Elk bourguignon is a delicious variation of the classic French dish, replacing beef with tender elk meat. The elk is slow-cooked in a luxuriously rich red wine sauce alongside onions, bacon, and sweet carrots. Served over mashed potatoes or with Dutch oven sourdough bread, this is the perfect gourmet elk stew recipe. Give it a try today!
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Featured Comment:
5 stars across the board!!! Easy to follow directions and turned out great!
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Classic Flavors: Beef bourguignon (boeuf bourguignon or beef burgundy) is a classic French dish made by searing chunks of boneless beef chuck roast in bacon fat and then simmering them in a rich, velvety red wine sauce for a long period of time with hearty veggies. This elk bourguignon recipe uses classic flavors and simple ingredients found in traditional beef bourguignon plus a few additions/substitutions.
Tender: Slow cooking is the best way to turn tough cuts of elk into tender, savory bites. This recipe uses an entire bottle of red wine as well. The acidity of the wine also helps to tenderize the meat and provide a luxurious flavor.
Hearty: Elk bourguignon sounds fancy, but it's just an elevated hearty stew. It's rich and filling and perfect for cold winter nights!
Ingredients
- Elk Roast: You can use any elk roast or elk stew meat for this recipe. But, neck roast is my favorite to use because it has a lot of connective tissue that breaks down and keeps the meat moist. You can use other wild game meat like venison, moose, etc., or other red meats like beef stew meat or the classic beef chuck roast.
- Shallots: Traditional bourguignon uses diced yellow onions. I like to use shallots because they have great flavor and break down into a silky smooth sauce. You can also use white onion instead.
- Cremini Mushrooms: Typically, bourguignon uses button mushrooms (standard white mushrooms) but I prefer the flavor of cremini mushrooms (baby portabellas). You can use whatever mushrooms you'd like!
- Red Wine: People typically use pinot noir for bourguignon because it holds the distinction of being the most popular wine in the Burgundy region of France, from where this dish derives its namesake. But, you can use another type of dry red wine like cabernet sauvignon or cooking wine. You don't need to splurge on an expensive bottle. A cheaper bottle or even boxed wine will work great for this recipe.
- Wild Game Stock: Since this is an elk recipe, I use homemade wild game stock, but you can use beef stock or beef broth instead.
- Thyme: Thyme is traditionally used in bourguignon. You can use fresh rosemary instead if you'd like. You can also take the extra step to make a bouquet garni which is an aromatic bundle of fresh herbs tied with cooking twine commonly added to French dishes. Using a bouquet garni makes it easier to remove the herbs before serving.
How To Make Elk Bourguignon
The most hands-on time for making bourguignon happens in the prep time. After that, you can let it do its thing in the oven!
Step 1: Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
Step 2: Season all over with salt and black pepper.
Step 3: Place in a paper towel-lined airtight container and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
Step 4: Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon lardons to the hot Dutch oven. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the lardons are crispy. Remove the lardons to a large bowl.
Step 5: Increase the heat to medium-high. Add more bacon grease to the Dutch oven if your bacon isn't very fatty. Place meat cubes in a single layer in the bacon grease with space between each piece. You will have to do 2-3 small batches to cook all the meat.
Step 6: Cook the elk meat for 1-2 minutes per side on all sides, or until browned, about 8-10 minutes per batch of meat. Place seared meat in the bowl with the cooked lardons.
Step 7: Reduce to medium-low heat.
If there is no bacon grease left in the pot, add more. Add shallots and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the vegetables to coat them and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the shallots are softened.
Step 8: Add garlic and tomato paste. Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 9: Add flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 10: Add wine, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Stir to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Step 11: Add cooked meat and lardons back to the Dutch oven. Add pearl onions.
Step 12: Add enough stock to cover the meat. I used 2 cups but you may need more or less. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
Step 13: Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place it in the preheated oven.
Step 14: Bake for 2.5-3.5 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 15: 20 minutes before the meat is done, prepare the mushrooms (see below for specific instructions). Add the mushrooms to the Dutch oven, then stir to combine.
Step 16: Serve over mashed potatoes, if desired. Add a slice of crusty bread to dip in the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: For added flavor, this recipe can be prepared up to step 12, then refrigerated overnight and cooked in the oven the next day.
How to Dry Sauté Mushrooms:
Dry sautéing mushrooms involves cooking them in a dry pan over medium-high heat, allowing their natural moisture to release and be reabsorbed. This intensifies their earthy flavor while achieving a golden-brown, caramelized exterior.
I use this method all the time for recipes like venison mushroom Swiss burgers and elk roast sandwiches.
Step 1: Heat a cast iron skillet or other large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan.
Step 2: Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and reabsorbed it.
Step 3: Add butter and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the mushrooms.
Step 4: Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden brown.
Pro Tip: Mushrooms can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Then, you can add the cold mushrooms back to the finished bourguignon and the sauce will heat them before serving.
What to Serve with Elk Bourguignon
Elk bourguignon is a stunning dish on its own and is the perfect recipe to showcase your cooking skills for a dinner party. It's delicious served with a variety of side dishes like classic mashed potatoes, fluffy sourdough bread, or buttermilk biscuits and a glass of bold red wine.
You can also serve bourguignon with roasted mini potatoes, egg noodles, roasted root vegetables, garlic green beans, dinner rolls, etc. There are so many great options to pair with this heartwarming stew. Serve it how you'd like and bon appétit!
Recipe FAQ's
Beef bourguignon (boeuf bourguignon or beef burgundy) is a classic dish in French cuisine. It originated in the Burgundy region of France and is a gourmet beef stew with tender chunks of beef and chunky pieces of vegetables slow-cooked in a flavorful red wine sauce. It is often served with mashed potatoes and crusty bread.
Both bourguignon and stew consist of slow-cooked pieces of meat and vegetables. Bourguignon is a little more special because the sauce is made mostly of red wine and is decadent and luxurious as compared to traditional stew.
Tougher cuts of venison benefit from braising to break down the connective tissue. Adding acid to the recipe from red wine, vinegar, tomato paste, etc. also helps break down the muscle tissue. Dishes like venison bourguignon, classic venison stew, or crock pot venison roast are great options to break down tougher cuts.
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Annie
📖 Recipe
Elk Bourguignon (Gourmet Elk Stew)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 oz bacon lardons
- 2.5 lb elk roast (preferably neck roast), cut into 2-inch chunks (or venison, moose, etc.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- bacon grease (optional)
- 1 cup shallots, ¼" diced
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into diagonal chunks
- 2 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 750 mL red wine (1 standard bottle)
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 2-3 cups stock (wild game, beef, etc.)
- 8 oz pearl onions, peeled
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms, halved
- 1 tablespoon butter
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and black pepper. Place in a paper towel-lined dish and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add bacon lardons to the hot Dutch oven. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the lardons are crispy. Remove the lardons to a large bowl.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add more bacon grease to the Dutch oven if your bacon isn't very fatty. Place elk meat in a single layer in the bacon grease with space between each piece. You will have to do 2-3 small batches to cook all the meat.
- Cook the elk meat for 1-2 minutes per side on all sides, or until browned, about 8-10 minutes per batch of meat. Place seared meat in the bowl with the cooked lardons.
- Reduce to medium-low heat. Add more bacon grease if there is none left in the pot. Add shallots and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the shallots are softened.
- Add garlic and tomato paste. Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add wine, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Stir to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add cooked meat and lardons back to the Dutch oven. Add pearl onions. Add enough stock to cover the meat. I used 2 cups but you may need more or less. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. The sauce will reduce quite a bit so be careful to not overseason it.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place it in the heated oven. Bake for 2.5-3.5 hours or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 20 minutes before the meat is done, prepare the mushrooms.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring, occasionally, or until the mushrooms have released their liquid and reabsorbed it.
- Add butter and season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the mushrooms. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add the mushrooms to the Dutch oven and stir to combine.
- Serve over mashed potatoes, if desired. Add a slice of crusty bread to dip in the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use any elk roast or elk stew meat for this recipe. But, neck roast is my favorite to use because it has a lot of connective tissue that breaks down and keeps the meat moist. You can use other wild game meat like venison, moose, etc., or other red meats like beef stew meat or the classic beef chuck roast.
- Traditional bourguignon uses diced yellow onions. I like to use shallots because they have great flavor and break down into a silky smooth sauce. You can also use white onion instead.
- Typically, bourguignon uses button mushrooms (standard white mushrooms) but I prefer the flavor of cremini mushrooms (baby portabellas). You can use whatever mushrooms you'd like!
- Mushrooms can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. You can add the cold mushrooms back to the finished bourguignon and the sauce will heat them before serving.
- Typically, pinot noir is used for bourguignon because it is the most popular wine in the Burgundy region of France which is where this dish gets its namesake. But, you can use another type of dry red wine like cabernet sauvignon or cooking wine. You don't need to splurge on an expensive bottle. A cheaper bottle or even boxed wine will work great for this recipe.
- Since this is an elk recipe, I use homemade wild game stock, but you can use beef stock or beef broth instead.
- Thyme is traditionally used in bourguignon. You can use fresh rosemary instead if you'd like. You can also take the extra step to make a bouquet garni which is an aromatic bundle of fresh herbs tied with cooking twine added to French dishes. Using a bouquet garni makes it easier to remove the herbs before serving.
- Bourguignon is traditionally made in a Dutch oven. You can also use a large oven-proof casserole dish. Bourguignon can also be made in a slow cooker or instant pot but the sauce won't reduce the same. If you decide to go this route, you can remove the meat and vegetables when they're done cooking and reduce the sauce on the stove.
- For added flavor, this recipe can be prepared up to step 11, then refrigerated overnight and cooked in the oven the next day.
Anonymous says
5 stars across the board!!!
Easy to follow directions and turned out great!