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If there is one meal that you are bound to eat, when you visit a French family, it is the famous boeuf Bourguignon. It is better served in winter, as it can be quite heavy for the stomach. However, it can certainly warm you up, on a cold evening. If you want to try it at home, here are a few tips that you should follow, no matter which recipe you start with. 

Photo by Fábio Bueno: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-wooden-chopping-board-with-meat-on-top-1314041/

Choose the Right Wine

This meal takes his name from a French region, that is partly famous for its wines: la Bourgogne. Its most important ingredient is indeed red wine, which you will want to pick from the region, obviously. Since you may not be around there at the time, visit www.cavesa.ch/en to find all that you need. We suggest cooking with a Passetoutgrain, which will provide sufficient taste, in the end. 

But you also need to pick up the right bottle to drink with your dinner. Look for a wine that is one step above the one you used to cook, yet from the same region. We can suggest a Beaune or a Gevrey, which will raise the subtle flavors of the meal, on the palate.

Take Your Time

Preparing the perfect boeuf Bourguignon means to cut the meat yourself, first. If you are going to let it simmer for 10 hours, like the French do, then cut it in large pieces. But if you are cooking for dinner, then dice it, not too small (about 5cm). You will need to leave it at least two hours on top of the oven for the meat to become fully tender, so that it will melt in the mouth of every guest at your table. As for the choice of meat, ask your butcher for the best selection. Since you may not find the same cut everywhere, you are safer by asking the advice of the professional, on location.

The Main Ingredients

According to the recipe you will find, many ingredients may or may not find their way in. However, there are a few that cannot be missed, otherwise, it simply won't be a boeuf Bourguignon. You need to look for small white onions. If they are very small, leave them as they are. They will end-up melting anyway, as the meal cooks. Bacon bits are crucial to the preparation. Without them, the end result will be tasteless (we did say it was a heavy meal, right from the start of the article). To these, you will need to add carrots and mushrooms. Cut the first ones into thin dices and leave the second one whole. 

Reduce the Sauce 

The real secret for a delicious boeuf Bourguignon is the reduction of the sauce. If you are going to cook it for 10 hours, you will need to add water many times. If you only take two hours, and you start with a good amount of liquid, you may not have to do it, even once. In the end, the sauce should be thick, and the flavor should burst in your mouth, as soon as you taste it. Et Voilà!