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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon has crazy tender melt-in-your-mouth beef, and hearty veggies slow-cooked to perfection in a rich sauce. This meal is comforting and perfect for the cold months ahead!
This rich and hearty meal is warm and satisfying this winter season. If you love a good stew, try this Tuscan Vegetables Chicken Stew, Skillet Pork Cacciatore or Beef Stew with Bacon.
Beef Bourguignon
This is THE BEST BEEF STEW I HAVE EVER HAD! If you guys are looking for a comforting, hearty and blow you away with flavor beef stew, this is your recipe. Ok, I am getting a little ahead of myself because I am so excited about this beef stew.
Who gets excited about a beef stew? Apparently, this girl. This has the most crazy tender beef with hearty vegetables and the absolutely best rich and delicious sauce! I am a total beef stew lover, especially when it cools down. It took me a couple of recipes to get it right.
These are my requirements for the perfect beef stew:
- Tender melt-in-your-mouth beef
- A thick and rich sauce
- Big hearty pieces of vegetables, preferably carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.
This stew had all of that and more and my family couldn’t get enough of it!
What is Bourguignon?
The word bourguignon comes from a dish that is French and is called Buruandy in English. Bourguignon is similar to a beef stew but has a few variations of ingredients and a much deeper flavoring. A classic bourguignon has the presence of red wine in the recipe, which does cook out and is safe for kids to enjoy this bourguignon recipe. This bourguignon recipe is thick and hearty with loads of flavor!
What You Need To Make Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
A few extra steps are involved in making this stew, but I promise it is worth it. Once you cook the bacon and pan-sear the meat, you throw it all into the crockpot and let it do its thing. This meal is truly the best-flavored stew that I have ever had. I know that your family will love slow-cooker beef bourguignon just as much as we did!
- Bacon: Cook it up and chop it for the recipe.
- Beef Chuck: Boneless beef chuck cooks up to be so tender and delicious.
- Red Cooking Wine: This will cook out slowly and is added for flavoring.
- Chicken broth: The chicken broth is added for flavor and helps to cook the meat and veggies.
- Tomato sauce: Ths is flavorful and soaks in the meat and vegetables.
- Soy sauce: The soy sauce has a rich and slightly sweet flavoring.
- Flour: You need flour to make this soup thick. You can use cornstarch instead if you are gluten-free.
- Garlic Cloves: Chop these up and add them for a pungent and a little spice flavoring.
- Thyme: Thyme brings an earthy flavor.
- Carrots: Slice these up into thicker pieces so that you get a taste with every bite!
- Baby Potatoes: Wash and prep your potatoes before adding them to your crockpot.
- Mushrooms: I love adding mushrooms to any slow-cooker meal!
- Parsley: This acts as a garnish and brings some delicious flavor and color to the mix.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
This stew starts off with cooking some bacon. But THEN you pan sear the meat in the bacon drippings. Pan searing is just that extra step to make the edges crisp and the inside tender. Plus it just seals in the flavor! Most good beef stews do have red wine in them. This really brings out the deep and rich flavor in the sauce. But rest assured, the alcohol does get cooked out. But I promise it is necessary in really bringing out this amazing flavor in the stew!
- Cook the meats:Â In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Put bacon in the slow cooker. Salt and pepper the beef and add to the skillet, and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
- Whisk together sauces:Â Add the red wine to the skillet scraping down the brown bits on the side. Allow it to simmer and reduce and slowly add chicken broth, tomato sauce, and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in the flour. Add then add the sauce to the slow cooker.
- Add in remaining ingredients: Add garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir and then cook on low until beef is tender for 8-10 hours or high for 6-Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes if desired.
Variations On Making Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
This beef bourguignon is known to be decadent and one of the most flavorful stews. It is thick and hearty with rich flavors that continue to grow while cooking. Each ingredient is a key role in making this slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe the BEST. Make this ahead of time and have all the aroma lofting about in your home. Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon is a MUST make this winter season. It is comforting and warms you up on those cold nights.
Enjoy these tips for making this slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe even better!
- Cooking bacon: make sure to not over cook the bacon. The slow cooker will cook it a little more once it is added in.
- Brown the beef chuck:Â this will help ensure a crisp outer layer. This is a great way for the meat to cook perfectly in the soup.
- Red wine: leaving this out will be okay although it will leave out the most flavor and richness of this soup. I am not a wine drinker but this is a MUST for this to be cooked properly and to the fullest. The wine does cook out and will be safe for kids to eat.
- Mushrooms:Â I prefer crimini mushrooms. They have more flavor to them compared to the white button. Slicing or cutting in half is best.
- Onions:Â fresh onions are best. If you need to purchase frozen I recommend pearl onions, which are already pealed and have the most flavor.
- Chicken broth: beef broth will also work instead if you prefer.
- Garlic: if you don’t have garlic on hand, substitute the garlic for 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Bay leaves: add in bay leaves for more flavoring and intensity with this soup.
Frequently Asked Questions For Beef Bourguignon
Knowing how to make this slow cooker beef bourguignon even better is just what you need to make this the BEST EVER! I love the flavors that blend together and how well it cooks in the slow cooker. Impress your friends and family with this beautiful looking and tasting beef bourguignon recipe. It is one of a kind and tastes AMAZING with SO much flavor!
Here are a few frequently asked questions that will help you when making this beef bourguignon recipe.
- Can you make this on the stove or in the oven? Yes, this is made a few different ways. Try my BEST EVER Beef Bourguignon for a stove and oven recipe.
- What is the best meat to use for beef bourguignon? Beef stew meat is easiest or chuck is great if you cut it up. Brisket is also another great type of meat to use for beef bourguignon.
- Which red wine is best for beef bourguignon? I am not a wine drinker but I prefer a dark burgundy wine. Pinot Noir or Chianti are also great options. The wine does get cooked out and is safe for families to enjoy. I recommend if you drink the red wine then that is the type to add in the beef bourguignon.
- What is beef bourguignon traditionally served with? To make this a complete meal, add potatoes, noodles or even rice and a side salad. For a bread a hard baguette or dinner roll works well.
Storing Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
This tried and true slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon is so simple to make and has loads of flavor! This is even better made ahead of time or over the stove top. You can’t go wrong with this simple to make slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon.
- Making slow cooker beef bourguignon ahead of time: the great thing about making this beef bourguignon ahead of time gives the soup more flavoring the longer it sits. This does great made the night before and stored in the refrigerator. It will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. When ready to reheat add it to the slow cooker or stove top to warm through.
- Can you freeze slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon? Yes, you can! I like to freeze it in freezer bags or a sealing bag that locks in all the flavors. I freeze them laying down and take them out the night before I am wanting to serve it. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or you can defrost in the microwave if needed on low heat to warm through, stirring occasionally. It will freeze up to 3 months.
- Reheating slow cooker Beef Bourguignon: simply place the beef bourguignon in a slow cooker and reheat on low setting for 4 hours or until warmed through.
More Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beef Tips
- Best Ever Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Barbacoa Beef
- Korean Beef
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- Want to make this even easier? Here are a few products that I LOVE:
- Staub Cast Iron Skillet
- Instant Pot
- The Recipe Critic Whisk
Ingredients
- 5 slices bacon finely chopped
- 3 pounds boneless beef chuck cut to 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup red cooking wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons thyme finely chopped
- 5 medium Carrots sliced
- 1 pound baby potatoes I used tri color
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook bacon over medium high heat until crisp. Put bacon in slow cooker. Salt and pepper the beef and add to the skillet and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
- Add the red wine to the skillet scraping down the brown bits on the side. Allow it to simmer and reduce and slowly add chicken broth, and tomato sauce, and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in the flour. Add the sauce to the slow cooker.
- Add garlic, thyme, carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the slow cooker. Give it a good stir and cook on low until beef is tender for 8-10 hours or high for 6-Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with mashed potatoes if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh my goodness. This recipe is incredible. I made it with a Bison chuck roast and added pearl onions. I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and increased the broth to 3 cups. The flavors are amazing. The fam went wild. Thanks for a great recipe
I’m making the crock pot beef Bourguignon (doubling the recipe) for a family birthday gathering. I notice it calls for 4 tablespoons of thyme. I’m going to gather this is fresh thyme. I will be using thyme that I dried from my garden last summer. Can you recommend how much dried thyme I should use? Also is chicken broth better for the crock pot version or beef broth. Just found your site and I’m very excited to try many of your recipes. Thanks for your help. I’ll report back on how it goes.
I was just trying to convert fresh herbs to dried myself for this recipe and found that you would use 1/3 of the fresh measurement if using dried. So that would be 4 tsp dried thyme if you double the recipe.
I’m a bit confused, the recipe states chicken stock but the video shows beef stock, and also the recipe states slow cooker, yet the video shows an oven dish, please clarify both points.
Hello! That video was for my regular (not slow cooker) beef bourguignon: BEST EVER Beef Bourguignon Thanks so much for letting me know!
You mention onions above, but then the recipe doesn’t call for any. I didn’t realize until I’d already thrown it all in the slow cooker.
No onions in this recipe! I do add pearl onions to my regular beef bourguignon recipe (found here: BEST EVER Beef Bourguignon )
I’m looking forward to making this. Is the tomato sauce the same as passata or tomato purée?
Yes!
I’m making this on a Monday and serving it Wednesday evening. Is it better to brown the beef, add all ingredients, put it it in the fridge and cook in slow cooker for entire 9 hours Wednesday or cook it entirely and just heat on Wednesday?
I would cook it entirely, and then reheat it in the slow cooker on the day that you plan on serving it.
This recipe is fabulous and so is therecipecritic.com site! It’s one of the best sites to use if you want to serve a dynamically flavorful dish to your guests! You won’t be dissappointed!
Made it tonight and my husband and I loved it. He even licked the plate. Everyone should try this recipe.
Delicious! My family loves it! I use the instapot. 11 minutes works great. I actually make this with elk — have to sear the elk no more than 3 min per side.
This is my all time favorite recipe. Comfort food at its’ absolute best. I’ve been making this for several years now. For the comments of this and that… if you want beef broth, use it…if you don’t like thyme, cut it back…If you like onion, add it! I did! I can’t imagine there being not enough liquid…I use a huge chuck roast and a ton of baby portobellos as well as all the other goodies and there’s always plenty. I never skimp on a good Pinot noir either. I use less potatoes sometimes just so I can serve it over a bed of mashed potatoes! I love this recipe so much that it is our Christmas dinner tonight and I can’t believe I’ve never left a review until now. Absolute Perfection!!! Thank you for such a fantastic recipe!
Trying this out for our Christmas Eve meal, added some butter and herbes de Provence. Left out potatoes because I will serve with mashed potatoes and/or French baguettes.
I have made this several times and everyone who I’ve served it to has loved it. So do I! It’s one of my go-to recipes.
I made this recipe as written. It was delicious, but cooking carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low turns them to absolute mush. I will cook this again, but next time, I will add them after 4-5 hours instead so that they don’t disintegrate.
Made this the other night and it turned out great- I left the roast whole and seared each side to save time. I also added an onion, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano. The flavor was awesome, hubby loved it! Definitely adding to my cookbook!
Can you please confirm what type of Tomato is used for this recipe? Is it ketchup or tomato puree?
I used tomato sauce! I know they only have that in the U.S. but it’s like a tomato puree!
I am confused why a beef dish would call for chicken broth. Why wouldn’t you use beef broth?
You can use beef, chicken or vegetable broth. Whichever you prefer!
US tomato sauce is very similar is tomato passata
I cut back on Thyme and the recipe needs much more liquid. The amount of liquid in the recipe did not cover the vegetables and meat in the crock. Need to double the liquids for this to cook properly. Also added quite a bit more seasonings once it began to cook.