This is a really easy beef bourguignon, or beef in red wine that you can make in the slow cooker or pop in the oven until its tender and delicious.
It's a great choice for entertaining, as it tastes even better when it's reheated, and always goes down well.
Pair it with a great French potato dish, or just some creamy mashed potatoes, and you will have some very happy guests.
Bon appétit!
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🤔FAQs
This dish is essentially beef in red wine or 'Burgundy'. Burgundy wine is a pinot noir grape, which is widely used.
The important part is to use a wine that you like and would drink with the meal.
Many recipes call for a whole bottle of wine.
I've been making this dish for years, especially in France as stewing beef was relatively affordable. In that time I've probably tried every variation, but this version focusses on the easy preparation time, which makes it ideal for entertaining or just a delicious meal.
The main time drain with beef bourguignon is the time taken to peel shallots, which seems to take ages. I've also found that they are often huge, so they look out of proportion with the dish, so I've opted for a cheats version and used frozen pearl onions. Believe me, this is a game changer that I wish I'd found sooner!
Of course, you can use fresh shallots and add carrots, celery or anything else that works, but with this easy beef bourguignon version the actual preparation time is only 15 minutes.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
- Hands on time of only 10 minutes.
- No chopping or peeling.
- Great for entertaining or making in advance.
- Freezes well.
- Easy to vary the ingredients.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Beef - of course beef from the butcher is usually better, but twith cost in mind, supermarket diced beef is fine for this dish. Traditionally, shin or chuck steak would be used.
- Pearl onions - Ocado stock a great French brand called Picard and their frozen pearl onions are the perfect size. There's no need to defrost them.
- Bouquet garni - you can buy these in most supermarkets and they typically include thyme, parsley, bay leaf and peppercorns. It's easy to make your own by tying fresh herbs together. The important thing is to remember to remove it at the end of cooking.
- Bacon lardons - the smoked bacon gives great flavour to the dish and the fat renders down to make the dish really rich.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- slow cooker
- sharp knife
- large frying pan/skillet
- slotted spoon
- wooden spoon
- measuring jug
🍲Slow Cooker Tips for this recipe
- Preheat the slow cooker while you are preparing the ingredients.
- Make sure that there is at least 2 centimetres of space in the bowl when it is full.
- Do not remove the lid in the first half of the cooking time, as valuable heat will be lost and cooking time will need to be extended.
- All stock/gravy should be boiling when added at the beginning of cooking.
🔪 Instructions
Preheat the slow cooker on HIGH while you prepare the ingredients.
Finely chop or crush the garlic and add to the frying pan with the bacon lardons and onions.
Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the bacon is coloured.
Transfer to the slow cooker with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind. This will be used to cook the beef and will also add great flavour to the dish.
Check the meat is of a similar size as often precut meat can have large chunks.
Season the meat with the salt and pepper.
Add half of the meat to the pan over a medium to high heat and sear, then turn over the meat to sear all sides. Add the oil if necessary.
Transfer to the slow cooker, leaving the fat behind, and repeat with the remaining beef.
💭 Top Tip
- Rather than stirring, it's easier to get a good sear by leaving the meat for about a minute and then using tongs to turn when the meat is browned. Repeat until the meat is seared all over.
- The main purpose of searing protein, such as beef, over a high heat with only a little oil, is to produce the Maillard effect. This is the chemical reaction that occurs between the proteins, or amino acids in meat and fish and the natural sugars. This is what gives the meat, colour and flavour.
Add the flour to the pan and stir to mix with the fat for a minute the gradually stir in the stock and wine until a thick gravy forms.
It will seem like a small amount but more liquid will be released as it cooks.
Add the bouquet garni.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 7 to 10 hours.
Alternatively, cook in a casserole dish at 160 C / 310 F / 140 FAN / Gas 2.5 for about 2 hours.
It's difficult to be completely precise, as the cooking time will vary depending on the exact cut of meat and the size it is.
I always think that slow cooked dishes like the easy bourguignon actually taste better reheated the next day, as the flavours have a chance to deepen.
Chop the parsley and scatter over just before serving.
Don't forget to remove the bouquet garni.
🥗 Side Dishes
Try one of these French potato dishes.
- Cheesy Duchess Potatoes
- Gratin Potatoes Dauphinoise
- Potatoes Boulangère
- Potatoes Pavé
- Fondant Potatoes
- Parmentier Potatoes
- Boursin Mashed Potatoes
- Potatoes Rissole
- Pommes Persillade
- Sarladaise Potatoes
- Chateau Potatoes
- Potatoes Parisienne
🥙 Substitutions
- Bouquet garni - use a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs or herbs de Provence.
- Pearl onions - use shallots, spring onions or just chop a regular onion.
- Wine - the wine will cook out in this dish but you can replace it with 200 ml of beef stock if you prefer.
📖 Variations
- Carrots - these are often found in this dish, but they are best cut into cubes so that they cook quicker if you are cooking on high.
- Button mushrooms - leave whole for presentation and add for the last hour of cooking.
- Celery - slice, but bear in mind that it will cook down into the gravy.
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool cover and keep for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - pack into sealed containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat - on the hob over a low heat, in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4 for about 30 minutes.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the day before and reheat as above.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More beef recipes
- Beef Olives
- Bavette Steak
- Slow Cooker Brisket
- Flanken Short Ribs
- Corned Beef Fritters
- Roast Rib of Beef
- Picanha Beef
- Chateaubriand
- Jacob's Ladder
- Spider Steak
📋 Recipe
Easy Beef Bourguignon
Equipment
- slow cooker
- sharp knife
- large frying pan/skillet
- slotted spoon
- wooden spoon
- Measuring jug
Ingredients
- 700 g stewing beef
- 150 g pearl onions
- 100 ml beef stock
- 200 ml red wine
- 2 garlic cloves
- 200 g bacon lardons
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 bouquet garni
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- Preheat the slow cooker on high while you prepare the ingredients.
- Finely chop or crush the garlic and add to the frying pan with the bacon lardons and onions.
- Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the bacon is coloured.
- Transfer to the slow cooker with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
- Season the meat with the salt and pepper.
- Add half of the meat to the pan over a medium to high heat and sear, then turn over the meat to sear all sides. Add the oil if necessary.
- Transfer to the slow cooker, leaving the fat behind, and repeat with the remaining beef.
- Add the flour to the pan and stir to mix with the fat for a minute the gradually stir in the stock and wine until a thick gravy forms.
- Pour the gravy into the slow cooker and mix all of the ingredients together.
- Add the bouquet garni.
- Cook on High for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 7 to 10 hours.
- Alternatively, cook in a casserole dish at 160 C / 310 F / 140 FAN / Gas 2.5 for about 2 hours.
- Chop the parsley and scatter over just before serving.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
French Main Courses
- French Bean and Sausage Stew40 Minutes
- Beef Confit2 Hours 10 Minutes
- Chicken Mornay45 Minutes
- Slow Cooker Pork Normandy4 Hours 30 Minutes
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
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Amanda
So easy, rich and delicious!