Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon

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 might be delicious, of course they’re easy,  they make your kitchen smell insane. and they make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but they aren’t what anyone would call fancy. And that’s ok. When you’re hungry after a long day you don’t need fancy. I’ve been thinking a lot about slow cookers lately. I’ve had one for years, but honestly it doesn’t get that much use. Most of my cooking is done from fresh ingredients in a pretty quick manner, and I don’t really need it on a regular basis. But every time I do haul it out, I fall in love all over again. And with both my daughters newly out on their own I’ve been reminded of what a godsend a slow cooker can be.

I adapted my favorite 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 do anything much, and it’s true that most soups and stews can be made in the crock pot, with just a few small adjustments. Some recipes fare better than others, though, and sometimes color and texture can be sacrificed in the name of convenience. I like to choose hearty dishes like stews and dried bean soups for my slow cooker; they not only tolerate, but benefit from the prolonged cooking time.

My Slow Cooked Peach Barbecue Smothered Pork Chops is a perfect example of how long slow cooling can take a potentially tough cut of meat like pork chops, and render them fork tender.

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 large 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.

what else can your crock pot do?

• Beef Barley Soup ~ crock pot and stove top recipe
• Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter
• Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Smothered Pork Chops
• Easy Crock Pot Cranberry Butter
• Easy Slow Cooker Pho Recipe
• Slow Cooked Cider Brats with Apple Onion Relish

Slow Cooker/Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon

3.51 from 167 votes

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!

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Prep Time:15 minutes minutes

slow clook:6 hours hours

Total Time:6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

1x2x3x

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

• Browning the meat is an optional step, but if you have the time, I like to do it. Skip this step if you like. 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 a lot of alcohol in this dish, and while much of it does cook out, even in a covered slow cooker, there will be some remaining…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. No use in using the slow cooker if you have to make a side dish!
• If you can, I prefer to add my vegetables about halfway through the cooking process so they don’t get over cooked
• If you love the idea of easy elegance, you might also like my Easy Cassoulet ~ it’s a scaled down version of the French classic.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: comfort food, crock pot, dinner, French, ground beef, Ina Garten, slow cooker

Nutrition

Calories: 651 kcal · Carbohydrates: 25 g · Protein: 31 g · Fat: 35 g · Saturated Fat: 12 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 17 g · Trans Fat: 2 g · Cholesterol: 107 mg · Sodium: 701 mg · Potassium: 1263 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 5141 IU · Vitamin C: 20 mg · Calcium: 71 mg · Iron: 5 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.  Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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