French
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Beef chuck, bacon, red wine, and vegetables cook low and slow until the meat is fork-tender. Browning the beef first gives the stew a deeper base.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 8 hr
- Total
- 8 hr 30 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Why you’ll love it
- The slow cooker keeps the chuck in moist heat until it turns tender.
- A short sear on the stove builds flavor the cooker cannot brown on its own.
- Bacon, wine, and tomato paste season the whole pot.
- It waits on warm if dinner runs late.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Thaw the beef completely in the refrigerator if it was frozen. Do not put frozen beef in the slow cooker. Pat the cubes dry and season with the salt and pepper.
- 2
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the pieces are crisp. Move the bacon to the slow cooker. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat.
- 3
Brown the beef in batches in the skillet with the olive oil if the pan looks dry. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
- 4
Add the onion and carrots to the skillet and cook 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute, then sprinkle on the flour and stir for 30 seconds.
- 5
Pour in the wine and broth and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer 2 minutes, then pour everything into the slow cooker. Add the thyme and bay leaf.
- 6
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. In the last 45 minutes, stir in the mushrooms. The stew is done when the beef is fork-tender. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaf before serving.
Pro tips
- Dry the beef before browning. Wet meat steams and turns gray.
- Keep the cooker on low. High heat can toughen chuck before the collagen breaks down.
- If the sauce looks thin at the end, simmer it in a saucepan for a few minutes. Leave the beef in the cooker while you do that.
Easy substitutions
- Red wine
- 2 cups extra beef broth plus 1 tbsp red wine vinegar.
- Chuck
- Beef stew meat of a similar size, still thawed first.
- Cremini mushrooms
- White button mushrooms.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Cool and refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating
Warm in a saucepan over medium-low until the beef is hot throughout, about 165°F in the center of a piece.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 362
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Special occasion · Slow Cooker, Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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