The quintessential beef stew, Jacques Pepin’s Beef Stew with Red Wine is a very special recipe. This red wine beef stew creates a luscious red wine sauce that you simply won’t believe.
And if you love hearty luscious beef stew recipes, don’t miss one of the most popular on my site for slow cooker Beef Stew With Mushrooms.
This beef stew with red wine recipe brings a whole new meaning to the clever quote “I love cooking with wine and sometimes I even put it in the food“. One full 750ml bottle of a full-bodied red wine is the only liquid used to slow braise the beef for this stew.
This recipe appeared in Food and Wine Magazine and is actually a recipe from Jacques Pepin’s mother.
The combination of beef, pancetta, onions and red wine slow cooked in the oven, results in a thick gravy like sauce that’s earthy and rich in flavor.
The lead in description in Food and Wine Magazine reads: This is the quintessential beef stew. Jacques Pépin’s mother served it at her restaurant, Le Pélican, where she made it with tougher cuts of meat. Jacques likes the flatiron—a long, narrow cut that’s extremely lean but becomes tender and stays moist. He doesn’t use stock, demi-glace or even water in his stew, relying on robust red wine for the deep-flavored sauce.
Beef stew with red wine sounds irresistible and easy doesn’t it? Let’s take a look.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Beef: Two pounds of beef flat-iron, chuck roast, or a round roast like pictured above.
- Red wine for French Beef Stew: 1-750 milliliter bottle red wine. Full bodied merlot, or cabernet sauvignon. Nothing too expensive, but still on a quality level that you would drink.
- Carrots I like to find new small carrots. They’re small enough that they can be cooked in the stew whole, instead of slicing. If the bunch you choose has a few large carrots, just slice those.
- Mushrooms: Cremini or baby bella.
- Pancetta
- Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Sweet Onion
- Olive Oil
- Pearl onions, or Cipollino onions
- Butter
- Flour
- Seasonings: Thyme, sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fresh thyme is preferred.
Step by Step Instructions
What Is Braising?
Braising is simple two step process where meat is seared until it’s well browned on both or all sides. It’s then partially submerged in liquid, routinely ½ way up the side of the meat. The meat is then slow-cooked at a moderately low temperature until the meat becomes very tender. Braising is my favorite way to cook meat during the cold months. The aroma that fills the house is intoxicating, and its classic comfort food at its best.
- Step 1: Chop the beef into 8 large chunks. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chunks of beef and brown on each side. This will take about 4 – 5 minutes per side.
- Step 2: Add the finely chopped onion and cook until tender. About 2 minutes. Add finely chopped garlic and cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
- Step 3: Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it.
- Step 4: Transfer the meat to a 6 – 7 quart Dutch oven.
- Step 5: Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme. Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 ½ – 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.
- Step 6: Meanwhile in the frypan, sautee the chopped pancetta until nicely browned.
- Step 7: Combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper.
- Step 8: Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
- Step 9: To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish once its plated. Top with a little chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Common Questions
I personally think a good quality large enameled cast iron Dutch oven is just as good as using a crockpot. It serves the same purpose of slow cooking this oven beef stew. Not to mention that this is a world class stew recipe from a world class chef. Do yourself a favor and follow his instructions. But if you need oven space, yes, use your crock pot. Cook time will increase to 7 – 8 hours. You’ll still need to cook the vegetables separately stove-top and add them at serving time.
If you can’t find whole baby carrots, then use small carrots that are packaged and labeled as “baby carrots”. Even though they’re not really baby carrots, they are a good size that will cook well and work well in this red wine beef stew. You can also use single bulk carrots. Just remove skin with a vegetable peeler and cut into large bite sized pieces.
This is a recipe for red wine beef stew. And Jacques Pepin’s famous recipe and technique, let’s not fiddle with perfection. Use red wine for this traditional recipe and save the white wine for a braised chicken dish.
Tips for Success
- Wisely cooking the vegetables separately with some pancetta, and adding them at the end, keeps the carrots sweet, the mushrooms earthy and the pearl onions crunchy. Not to mention void of purple color from the wine.
- Choose a good piece of meat. Purchase a roast that is well marbled with veins of fat. This adds flavor to the sauce. Stay away from meat that is labeled as “stew meat”. It’s usually cuts of lean meat that simply won’t become tender.
- Slow Cooking Beef Stew: Make this stew when you have extra time to follow Jacques Pepin’s instructions. It’s a little timely to prepare, but well worth every minute.
What To Serve With It
- Beef Stew with Red Wine is pretty much a meal in itself. But if you want, serve it over buttery noodles, or with mashed potatoes and even polenta.
Jacques Pepin Beef Stew With Red Wine Recipe
This is truly a special and incredible stew recipe. The end result is tender fall apart chunks of beef and a wine reduction sauce that is a thick, opulent and rich treat.
A lovely special occasion meal for entertaining, or a special evening at home. This beef stew in red wine is our New Year’s Eve tradition. Served as a 2nd course to our traditional Seafood Pan Roast, it’s an elegant experience.
More Hearty Stew Recipes
- Pork Green Chile Stew
- Boulder Beer Bison Stew
- Rocky Mountain Shrimp Stew
Recommended: Try this Porter Beer Bison Stew. A broth spiked with a porter ale, whose flavor reminds one of a good quality strong coffee, serves as a rich flavor platform for a robust bowl of vegetable bison stew.
And if you’re soup and stew lovers like us, don’t miss my category for Soup Recipes, you’ll find lots of slurp worthy recipes, including the most popular on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s New Mexico Style Beef Chili.
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Beef Stew With Red Wine Sauce
Equipment
- 6-7 quart Dutch Oven
- 1 large Fry pan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 pounds beef roast, trimmed beef flatiron steak or chuck Trimmed of any large pieces of fat. Use either flat iron or chuck roast, or round roast. Cut into 8 pieces.
- 1 Tablespoon Salt divided
- 2 teaspoons Freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1 cup onion fine chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic fine chopped
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 750 milliliter dry red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or a large sprig of fresh thyme
- 5 ounces pancetta either a piece or a package of chopped pancetta
- 15 pearl onions or cipollini onions, peeled
- 15 cremini mushrooms
- 15 baby carrots peeled
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- In a large enameled cast-iron casserole or a large skillet, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. One the oil is hot, Arrange the meat in a single layer, (don't crowd) and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until well browned, about 4 minutes per side.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. If using a skillet, transfer the meat to a 6 – 7 quart Dutch oven.
- Then deglaze the skillet with about a cup of the wine. bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add that to the Dutch oven with the beef.
- Add the remaining wine, bay leaves and thyme.
- Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 ½ hours – 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.
- Meanwhile in the frypan, sautee the chopped pancetta until browned.
- Combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ¼ cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
- To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- Wisely cooking the vegetables separately with some pancetta, and adding them at the end, keeps the carrots sweet, the mushrooms earthy and the pearl onions crunchy. Not to mention void of purple color from the wine.
- Choose a good piece of meat. Purchase a roast that is well marbled with veins of fat. This adds flavor to the sauce. Stay away from meat that packaged as “stew meat”. It’s usually cuts of lean meat that simply won’t become tender.
- Slow Cooking Beef Stew: Make this stew when you have extra time to follow Jacques Pepin’s instructions. It’s a little timely to prepare.
- Red Wine For Beef Stew: Use a full bodied merlot, or cabernet sauvignon. Nothing too expensive, but still on a quality level that you would drink.
Nutrition
Jacques Pepin’s Beef Stew With Red Wine Sauce …It’s What’s for Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Haven’t made this one yet, but I have to correct the instruction on covering the piece of pancetta with water. Jacques only does this when using bacon, you need to get the bacon’s smoke flavor out. It’s not necessary with a piece of pancetta, just cut it up into small pieces.
I grabbed a chuck roast on sale at Whole Foods last week, and made this as part of my husband’s birthday weekend celebration. He’d been asking for “beef burgundy” for a long time, but for some reason I thought it was difficult to make. Not so! The hardest part was peeling the pearl onions. I loved that the veggies were cooked separately from the beef and added after the beef cooked. It really did brighten and highlight all of the flavors. I will be making this again and again! Thanks, Lea Ann!
Good Morning Scottee and thanks so much for taking the time to write a review of the stew. I really appreciate that.
And, so glad you liked the recipe. I don’t make it often, but when I do, it’s always a treat.
Shame I’ve just finished my Sunday roast Lea Ann, I’ll pencil this one in for next Sunday. Delicious.
Roasts and Sundays are just made for each other aren’t they David. 🙂
This looks amazingly delicious! I love slow-roasted and braised meat dishes. Perfect for Sunday dinner!
Thank you Susan! I’m with you and that affection for braised meat dishes.
There is nothing better when the weather is cold than a pot of slow simmered beef stew. I always cook the veggies separately as well so they retain their own flavor and texture. Love the whole carrots on the plate.
Wow! This looks so professional and amazing. I think there are some versions online that make it with just different kinds of mushrooms instead of the meat, which is what I’d try doing as a vegetarian. Good one!
Thanks so much Maria.
I love Jacques! I will give this a try this weekend, it’s supposed to be stormy all weekend – perfect for stew!
Hey, that’s my Dutch oven! 😉
How I like those kind of dishes ! It looks fabulous.
I would expect nothing less Axelle! Afterall, you’re one of the experts on this kind of dish.
Dang! My F&W subscription expired about two months ago! This looks wonderful.
That happened with me with the Food Network magazine. After I cancelled, someone posted a kick butt recipe from the latest issue.
mouth-watering… nothing better than a hearty stew on cold nights like we’ve been having – high 20’s to low 30’s and you know that is cold for us…. this would be perfect…. great photos
Thanks Drick. Yikes, you’re getting some cold weather!
I never turn down cooking with wine. I used to watch Jaques Pepin on PBS, love the homestyle food. Love that this has only wine and no tomato.
I didn’t even thick about the tomato part. Yup, I usually put tomatoes in my beef stew.
This sounds sinfully delicious, Lea Ann! I love beef stew, I love red wine, I love thyme, . . . win, win, wine!! 🙂 I am smitten with cutting the meat into eighths for some reason. Seriously, I will making this one. Wonderful photos as always – especially that last one. Wow!
Those big chunks did make for a nice presentation in the bowl. We really liked this recipe. At first the kitchen smelled so “alcoholic”. But the wine simmers down into a wonderful rich flavor. Thanks for the compliment on the photos. Like black dogs, beef is hard to photograph.
Wow… this sounds just wonderful!
It was wonderful Karen.
Golf clap! What a great job you did on this post, from the recipe, execution, and the pics too. She shoots, she scores!
Gorgeous meal, Lea Ann!
LOL, thanks Chris.
Looks delicious. I love Jacques.
Sam
Jacques is the man! Good to hear from you Sam.
I love the looks of this Lea Ann. For most of my life, beef stew ingredients were cut small – think Dinty Moore – but I prefer the larger pieces. Cooking the veggies seperately makes a lot of sense as all they need is to be in the gravy for a few minutes. Your presentation looks outstanding – almost makes me wonder if you hand placed those carrots :-).
A Julia Child Quote comes to mind “If your food comes out perfectly arranged, it means someone’s hands have been all over it.” 🙂
I so admire Jacques Pepin. Every time that I flip through the guide and see his name I click on his show. Anything he cooks look delicious including this recipe. Love the leftovers from dishes like this too.
I think he’s the best chef I’ve ever watched prepare, explain and execute recipes. Love him.
When I was younger I would rather go to bed than eat beef stew….. I’m so very glad I grew out of that phase!! This looks wonderful!
How funny. I’m pretty sure I’ve always liked it. 🙂
Beef, LOTS of red wine and long simmering… you can never go wrong. French and also my (Palatinate) kind of cooking. What a delicious dinner. You should have phoned, we would have been over in a wink.
Then I wouldn’t have had leftovers! 🙂