Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon (2024)

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Beef bourguignon is essentially a fancy French version of your classic beef stew recipes. It is made with red wine, which not only affects the overall flavor of the dish, but also adds a beautiful shade for presentation. This Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon recipe, it's essentially a dump and go recipe!

Beef bourguignon is traditionally prepared at low heat over a long period of time, it makes the perfect candidate for a slow cooker meal! This dish cooks for 5-7 hours, but takes only 10 minutes of prep beforehand!

Why You'll Love This Easy Beef Bourguignon

Slow Maintenance – Preparing this beef bourguignon in the slow cooker makes it such an easy, low maintenance dish for weeknight dinners!
Classic Favorite – This dish may sound fancy, but it is a comfort food in my eyes. Whether you are preparing dinner for the family or bringing a dish to a potluck, it is a safe bet that your crowd will enjoy this beef bourguignon.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Olive Oil – You just need a little oil to brown your meat in. It also helps to build your slurry, which will thicken your stew.
Beef Stew Meat – You can use stew meat or beef chuck roast for this dish. I prefer chuck roast for slow cooker beef stew because it tends to be less dry. The low and slow braise in your red wine sauce is a key component to beef bourguignon, so make sure you use raw meat. You should cube it into bite-sized pieces before you begin.
Bacon – It wouldn’t be a proper beef bourguignon without the inclusion of bacon! Your bacon cooks right in with your beef, which is convenient, and also bacon fat adds flavor to the sauce.
Beef Stock – Beef bourguignon broth is not only made of red wine. You will also need 2 cups of beef stock!

Vegetable Ingredients for Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon

Flour – There is a lot of liquid in this dish, which means it packs a lot of flavor. The addition of flour helps to thicken the liquid into a sauce.
Red Wine – You cannot make beef bourguignon without red wine. Opt for a dry red wine, like a pinot noir.
Salt and Pepper – This beef bourguignon is perfectly seasoned with a half teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of pepper.
Tomato Paste – Beef bourguignon is a little less heavy in tomato than your average beef stew. You just need 3 tablespoons of paste to get started.
Onion – You will need one small, diced onion for flavor.
Garlic – This recipe makes 6 servings of beef bourguignon, so you will need 4 cloves of minced garlic to properly flavor the dish.
Baby Carrots – Vegetables are an important part of your beef bourguignon. Carrots are pretty much always present in a good stew. I recommend a cup of fresh baby carrots.
Baby Potatoes – You need a cup of small potatoes for your stew. You can put them into the crockpot whole, or you may wish to halve them first.
Mushrooms – Mushrooms help to create the signature flavor profile of beef bourguignon. It is best to halve your mushrooms so that they are bite-sized.
Thyme – Thyme is quintessential to French cuisine. Cook your beef bourguignon with 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Bay Leaves – You will need 2 bay leaves for your beef bourguignon. Keep in mind that fresh bay leaves have a much stronger flavor than dried bay leaves. Try tasting your broth halfway through cooking to make sure that the flavor of the bay leaves is not overpowering. If it is, you can go ahead and remove them.
Optional Additions – You may wish to serve your beef bourguignon with fresh parsley, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes.

How to Make It

To a large raised edge skillet, sear the beef and bacon in olive oil until meat has nice caramelized edges.
Sprinkle flour evenly across the pan and stir for 30 seconds, so the flour has a chance to absorb the liquid and create a slurry.
Add dry red wine to the pan stirring vigorously to scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan.
In a large crockpot, with or without a crockpot liner, dump the red wine meat mixture in.
Top the mixture with rest of the ingredients into the crockpot.
Give the contents a gentle stir, secure the lid and cook on high for 5.5 hours or low for 7.5 hours. When done stir once again then garnish with fresh parsley as desired and serve butter noodles or mashed potatoes.

Step by Step Instructions

First, brown your meat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and sear your beef and bacon until the edges are caramelized. Once your meat is browned, add your ¼ cup flour to the pan. Stir for about 30 seconds, until the liquid and flour are combined to form a slurry.

Add your 1 ½ cups of dry red wine to the pan. Stir vigorously, scraping the bottom of the pan as you go.

Now it is time to transfer everything to the crockpot! If you wish to line your crockpot, add a liner now. Otherwise, pour your meat and red wine broth into the slow cooker.

Next, add your salt, pepper, tomato paste, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaves, and beef stock to the crockpot.

Next, you'll want to gently stir the beef bourguignon until thoroughly combined. Cover with crockpot lid, and cook on high for 5 ½ hours or on low for 7 ½ hours.

When your broth is thick and veggies are cooked, serve your beef bourguignon warm with fresh parsley, and buttered noodles or mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Cook's Tips to Make Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Beef bourguignon is also known as beef burgundy. Technically, you should make this recipe with burgundy wine. Pinot Noir is a great choice.
Store leftover beef bourguignon in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, and reheated on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Keep your beef bourguignon in the freezer in Ziploc bags for pre portioned freezer meals. When you are ready to enjoy, simply reheat it in the crockpot for 2 hours on high and 4 hours on low minutes cook time Feel free to add pearl onions

FAQ

What is the difference between beef stew and beef bourguignon?

Beef bourguignon is essentially a type of beef stew. But instead, it's slightly fancier and you make it with red wine and cooked low and slow. It also has bacon and mushrooms.

Do you have to brown stew meat before putting it in the crockpot?

You do not need to brown meat before putting it in the crockpot, in that it will cook to a food safe temperature while it is in the slow cooker. However, browning the meat gives it a much nicer texture and appearance. It also gives you the opportunity to drain some of the grease if you desire.

Why is my beef bourguignon bitter?

Don't over cook your Beef bourguignon. It will turn bitter because you cooked the red wine too long. If you find your beef bourguignon to be bitter, try adding a little butter and sugar, but it may or may not work.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon Recipe

This Beef Bourguignon slow cooker recipe is the ultimate comfort made easier!

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Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: beef stew, slow cooker

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours hours

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 525kcal

Ingredients

2 tsp Olive Oil
2.5 lbs Raw Stew Meat or Chuck Steak trimmed & cubed
3 strips Raw Bacon diced
¼ cup Flour
1 ½ cups Dry Red Wine
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper
3 tbsp Tomato Paste
1 Small Onion diced
4 Cloves Garlic minced
1 cup Baby Carrots
1 cup Small Baby Potatoes whole or halved
1 cup Mushrooms halved
3 Springs Fresh Thyme
2 Bay Leaves
2 cups Beef Stock

Instructions

To a large raised edge skillet, sear the beef and bacon in olive oil until meat has nice caramelized edges.
To the pan sprinkle flour evenly among the pan and stir for 30 seconds, so the flour has a chance to absorb the liquid and create a slurry.
Add dry red wine to the pan stirring vigorously to scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan.
In a large crock pot, with or without a crockpot liner, dump the red wine meat mixture in.
Top the mixture with rest of the ingredients into the crock pot.
Give the contents a gentle stir, secure the lid and cook on high for 5.5 hours or low for 7.5 hours.
When done stir once again then garnish with fresh parsley as desired and serve butter noodles or mashed potatoes.

Notes

Can be kept in an air tight container, in the fridge, up to 4 days.
May be stored, cooked and frozen in zip tight bags and reheated in crock pot for 2 hours on high and 4 hours on low.
May be reheated stove top over medium high heat in a pot.

Nutrition

FAQs

How do I thicken beef bourguignon in a slow cooker? ›

If sauce is too thin after cooking, simmer uncovered in the slow cooker until reduced. You can also thicken sauce using 1 to 2 tablespoons flour; mix 1/4 cup sauce with flour in a small bowl until no lumps remain, then whisk into the slow cooker and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.

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Is it possible to overcook beef bourguignon? ›

Can you overcook beef bourguignon? Although this is a sturdy dish that can withstand hours of cooking, depending on the cut and size of the meat pieces, it is possible to overcook it as all the melting fat renders out of the meat, leaving it quite dry to bite into.

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Can you cook beef stew too long in slow cooker? ›

Slow-cooker stew recipes are pretty forgiving, but cooking the stew too long can cause the meat to dry out and can also reduce the stewing liquid too much, leading to off flavors. If serving is delayed, switch your slow cooker to warm until you're ready to eat.

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Why is my stew in slow cooker still tough? ›

It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.

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Does taking the lid off a slow cooker thicken the sauce? ›

Take the lid off

Place the cooker on a high setting, and open the lid for 30-45 minutes to let excess moisture cook off. The liquid will reduce, leaving you with a thick and delicious gravy or sauce. (Tip: This trick can also be applied for thickening stews, or when you've accidentally added too much liquid.)

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Should beef bourguignon be thick or thin? ›

Stews like boeuf bourguignon should ideally be thick and glossy enough that the liquid coats the back of a spoon, a process aided by collagen-rich cuts of meat and a long, slow simmer.

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Why is my boeuf bourguignon meat tough? ›

Two options really, either it is really a poor cut of beef, or more likely it hasn't been cooked for long enough. Usually 3 hours in the oven in a casserole dish at 180C/350F should make any cut of beef tender.

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What is the best cut of meat to use for beef bourguignon? ›

Chuck Roast.

Tough, marbled boneless chuck roast is the best cut of beef for beef Bourguignon. Don't worry, it becomes tantalizingly tender during cooking. You could swap another stewing beef, such as top round roast or bottom round roast.

Does beef bourguignon taste better the next day? ›

It can easily be made in advance, and like most stews, tastes even better the next day for easy planning. Enjoy with a glass of red wine, a roaring fire, friends and family. 1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof pan with lid or Dutch-oven.

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Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low? ›

Low: 7-8 hours to reach the simmer point. High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point.

Can I leave beef in slow cooker for 12 hours? ›

Most slow cooker meals take 8-12 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high, but there are also recipes for slow-cooked meat that take up to 24 hours. If you want to avoid overcooking your dish, follow the given guidelines as closely as possible.

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Does beef get more tender the longer you cook it in a slow cooker? ›

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

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Why is my beef not falling apart in a slow cooker? ›

“Beef may be tough in the slow cooker if you haven't added enough liquid, or haven't cooked it for long enough,” Kristen Carli, M.S., R.D., owner of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, tells SELF. “For cuts of meat, the fattier cuts are often the ones that get juicy and tender.

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How long does beef take to soften in a slow cooker? ›

Simply add the meat to your slow cooker with aromatics, stock and sauces and cook either on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 5-8 hours. How do you make meat tender in a slow cooker? Choosing a cut of beef best suited for low and slow cooking is the ideal way to get extra tender meat.

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What thickens stew in slow cooker? ›

Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.

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What is the best way to thicken casserole in slow cooker? ›

A slurry is a mixture of flour and water, whisked together until smooth and added towards the end of cooking; it's a super-simple way to thicken any soup. For slow cooker soups, add your slurry with at least 30 minutes of cook time left so that the raw flour can cook and thicken the soup. Need a gluten-free option?

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How to thicken red wine sauce in a slow cooker? ›

-In a small bowl, dissolve corn starch into ¼ cup of cooking liquid and add to the pot, stirring almost constantly. -Continue simmering until sauce has reduced by half and has thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

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How do you thicken slow cooked beef? ›

Toss meat pieces in flour prior to browning. The flour helps to thicken a stew as it cooks. Whisk a teaspoon of flour in a little cold water to make a slurry, then stir into the stew as it's cooking. Don't add dry flour directly to the stew as it may clump.

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