing meat to a golden brown in in a special type of pot (dutch oven), creating a flavor-packed liquid, then combining for a long and low-temperature cook.
Experiment with vegetables and herbs that suite your palate, but I recommend sticking to ingredients typical of Burgundy region cuisine: a full-bodied red wine, organic grass and corn fed beef, and in-season herbs and root vegetables. Many recipes will tell you to make 1 to 3 days in advance but I always manage to finish half the first night. Refrigerate leftovers in the same pot, reheat in the oven at a low temperature for amazing leftovers.
Chop up Pot Roast in serving size pieces and dry brine uncovered in a refrigerator overnight 
Assemble your ingredients 
Cook pancetta then brown beef in the fat, set aside to rest 
Cook onions for 8 to 10 minutes 
Measure the red wine and beef stock 
Pull herbs and prepare seasonal, organic vegetables 
Bring liquid to a boil on the stovetop, turn off heat, add beef evenly spaced apart 
Add herbs and vegetables, working down with a wooden spoon 
Braise in oven at 250° for 3.5 hours 
Remove beef, separate fat, bring jus to a boil on the stove 
Return beef to jus and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes 
Enjoy with nutmeg and cream cheese mashed potatoes
Ingredients
3-4 pound beef shoulder or pot roast
Salt and Pepper
Pancetta
4 medium yellow onions
2 cloves of garlic
4 to 6 medium carrots, thickly cut
1 large portobello mushroom cap
1 cup pearl onions, fresh and peeled or frozen
Fresh flat leaf Italian parsley (cook and garnish)
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
4 dried bay leaves
2 to 3 cups full-bodied red burgundy wine
1 cup beef stock
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
Special Equipment
Le Creuset dutch oven.
Large fat separator (4+ cups). It helps to have one with a filter / grate on the top to catch and save the vegetables.
Steps
Step 1
Chop the roast up into 4 to 8 pieces, depending on your own serving size preference.
Pat dry with a paper towel, liberally apply salt and pepper then dry brine uncovered in a refrigerator overnight.
Step 2
Pre heat oven to 250° and assemble the ingredients.
Cook pancetta a dutch oven on the stovetop until it is well done and starts to smoke then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Brown the roast 2 pieces at a time, about 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd while browning or steam will form and the meat will just turn gray.
When meat reaches a dark golden brown, remove, set aside with the pancetta and allow them to rest.
Step 3
Prep remaining ingredients while browning the meat.
Peel and chop the onions and mince the garlic, setting them aside into a prep bowl.
Chop the carrots about half to 1″, slice the portobello mushroom cap into large pieces, peel pearl onions, and pull the herbs off their stems.
Set some of the parsley aside to garnish.
Measure out the wine and beef stock.
Step 4
When all the beef is browned, reduce the heat to a low-medium setting and cook the onions and garlic for 8 to 10 minutes until nice and tender.
Add the wine, beef stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spatula to break meat pieces off the bottom of the pot.
Return the beef to the pot, evenly spacing out the pieces.
Add all of the vegetables and herbs, working them down and around the beef pieces.
Cook in the oven for 3 hours.
Step 5
Remove from oven. Working very gently, remove the beef: consider using both a spatula and tongs to prevent the pieces from falling apart.
Carefully pour the hot liquid into a fat separator, saving the vegetables. Discard the fat and return the meat juices to the dutch oven with the vegetables.
If desired, thicken with all-purpose flour or corn starch.
Carefully return the beef pieces and bring to a simmer on the stove top for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Serve with nutmeg and cream cheese mashed potatoes.
Pairs nicely with a Côte de Nuits Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France.
Substitutions
If you picked a very lean beef roast, consider skipping the fat separation step. Instead, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour or corn starch to the onions while they are cooking. That should enable you to remove from the oven and serve directly.
Not a fan of mushrooms? Swap with any in-season vegetables that compliment beef and red wine.
Feel free to comment, I would love to hear from you