Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon with all the delicious classic French flavors of beef, red wine, mushrooms and bacon made in your slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon seems like it should be more difficult than it is. The French dish that is considering daunting to most chefs is a deliciously easy comfort food recipe I make any time I need to decompress and destress.
It may seem like a pretty low stress kind of job to cook for families and put recipes online but I actually do quite a lot of work related travel. There were three months this year that I was traveling for almost half the month and each time I visited five or more cities. The day I would come home this dish was what I set up in the slow cooker for when I woke up the next day.
Brown the beef and the mushrooms well then let the slow cooker break down the connective tissue until what you’re left with is a rich red wine braised beef stew.
Then do yourself a favor, get the best fresh baguette you can find and a stick of butter. Heck make things amazing with an easy side salad. This dinner will make you feel like those old time-y Campbells Soup commercials used to promise it would when the snowman kid would melt.
C’mon you remember the snowman kid!
Tips for making this Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon perfect:
- Don’t overcook the bacon, burnt bacon is bitter and the bacon will not stay crisp in the stew anway. Get a good crisp but don’t stress perfection.
- Brown the beef to a deep brown color. The browned beef will payoff in the end, please don’t cook this without browning the beef, you lose a ton of flavor.
- Crimini mushrooms add more flavor than white button and shouldn’t be more than a couple cents a pound more expensive. You can use sliced too but cutting in half tends to help them stand out in the end dish better.
- Pearl Onions are totally classic to the dish and I love them. I used fresh but you can also buy frozen. Just be sure you peel off any of the “papery” layers, they won’t soften in the stew.
- I call for beef broth in the recipe but honestly (and yes I’ve said this a million times before) I use Beef Base in addition to or in place of beef stock/broth. I can double up on the intensity without waiting for beef stock to reduce to intensify flavor.
Looking for more Slow Cooker Recipes?
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak and Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker Roast Beef (Sliceable!)
- Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Ultimate Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Tools Used in making this Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon:
Slow Cooker: Love this slow cooker and how programmable it is, it has been a workhorse for me… until…
My New Slow Cooker: This recipe was made in this slow cooker. I brown the meat in the insert without losing a bunch of the flavor by transferring the meat and leaving the browned bits behind. If you’re thinking of a new slow cooker, consider it if your budget is open.
Cast Iron Skillet: If you don’t have a slow cooker with a stovetop friendly insert, this is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Pig Tail Flipper: I use this to flip the chuck roast easily. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping, it is amazing.
Beef Base: I almost never buy boxes of broth because I keep the beef, chicken and vegetable version of this Better Than Bouillon.
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 lbs chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms cut in half
- 3 carrots peeled and cut into 1" chunks
- 4 cups beef broth *
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 4-5 stalks fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 pound white pearl onions peeled
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat an aluminum slow cooker insert or cast iron skillet on high heat.
- Cook the bacon until crisp, then remove.
- Season the beef with half the salt and the pepper.
- Add to the skillet and brown on each side for 4-6 minutes or until deeply browned on each side.
- Remove the beef from the pan and add in the mushrooms and lower the heat to medium high.
- Cook the mushrooms for 3 minutes, stir then cook another 3 minutes.
- Into the slow cooker add the mushrooms, carrots, half the bacon, broth*, second half of the salt, tomato paste, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, pearl onions and red wine.
- Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks and add it to the slow cooker.
- Stir all the ingredients until well mixed and cook on low for 7 hours.
- In a small bowl mix the butter and flour and add it to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook an additional hour or until thickened.
Notes
- *Alternately use a big scoop of Beef Better than Bouillon like I did in addition to water/stock. The extra beef flavor is fantastic.
Nutrition
I made this with a few modifications it was a hit-a family of 8 and everyone said it was a keeper! My youngest doesn’t like soup style food and she had two bowls! I omitted the bacon,used Beech mushrooms and Cherry wine as that was what was on hand. I also I added quartered roasted potatoes at the very end.
Can I brown the meat the day before?
I’ve made this recipe about three times now and it is always a hit. The recipe is easy to follow. The hardest part is peeling the baby onions, but worth it. My 11 year old grandson told me it’s now his favorite which is high praise.
I drop Pearl onions in a pot of rapidly boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain water. Cool to touch. Snip bottom of onion with kitchen scissors. Holding top of onion, apply gentle pressure, pinching until onion slides out of unwanted outer peel. Easy.
Very tasty!! I added heaps of fresh herbs and chopped celery. I also swapped the tomato paste for a tin of crushed tomatoes. Family loved it!
I love this recipe and have used it many times. Everyone loves it. I have one day a week that I cook for 18 and triple this recipe. I usually put it in the cooker at night let it cook all night. Could I assemble it several hours before and keep refrigerated until later that evening before I turn on the slow cooker?
This is a quick and easy recipe and it turned out so good ????
What do I do with the other half of the bacon
Can I cube and flour the beef before browning it, use the same pan for the mushrooms then deglaze the pan with a couple splashes of wine before adding it all to the crockpot? Will it mess up the liquid content? This looks like an amazing recipe!
I think that sounds wonderful!
Very tasty recipe! However, you direct us to put in half of the bacon, then never reveal where the other half is used. Is it a topping? Is it for the cook? ( that’s my favorite)
Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Haha, the cook can definitely partake but yes, you’ll want to use it as a topping before serving. Never enough bacon, right?
In my house we just use it for breakfast the next morning or the morning of
Looking forward to trying this recipe for Christmas! Can I sub grass fed stew meat for the chuck? Will it be just as tender in the slow cooker?
No, a different cut of meat would have different marbling. I’m assuming if you’ve got great marbling in that beef it should work okay though? Usually stew meat doesn’t have great marbling which is why the butcher cuts it up to sell it off.
Does the butter need to be melted or just softened? Thanks!
Softening it will work perfectly. Enjoy!
I made this exactly as written today and it was ridiculously good… I was shocked, actually. Just to ask, though, why do you not say to use Burgundy wine in this crockpot recipe like your non-crockpot Beef Bourguignon recipe? Does Burgandy no work well in slow cooker meals? I ask for knowledge and because next time I make this, I would like to try Burgandy in the crockpot version. Thanks! 😉
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This is the original version so I was trying to make recipes using more pantry items or items people would readily have in their kitchen. You can definitely use brandy in this slow cooker version.
I’m anxious to make your slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe. Before I begin, I have 2 questions. 1) recipe says to use half the bacon into slow cooker . . . What is the other half of bacon used for? 2) Exactly how much beef base do you add?
Thanks, Susan
Sorry about that. The other half of the bacon I use as a garnish and sprinkle it on top before serving. I usually add a scoopful of the base to deepen the flavor of the broth. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Thank you much for your help. I will make this for Christmas dinner,
Sabrina all of your stews look delicious. My question is what would you serve as a side to a stew. Rice, salad, mash…?
Generally I do a salad with creamy dressing (I like blue cheese) because with something hearty like a stew I want fresh vegetables alongside it. Sometimes in a hurry I even just do carrots and tomatoes for bursts of fresh flavors. I think the balance works because stews are generally so hearty.
As always…thank you for your talent!
You’re so kind, thank you.
Thanks for the recipe Sabrina, can’t wait to try this weekend!
Enjoy!
If wanted to cook it on high. How many hours on high?
4-5 hours.
Sounds delicious but easily put 1L of red wine for the full experience ! 🙂
The recipe description says flavors of red wine however there is not red wine listed in the recipe. Is there something missing?
You’ll want to use 1 cup of red wine for this recipe.
It says to add half the bacon. What do you do with the other 3 pieces of bacon?
I just sprinkled it on top before serving. Enjoy!
The best beef bourguignon EVER!!!!!
Wow, this dish is amazing. It has such depth of flavor. Definitely worth the time in the morning to brown the beef. This will be added to my rotation!
I didn’t have wine but didn’t need it with the Better Than Bouillon! So good!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Jenae.
The recipe says add to the Crock-Pot half the bacon but never says what you do with the other half.
Sorry about that. I just added it as a topping at the end before serving. You can never have too much bacon, haha!
Such a simple, elegant dish. Made it many times. Once i made it wtih tenderloin..WOW ..a big hit but not again..too$$$$
Just made this today for a Christmas meal with our daughter’s family, everyone LOVED it! I’ll be making it again, thx for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Deb.
Do you need a six quart slow cooker for this recipe?
Yes 🙂
Sorry, I’m a bit confused on adding the BBTB as I’ve never cooked with it before. Do I make 4 cups of the bouillon and add an extra spoonful or do I use boxed broth and add a spoonful of bouillon? I’ve never eaten a bad recipe of yours and I’ve cooked a lot of them. I’m excited to try this one. Thank you, Sabrina.
You would use 4 cups of water and the amount of bouillon per cup (on the label, I believe it’s 1 tbsp per cup) for the amount of broth. Hope this helps and let me know how it turns out! Glad you are liking everything!
my late husband used to make this dish all the time, it was his mom’s recipe…every time I would ask him to write it down for me his standard reply was “when I’m done cooking” but then life would get in the way and needless to say he never did and his mom says she doesn’t use a recipe when she makes it.
Your recipe comes closest to what I remember him doing except for the carrots, all of your other ingredients with the amounts are spot on, so I would like to say thank you!
I have been looking for this for a very long time!
This is so sweet and touching. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m glad I was able to bring memories back to you through cooking. This is truly why I do what I do.
made it today it was excellent…just like my husbands
That is an awesome compliment, thank you so much!!
I made this today with the intention of having leftovers but we ate every single spoonful. It was absolutely delicious and fool proof. Thank you, Sabrina!
Fantastic!
In the instructions you first say to add one half of the bacon (step 7). Later you say stir all ingredients but don’t mention if this means adding the rest of the bacon….where does the rest of the bacon go?
You’ll want to use the other half on the top at the end before serving. Enjoy!
This recipe is easy and delicious! I did not have the time to do it in the slow cooker, so I used a heavy duty pot (creuset) that I could put in the oven with the lid on. I left it in for about 60-90 minutes. Definitely use the Better than Bouillon and the tomato paste. Makes a rich sauce.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Can you use dried thyme instead of fresh? If so, how much? Can’t wait to try this! Just love your recipes. Thank you!
Yes you can substitute dried thyme instead of fresh but you’ll want to use about 1/4 of a teaspoon since they’re more potent than fresh. Enjoy!
In the picture, it looks like the beef is cubed, but i don’t see that in the recipe. Is it cubed or just shredded after simmering?
It’s cubed 🙂
2 questions, what happens to the other 1/2 of the bacon? Also if I want to cook this on a high temp in the crock pot do I just cut the cooking times in half? Thanks!
The other half of the bacon gets added as a topping right before serving. I actually prefer low and slow but if you’d like to cook on high, I would recommend to cook it for 3 1/2 hours, add in the butter/flour and then cook another half hour. Good luck!
This was fabulous! Served to family for my wife’s 60th birthday party. S-I-L had to have the recipe! I used stewing beef that I floured with salt and pepper mixed in before browning and port instead of wine. Also used purple pearl onions for more of a wow factor on the presentation. Served over egg noodles. Haha, didn’t read far enough down and used my left over bacon for the caesar salad. I will be making this many more times in the future. Thanks Sabrina!
So glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the 5 stars.
I’m not much of a carnivore and rarely make any kind of beef at home but my mouth watered when I saw this recipe and I was not disappointed! I figured a snowy, March Sunday was the perfect day to try it out and it’s absolutely fanatastic! The flavors are wonderful and beef melts in your mouth. I made potatoes separately because I wasn’t sure there would be enough liquid to cook them with the other ingredients. Again, a great meal!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Donna. I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
What can be used instead of wine?
It will change the flavor but you just use more beef broth in its place. Hope this helps!
Turned out pretty good; ended up cooking on high for 6 hours; did serve 8 with the small red potatoes (uncut). But at end, the sauce was not very thick, so I removed most of it to a pan on the stove-top and boiled down some more and then added some flour to thicken and then returned it to the slow cooker. Also, I think I would put the pearl onions in maybe half-way through because they were pretty disintegrated – still good flavor though. Also added more carrots.
Hi: did you brown the whole roast before cutting it up into pieces?
Yes 🙂
Made this for Christmas dinner. I needed 10 servings so I added another half to the ingredients. I used the suggested better than bouillon for my broth and added an extra dollop. It made a nice rich stew that I got many compliments on. The meat was the most tender I’ve ever had in a stew. I browned it as the recipe indicated. I served this over mashed potatoes. Absolutely delicious. Everyone ate it up!
Thanks for the recipe. The only different thing I did was by mistake. Four hours on high and the remainder on low. Maybe that’s why it was extra tender.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it, Julie! Thank you for the 5 stars!!
If you use 3+ lbs prime brisket meat instead of chuck roast, would you still cook it on low for 8 hours or would cooking time be less because it is a better cut of meat?
Can I use red potatoes instead of yukon gold or would they be too mushy?
Trying to make this Christmas morning; would really appreciate an answer.
So sorry I’m just now seeing your question. How did it all turn out?
Hi Sabrina, I’m not a total fan of pearl onions so I have a question: If I were to use Yukon potatoes (cut up) can they be put in the slow cooker from the beginning? Or will they get mushy from cooking so long?
Thanks.
Donna
Nope, yukons would be great to add to the slow cooker. I use them in my Ultimate Slow Cooker Beef stew. Enjoy!
If doubling this recipe how much longer would you need to cook it?
Not necessarily, but you want to make sure not to overcrowd your slow cooker. If it’s too full it will take much longer to cook.
I just made this & I’m super excited for it get done cooking so I can eat it! Only problem: the recipe only says to put half of the cooked bacon in the cooker… So, I already went ahead and ate the other 3 slices of bacon before reading in the comments that I was supposed to add it at the end… Oops! Looks like I will need to cook some more bacon!
Sounds like a great problem to have!
Smells great, but after 8 hours and the butter/flour mixture, it is not thickening; what else can I try?
Oh bummer! You can take the liquid out and add more flour and cook over medium heat whisking until it thickens. Hope this helps!
I did everything and it ended up being super bland! What went wrong??
I’m so sorry it was bland to your liking. Did you add the extra beef base that I suggested? It really kicks up the flavor.
What happens to the other half of he bacon?
Add the other half of the bacon as a topping before serving. 🙂
Do you drain the meat before adding it to the crockpot ?
I didn’t.
Thanks for this recipe – but just wondering…
Unless I’ve missed something, I’ve still got half of the bacon left over at the end? 🙂
Stir the remaining bacon in at the end before serving. 🙂 Let no bacon go to waste, haha!
Just made this, now gotta wait till it’s done
Hi
In your slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe it states in the slow cooker, add half the bacon. Problem is what do you do with the remaining 3 slices, it never says.
Thanks
Doug
You can use the remaining bacon to top at the end and stir before serving. 🙂
can this be cooked on high ,if so for how long
I prefer low and slow but if you’d like to adapt to cooking on high, the rule is 1 hour on high for every 2 hours on low. My recommendation would be to cook it 3 1/2 hours, add in the butter/flour and then cook another half an hour.
This looks amazing, but I want to save it and can’t find the Pinterest button.
Kate, there was a glitch with the pinning button but it should be working now. Thank you so much for pinning from the site, I really appreciate it!
Can you pre-make these recipes for the freezer and cook at a later date?? I want to make a bunch of dinners a head of time? Your recipes are simple and sound delicious!!
I would recommend making them and then freezing. To serve, defrost completely overnight in the fridge if frozen, then place on a low heat to warm through. Hope this helps.
Delicious recipe! Do you know if this can be frozen? I have sloppy joes, chili and the beef bourguignon currently in my fridge and realized we’re only eating at home Tuesday and Thursday this week. I need to freeze a few things. Thanks so much!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like you’ve been eating some delicious meals!! You can freeze it up to 3 months. Just defrost it overnight in the fridge and heat on warm heat until warm through.
I don’t like chewy bacon – could I just add bacon grease to the crockpot instead of the actual bacon?
Yes, that will work too!
I have this in the crockpot right now and am so excited for dinner! Question – when I mix the flour and butter to add, do I melt the butter first? Or just mix the flour with softened butter?
Thank you!
It’s just butter from the fridge…not melted or softened. Hope you enjoyed it!
Making this today and it smells awesome! Is the rest of the bacon for topping? The recipe says to add half of the bacon but never mentioned the rest. Thanks!
Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. You’ll want to put the remaining bacon on top at the end and stir before serving. Thanks for letting me know that was missing.
What do I do with the other half of the bacon? Snack?
Haha, I like the way you improvise but no, you’ll want to top with remaining bacon at the end and then stir it before serving. Thanks for letting me know that step was missing.
Hi, I have enjoyed tripling your beef burgundy recipe for a French diner tonight, I am not a super experienced cook, it would have helped me if you had indicated in the directions how long to cook the bacon and what you mean by “crisp bacon”. I used your tip with the bouillon to intensify the flavor as I always keep those jars of bouillon
in my pantry. Instead of using the flour and butter,
I think maybe, that 12 cups of beef broth were too much with 3 cups of wine- I wanted to thicken the sauce after the slow cooking. I pressure cooked a bunch of peeled potatoes and pureed them with the broth, as I wanted a gluten-free dish.
I suggest Pinot noir wˆnde, I actually found one labeled “Burgundy” at supermarché!
I had never made boeuf bourguigon before and I enjoyed following your recipe as I learned a lot of good tips. I’m sure folks will enjoy my attempts at French cuisine tonight. Have you written a book yet? Thanks, Margpt
I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish. I would recommend cooking the bacon for 5-7 minutes to get it crispy.
Stay tuned for the book 😉
There’s no burgundy wine in this?
I just wrote red wine but you can certainly use a burgundy wine instead. Red wines tend to be a bit cheaper so that’s why I used it instead of burgundy. Enjoy!
These photos are making me drool! This looks so good!
Thanks Ashlyn!
I love what you can make in a slow cooker!
I know, right?! I have a serious love affair with my slow cookers!!
Beef bourguignon is one of my favorite meals! I need to try your slow cooker recipe!
I hope you enjoy it!
What a hearty and delicious meal for the winter!
Thanks, Michelle!
What an awesome dinner to come home to. Slow cookers are the best!
Thanks Dee!
This beef is seriously everything!
Thanks Jocelyn!