My Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon is a fix it and forget it meal at its finest ~ this easy slow cooker beef stew is a pared down version of the fancy French dish and I promise it will get rave reviews!
crock pot beef Bourguignon
Slow cooker meals are a lot of things, but they certainly aren’t elegant. They’re easy, they make your kitchen smell all warm and cozy, but they aren’t what anyone would call fancy. And that’s ok. When I’m hungry after a long day I’ll take delicious over fancy every time. But every once in a while a crock pot recipe comes along, like this crock pot beef Bourguignon, that does it all. A classic French stew with tender beef chunks, slow-cooked in red wine, flavored with aromatic herbs, mushrooms, and pearl onions ~ right in your crock pot. Score!
Table of contents
adapting Beef Bourguignon recipe for the slow cooker
I must say, I think it’s a rare example of an elegant slow cooked meal. I say adapted, but I really didn’t have to change much of anything to accommodate my slow cooker. Most soups and stews can be made in the crock pot, with just a few small adjustments.
Recipes that call for tougher cuts of meat like stew meat, pot roast, brisket, etc, are perfect candidates for adapting to the crock pot. Slow Cooked Peach Barbecue Smothered Pork Chops is a perfect example of how long slow cooking can take a potentially tough cut of meat like pork chops, and render them fork tender. Ditto my Slow Cooked Sangria Carnitas with Sopes.
Other recipes, like my Crock Pot Frito Pie and my Slow Cooked Cider Brats with Apple Onion Relish utilize the slow cooker more for convenience.
the secrets to making beef Bourguignon in a slow cooker
- It’s in the sauce! More specifically, it’s in the Burgundy, its namesake deep red wine that tenderizes the meat and gives the sauce a rich base. A shot of Cognac enriches it even further, and during the long slow cooking the two produce an amazing sauce.
- If you possibly can, I love to add my veggies about half way through the cooking time. This just helps them stay firmer. If this isn’t possible, it helps to keep them rather chunky so they can hold up to the long cooking.
- A fresh garnish goes a long way towards brightening a long cooking crock pot dish.
Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- crock pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb stewing beef, cut in large chunks
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 Tbsp flour, leave out for gluten free
- 1 bunch fresh thyme, tied in a bundle (reserve some leaves for garnish)
- 1/2 cup cognac
- 2 cups beef stock or broth
- 2 cups red wine, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir
- 1 Tbsp (heaping)tomato paste, I like the kind in the tube
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 yellow onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb small white skinned potatoes, left whole if small, or cut in large chunks
- 8 oz give or take mushrooms, dusted off and halved
- 1 bag frozen pearl onions
- a splash of red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Instructions
- Note: this recipe starts off on the stove top and then transfers to the crock pot for best flavor. Heat the oil in large heavy saute pan or stock pot. Toss the meat with the salt, pepper, and flour, When the oil is nice and hot, brown the meat, in 2 batches, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. Put the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker and top with the bundle of thyme.
- Turn off the heat and add the cognac to the pan, and scrape up all the brown bits as the liquid bubbles. Add the wine and beef stock and continue stirring until you’ve gotten all of the good stuff off the bottom and sides of the pan, put it back on the heat if necessary. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the garlic, carrots, onion, potatoes, mushrooms and pearl onions to the slow cooker. Add the liquid from the pan to the slow cooker and give everything a gentle stir to get it settled.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- At the end of cooking, remove the bundle of thyme and taste to check the seasonings. I like to add a splash of vinegar at this point, add it according to taste. If you want a thicker sauce, stir in a knob of butter coated with flour, or sprinkle in some Wondra flour and stir well. Use corn or potato starch for gluten free.
- Serve the stew with a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
- There is alcohol in this dish, and while some of it does cook out, much of it remains…so save this for the adults.
- The potatoes are not normally included in Bourguignon, but I added them to round out the stew as a complete meal.
- If you can, I prefer to add my vegetables about halfway through the cooking process so they don’t get over cooked
This recipe is amazing!
About alcohol in cooking…A few years ago I read in a dietary book that you can eliminate the alcohol by pouring it in a bowl and leaving it exposed overnight. Most of the alcohol evaporates. The rest cooks away. It might be an interesting experiment.
Can you substitute brandy for cognac?
Yes, you can.
Just curious if I can get this all prepared and set it in the fridge overnight to be cooked in the am?
I think that should work 🙂
Hello, I’m looking forward to trying this for Christmas Eve dinner with my partner.
Is the cognac part of the recipe a must? Or can you skip it?
Thank You, and Happy Holidays!
You can skip it but it adds a really interesting depth of flavor. You can substitute red wine if you like, or leave it out.
I will need to double the recipe but am reluctant to double all the alcohol. Would you recommend beef bouillon as a substitute?
That would work fine, Jay.
I would like to serve 8. How would you increase the recipe?
I think you could go with another pound of beef, and just eyeball the extra veggies. As for the liquids, you might not need to go up a full third. You’ll need a large crock pot!
Just curious, what size slow cooker is this recipe for? Thanks
At the time I had just a standard size crock pot, Catherine, I don’t recall the exact specifications, but it’s pretty much standard.