Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon, a comforting, flavour-packed dinner made with tender chunks of beef, smoked streaky bacon, carrots and mushrooms cooked in a rich red wine gravy that is absolutely delicious. It's an easy meal for chilly evenings when you need something hearty and nutritious without spending hours in the kitchen.

Prep Time30

Cook Time4

Total Time4 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: International

Servings: people

Calories: 674kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

700 g stewing beef (chuck beef/ braising beef, 1.5 lb)
200 ml red wine (⅔ cup)
250 ml beef stock (broth, 1 cup)
160 g smoked streaky bacon (5 oz)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
200 g white button mushrooms (7 oz)
2 tablespoon olive oil
30 g butter (2 tbsp)
2 tablespoon tomato puree
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

Use kitchen paper to pat the beef dry, add the flour, season with salt and pepper and mix well to coat the beef in flour.
In a large pan set over a medium-high heat, add the butter and oil and allow the butter to melt.
Add the beef and sear it well on both sides, working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Remove the beef from the pan, and transfer it to the slow cooker.
In the same pan, add the chopped bacon, and fry it until golden brown.
Add the peeled and chopped onion and leave it to cook for 2-3 minutes until it's soft.
Pour in the wine and leave it to bubble away for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms, peeled and sliced carrots, peeled and chopped garlic, herbs, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce.
Transfer everything to the slow cooker and place the lid on.
Cook it on high for 4 hours or on slow for 8-9 hours until the beef is tender, melting in your mouth.
Garnish with freshly-chopped parsley if you wish.

Notes

Don't add too much liquid to the slow cooker, unlike cooking the stew in a pan on a cooker, where liquid can evaporate, the slow cooker retains moisture, so the gravy will be too thin otherwise.

Brown the beef before adding it to the slow cooker, searing creates a deeply brown surface that adds tons of flavour to the stew. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the beef will steam rather than sear. I cooked mine in 2 batches.

Cooking the bacon and onions also adds lots of flavour, so do not skip this step, it's as important as searing the beef. It also cooks down the fat from the bacon, which creates deeper flavours, rather than having a greasy stew.

Nutrition