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Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon

Slow cooker beef bourguignon with deep wine-braised flavor, tender chuck cubes, and mushrooms and pearl onions. Uses bacon fat and a flour coat for a rich, lightly thickened stew texture.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Bacon, flour, beef, vegetables, and wine-broth for the bourguignon stew
  • 6 thick-cut bacon
  • 3 lb beef chuck
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour Use to lightly coat the beef before browning.
  • 1 onion Diced.
  • 4 garlic Minced.
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 cup dry red wine
  • 1.5 cup beef broth
  • 4 carrots Sliced thick.
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms Quartered.
  • 1 cup frozen pearl onions
  • 2 tbsp butter

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Brown the bacon and beef
  1. Cook the thick-cut bacon in a cast iron skillet until crisp, then transfer the crisp bacon to the slow cooker and leave the bacon fat in the pan.
  2. Season the beef chuck cubes with salt and black pepper, then toss with all-purpose flour and brown in batches in the bacon fat in the skillet.
  3. Add the browned beef (and any floury bits) to the slow cooker with the bacon.
Build the wine base
  1. Add diced onion, minced garlic, and tomato paste to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes to soften and deepen in color.
  2. Pour in the dry red wine and simmer for 3 minutes, scraping up browned bits from the pan, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
Slow-cook until tender
  1. Add beef broth, sliced carrots, dried thyme, and bay leaves to the slow cooker, cover, and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours until the beef is very tender.
Finish with mushrooms and pearl onions
  1. Melt the butter in the skillet and sauté the cremini mushrooms and frozen pearl onions until golden.
  2. Stir the sautéed mushrooms and pearl onions into the stew, then continue cooking for the last 30 minutes on LOW.
  3. Remove the bay leaves, then serve the beef bourguignon over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Notes

For the deepest flavor, brown the beef in small batches so it sears instead of steams, and keep all the skillet drippings for the sauce. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months (reheat gently to avoid breaking the tender meat). For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour for coating the beef.