Red wine beef stew with potato gratin | Bibbyskitchen recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is red wine good in beef stew? ›

Red wine is a flavorful liquid to use for beef stew, adding complexity to the beef broth. It's optional but delightful. Take Your Time. The secret to tender beef stew is low and slow.

Beef stew wine pairings

The dark fruit and rich tannin notes of full-bodied red wines stand up to the strong taste of the beef stew. Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are terrific with beef's earthy taste. Punchy and peppery French Bordeaux and Syrah also balance nicely with strong flavours.

The Best Substitute for Red Wine

Beef broth. Chicken broth. Red wine vinegar (use ½ vinegar and ½ water for similar flavor results)

Pinot Noir is the traditional wine used in Beef Bourguignon. It's the red wine that the Burgundy region of France is most famous for, reflecting the origins of this dish which is also known as “Beef Burgundy”. There's no need to splurge on expensive wine here.

Remember, if the red wine is not sufficient for the meat you have prepared, you can add water. Do not use too much red wine or the meat may start to blacken.

I'd start by removing as much liquid as possible, by straining the stew. Then replacing it with stock or water, perhaps with some grape or apple juice mixed in, and probably a little tomato puree/paste.

The best red wine for cooking beef stew is Cabernet sauvignon. Beef stew tends to be a hearty and rich meal, so avoiding fruity flavors is a good idea. Cabernet is known for being a very flavorful and rustic-flavored wine, so it can help bring that stew to the next level.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), baked or simmered dishes that contain alcohol will retain 40% of the original amount after 15 minutes of cooking, 35% after 30 minutes and 25% after an hour. But there's no point at which all of the alcohol disappears.

Ale makes for a heartier stew than does wine, one that's more suited to its original chilly terroir and one that's welcome here while we wait for spring to show up. At its most traditional, the carbonnade pairs beef with slow-cooked, caramelized onions.

Anchovies, the "secret ingredient," are briny and buttery, giving the sauce a smooth, complex finish. The hit of umami really brings the flavor of this stew over the top. You may not use anchovies regularly, but this stew will convince you otherwise.

What is the secret to a good beef stew? ›

Give stew plenty of time

For most types of stew, it takes time to develop great flavor. Stew uses collagen-rich, tough cuts of meat, which need at least two hours to break down. If you try to rush it and boil the stew, the muscle fibers will shrink and become tough. So give yourself a few hours to let it do its thing.

I almost always add some beef bouillon crystals to my stew, it helps oomph (yes, a technical term) the beefiness of the stock. Sometimes also use a few shots of worcestershire sauce or soy sauce - both will also add some oomph to the flavor.

Both beef bourguignon and beef stew are delicious! It's all in preparation. Stew is a cooking method, and beef bourguignon is a classic French dish that uses beef stewed in wine to create its characteristic flavor. The difference between stew and beef bourguignon is not just one of taste but also one of the methods.

My beef Bourguignon tastes bitter

If your beef Bourguignon tastes disappointingly butter, it could be overcooked. A good tip to try is adding a spoonful of redcurrant jelly or a little sugar to add a little sweetness. Deglazing the pot with ¼ cup (60ml) brandy to the dish will add an extra layer of flavour.

The finished stew is filled with tender chunks of meat and mushroom, along with plump onions and carrots and a deeply rich red-wine base. It's what Burgundy might taste like...if Burgundy had a land made of mushroom, pork, and onion, and rivers flowing with vin rouge.

Adding wine to stews is not unknown. Here's the standard operating procedure used happily for many generations: fry red meat (beef or pork) until the surface is golden; add wine (red or white will do) to the ingredients, close the lid and cook on low heat for a few hours; wait, wait, wait (check your phones); finish!

Multi-ingredient beef dishes such as a beef stew or a beef bourguignon are best cooked with a medium red, such as Zinfandel or Côtes du Rhône. Leaner red meats like lamb and venison require a lighter red wine. Lamb needs a wine with smoother tannins, so Shiraz or Malbec are both good medium-bodied options to use here.

Stay away from meat generically packaged as “stew meat,” especially if it looks lean (I can guarantee you it will not get tender, no matter how long you cook it). For the wine, use any dry red (Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink.