Making slow cooker Beef Bourguignon without mushrooms proves you can easily make this French Classic yourself. Delicious with beef, bacon, carrot, and pickled onions, you slowly cook in a red wine sauce.
And where with a regular stew, you can always scrub the pan clean afterward, because you use the crockpot this time, washing the dishes is just as easy as making this recipe.
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
You know that famous recipe you've heard about but never made (or tasted). I had that with Beef Bourguignon. So this was a recipe I wanted to make one day. It is a recipe with many ingredients, but you can freeze the leftovers (if you still have them) for next time.
My adaptation to the recipe is that I omitted the mushrooms. And I didn't miss them because the stew has enough flavor due to its delicious sauce and crispy onions.
Stew in the Crockpot
I used to make all my stews in my cast iron pan, but since I got my slow cooker, I've adapted my recipes to that. The vegetables keep their bite in the crockpot, the slow cooking gives you delicious flavors, and your meat becomes very tender.
What do you need for Crock Pot Boeuf Bourguignon?
To prepare this slow cooker Beef Bourguignon, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Bacon bits: Smoked bacon bits, fried so that the released fat gives the sauce an extra salty taste.
- Beef chuck roast - Used in this recipe. But you can also use a round roast (top or bottom) or tri-tip roast for this Italian beef stew. This meat needs a lot of stewing time, so it has time to absorb all the flavors well and, at the same time, become wonderfully tender. Pat the meat dry before searing it. Wet meat does not brown as nicely.
- Pepper and salt - Add flavor to the meat and sauce.
- Red wine - Pinot Noir is recommended to use. It is fruity, a little spicy, and has body. And the latter can use the sauce.
- Carrot - A regular carrot will do.
- Tomato Paste - Gives the sauce a deeper flavor. Fry the tomato puree for 2 minutes; this will make it sweeter (otherwise, the sour taste of the puree can be overpowering)
- Thyme - Gives a delicious taste to the beef bourguignon.
- Pearl Onions - These are small onions pickled in vinegar. They are called silver onions because of the beautiful sheen on their skins. Rinse the pearl onions before you bake them; otherwise, they will taste too sour.
- Flour - To thicken the sauce slightly. By dusting the meat with the flour and then lightly frying it, you will lose the raw flour taste and will not get any lumps in the sauce.
- Onion and Garlic - Add flavor to the meat and sauce.
- Beef stock - To give the sauce a lot of flavors. The best is homemade beef broth. If you don't have that, make stock from a stock cube.
- Bay leaf - The bay leaf is similar to thyme and oregano but with a warm undertone. It releases its flavor as it stews, and you remove it before serving the Beef Bourguignon.
- Butter - In this, you mash the pearl onions until they are golden brown and wonderfully soft.
How to prepare Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Fry the bacon in a frying pan for two minutes. Put the meat in the pan, sprinkle flour, salt, and pepper, and fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. In the remaining fat, fry the garlic, onion, tomato paste, and carrot for 3 minutes. Then add the meat again and mix everything well. Place the contents of the pan in the slow cooker.
- Pour the wine into the frying pan and bring it to a boil. Scrape the baked goods out of the pan with a wooden spoon. This gives your beef bourguignon in the slow cooker extra flavor. Pour everything into the slow cooker bowl.
- Add the stock and thyme and stir well. Place the bay leaf on top of the liquid. Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on the lowest setting for 6 to 8 hours.
- Melt butter in a pan and add the onions. Pour in the stock, so the onions are covered, and let the liquid evaporate slowly over low heat (it takes about 25 minutes). The onions are now wonderfully soft. Strain the sauce from the boeuf bourguignon and set the vegetables and meat aside. Pour the sauce over the onions and let it reduce until it thickens and shines nicely. On high heat for about five minutes. Mix everything, and you have a delicious rich Boeuf Bourguignon.
This recipe is delicious with Parsley Potatoes with Butter and an arugula salad with apples and pears.
Garnish with some parsley, which gives a wonderfully fresh accent to the rich sauce.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Making slow cooker Beef Bourguignon without mushrooms proves you can easily make this French Classic yourself. Delicious with beef, bacon, carrot, and pickled onions, you slowly cook in a red wine sauce.And where with a regular stew, you can always scrub the pan clean afterward, because you use the crockpot this time, washing the dishes is just as easy as making this recipe.
Equipment
- slow cooker
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 7 oz. bacon bits
- 3 lb. chuck roast, cut into cubes of 1 inch (2 cm)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 onion, sliced very thin
- 1 carrot, sliced in small cubes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, squeezed
- 3 cups red wine, Pinot Noir
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 18 pearl onions
- ⅓ cup beef stock
- parsley, fresh for garnish
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Pat the beef steaks dry with kitchen paper.3 lb. chuck roast
- Fry the bacon in a frying pan.7 oz. bacon bits
- Remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and add the meat.
- Sprinkle the meat with flour, salt, and pepper.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Fry until it is golden brown (it does not have to be cooked), and remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- In the remaining fat, fry the carrot, tomato paste, garlic, and onion for 2-3 minutes.1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 cloves garlic
- Then add the bacon and meat again and stir well.
- Place everything in the slow cooker pot.
- Pour wine into the pan and bring to a boil. Scrap the remaining bits with a wooden spoon and pour everything into the slow cooker.3 cups red wine
- Now add the stock and thyme. Stir well and place the bay leaf on top.½ teaspoon dried thyme, 1 cup beef stock, 1 bay leaf
- Put the lid on the pan and let it simmer for 6 to 8 hours.
- During the last half hour, you prepare the onions.
- For the onions, melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan and fry them until golden brown. Then add the stock until they are just covered.1 tablespoon butter, 18 pearl onions, ⅓ cup beef stock
- Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes until most moisture has evaporated, and the onions are soft.
- Take a bowl and place a coarse sieve in it.
- Pour the stew from the slow cooker into the strainer (while collecting the liquid).
- Return the meat and vegetables to the crockpot.
- Pour the sauce into the frying pan with the onions and skim off the fat with a slotted spoon.
- Then let it simmer on high heat for 5 minutes until the sauce is thicker and shiny.
- Pour the sauce into the slow cooker pan and continue to heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley.parsley
Notes
1. Beef chuck roast is used in this recipe. But you can also use a round roast (top or bottom) or tri-tip roast for this Italian beef stew. This meat needs a lot of stewing time, so it has time to absorb all the flavors well and, at the same time, become wonderfully tender. Pat the meat dry before searing it. Wet meat does not brown as nicely.
2. Silver Onions - These are small onions pickled in vinegar. They are called silver onions because of the beautiful sheen on their skins. Rinse the pearl onions before you bake them; otherwise, they will taste too sour.
3. Red wine - Pinot Noir is recommended to use. It is fruity, a little spicy, and has body. And the latter can use the sauce. You can replace it with another wine from Burgundy.
4. Beef stock - To give the sauce a lot of flavors. The best is homemade beef broth. If you don't have that, prepare stock from a cube.
5. Larger portion? With almost all recipes, you can then press the 2 × button, but not with a slow cooker recipe. If you double the weight in meat, add ¼ - ⅓ cup (50 to 100 ml) of extra liquid.
6. Oven - Don't have a slow cooker? Then make this recipe in the oven in an ovenproof pan. When you have returned the meat to the vegetables, add the wine, stock, and thyme. Place the bay leaf on top and put the lid on the pan. Let it stew at 350 °F (180 °C) for 2 ½ hours. In the last half hour, fry the onions and reduce the sauce again.
7. Storage
Allow the Boeuf bourguignon to cool quickly before storing.
- Refrigerator - Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days
- Freezer - Place the stew in a sealed freezer box and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat - Put the Boeuf bourguignon in a pan, add two tablespoons of water, and heat over low heat until it is sufficiently heated.
Nutrition
Calories: 739kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 51gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 956mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1850IUVitamin C: 10mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Magali says
I love boeuf bourguignon! one of my favorite dish to eat while in france.
Andréa says
It's one of my favorite winter recipes to 😉 Thank you!
Jen says
Hi,
I'd like to make this but I'm confused about what to do with the stock. In step 10 you say to add the stock to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients, but then in step 13 you say to add the stock to the fried onions. I'm not sure what stock we are supposed to add to the onions?
Andréa says
In the ingredient list you'll find the stock twice as an ingredient. Underneath the description, you can see which one is added at that time.
Stephanie says
We enjoyed this boeuf bourguigon recipe! Even I can make a gourmet meal following the instructions here.
Andréa says
Thank you so much!
Gloria says
Slow cookers are the best. This is comfort food at the next level. What a great way to make a delicious meal without too much effort.
Marina Shalneva says
This is a fantastic recipe. I love beef bourguignon. This is such a heartwarming dish, especially during the winter months.
Sabine says
Boeuf Bourguignon is one of my favourite stew dishes and I really loved this recipe without the mushrooms. It came out really well and delicious.
Nora says
Omg, this sounds so amazing! I will make this next weekend when friends are coming over! They will definitely love this! Thanks!
Conchetta P says
Very fancy dish...that I can make! YAY! My family loved it. Sharing -
Andréa says
Thank you!
Andréa says
Great to hear! We love it around here!
Erin says
Hello what size slow cooker did you use? thank you!
Andréa says
I use a 3.5 liter (2/3 gallon) slow cooker.