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
I love my slow cooker, and this dish is just perfect. It looks beautiful, and I can just imagine how good it smells and how wonderful it tastes. It is the time of year for dishes like this!
I want and need this slow cooker stew so BADLY! It looks so comforting and delish, Sue.
This looks fabulous, Sue! I do like to use my slow cooker for certain recipes and stews are one of them!
Hi Sue, I have been contemplating buying a slow cooker, now after seeing this elegant feast my mind is now made up. Looks delicious, I can only imagine what your house smelled like…….
It’s nice that they’re so inexpensive, I just convinced both my daughters to get one!
So exciting because I recently made beef bourguignon – first time in..forever! And now, I know how to do it in a crock pot. Looks divine and saving it for the adults sounds good to me! : )
Today is one of those grey fall days. One where you need to take drive and see the color in the leaves to relieve all the grey. Or you stay home and make this wonderful dinner, which indeed is elegant. Set a beautiful table with the wine glasses and forget about the grey and rain outside.
Your comment makes me miss the East Coast — and yes, it does sound like a good day to plug in the crock pot!
It looks great..One of my fave winter dishes..That was so true what you wrote..after the whole cooking time..things don’t photo as prettily..I agree!
Thanks Monique! With slow cooked meals you really have to go the extra mile with garnishes, I think that makes a huge difference!
I had a lot of friends visiting last week and I made up a recipe that was almost a carbon copy of this. I made it up in my head and it was so popular with the guests. Now I see with your recipe that I need to add small onions and some vinegar and some tomato paste. Can’t wait to serve it again to guests. It saved me so much work with the Crock Pot. I made homemade apple sauce with cranberries and good bread. Delish! They had two helpings…..and raved.
Sounds great!
I love beef bourguignon! With red wine and cognac, I can only imagine how incredible this smelled simmering away in your kitchen!
I really love the cognac, I think I’m going to add that to all my stews from now on 😉
This is one of my favorite dishes ever! I often make Julia Child’s, over the stove and then in the oven and have been wanting to try it in the slow cooker! And is it bad that I add a whole bottle of wine in? haha
My regular recipe includes the whole bottle, but with the slow cooker you don’t need as much — the Julia Child recipe is great but SO much work — I hope you give this one a try!