Slow cooker boeuf bourguignon joint

This is my slow-cooker boeuf bourguignon recipe with a twist. Instead of cutting the meat into chunks, we’re cooking an entire joint of beef in the slow-cooker with bacon, onions, mushrooms and a delicious red wine gravy flavoured with thyme, carrots and celery.

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Boeuf bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon is a classic French beef stew, that originated in the Bourgogne region of France (or Burgundy as we know it in English). It is traditionally made with beef chunks which are marinated overnight in herbs and red wine and then simmered for a few hours with vegetables until tender.

I’ve taken the liberty of changing the recipe slightly, to use an entire joint of beef rather than cutting the beef into chunks, and also adapted it to be made in a slow-cooker to save on energy costs.

The best piece of beef to use is either brisket or topside. These cuts of beef benefit from a long, slow cooking time, which gives the fibres and collagen plenty of time to break down and tenderise.

For extra flavour, and to aid in thickening the gravy, I like to coat the meat with seasoned flour and brown it in a frying pan before placing it in the slow cooker. I also add some pieces of crispy fried bacon before adding the wine and vegetables.

Once it’s all in the slow-cooker, it’s just a matter of waiting a few hours until it is done.

To be honest, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find any difference in taste between my version and the marinated version. And my version is much less work 🙂

What you will need

Equipment

Of course, you will need a slow-cooker. This particular model has a timer, which is handy if you want to go out and have the slow-cooker switch itself off once the time is up. My model doesn’t have a timer, so I have to remember to set an alarm to remind me to switch it off.

You will also need a large frying pan for browning the joint of beef. I like this frying pan because it has a non-metallic handle so there’s less chance of accidentally burning yourself.

For blending the gravy, you will need a stick blender (or immersion blender).

The only other things you will need, are a sharp knife and a chopping board.

Ingredients

This recipe will serve 4 to 6 people. You can easily adjust it to serve more by using a larger cut of beef and adding more vegetables.

**You can get full ingredients and complete instructions for making this slow-cooker boeuf bourguignon on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Beef joint – Any beef joint (apart from fillet which will dry out in the slow-cooker) will be suitable for this dish. I’ve made it with both brisket and topside, and both turned out beautifully tender.

Shallots – Baby onions are best to use, but are sometimes hard to find in the shops. I could only find banana shallots which were a bit big, so I cut them in half. You could also use normal white or yellow onions cut into quarters if you can’t find baby onions.

Celery and carrots – these should be cut into large chunks. Once the boeuf bourguignon is cooked I remove most of the onions, carrots and celery to serve as a side dish, but leave a few in the cooking liquid to blend into the gravy.

Mushrooms – I like to use whole button mushrooms, but you could also use white closed-cap or chestnut mushrooms. If the mushrooms are quite large, you should cut them in half.

Bacon – a few rashers of streaky bacon adds extra flavour. You could also use bacon lardons.

Seasoned flour – this is simply plain flour that has been mixed with garlic granules, salt and black pepper. It is used to coat the beef before the beef is browned, which not only adds flavour, but also helps thicken the gravy. If you don’t have garlic granules you can just add 2 or 3 cloves of fresh garlic along with the vegetables.

Stock cube – this is a beef stock cube and it should be dissolved in one cup of boiling water. If you have fresh beef stock (or store-bought liquid beef stock) in your refrigerator, by all means use that.

Red wine – for an authentic boeuf bourguignon you should use a red wine which has been produced in the Bourgogne (Burgundy) region of France, such as Pinot Noir. If it’s not readily available in your area, you can use another medium-bodied red wine such as Shiraz or even Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce – both of which help enrich the gravy.

Thyme – a few sprigs of fresh thyme added to the slow-cooker makes a world of difference to the end result. You could also add a sprig of parsley and one or two bay leaves. If you only have dried thyme, you can use that, but be careful not to add too much. Dried herbs are much more pungent than fresh.

You will also need some sunflower oil for browning the beef, and if you need to thicken the gravy, you will need some cornflour (or cornstarch).

What to do

Preparation

• Peel the carrots and shallots (or onions). Cut the carrots into one-inch chunks. If your onions are quite large, cut them in half or quarters.
• Wash the celery and cut it into one-inch pieces.
• Cut the bacon into approximately one-inch pieces.
• Mix the garlic granules, salt and pepper into the flour.
• Dissolve the stock cube in one cup of boiling water and mix in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.

Brown the beef and bacon

Cook the boeuf bourguignon

Make the gravy

• Remove the meat to a serving dish, cover lightly with tinfoil and leave to rest.
• Remove most of the vegetables to a serving dish and keep warm.
• Blend the gravy with a stick blender (or immersion blender) until it is smooth. If you don’t have a blender, pour the gravy into a metal sieve and press the vegetables through the sieve with the back of a spoon.
• If necessary, thicken the gravy with a tablespoon of cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Stir it into the gravy in the slow-cooker (set on high) until the gravy thickens.

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How to serve slow-cooker boeuf bourguignon

I like to serve thin slices of beef, covered with the gravy alongside the vegetables.

In keeping with the French theme I like to serve it with boulangere potatoes, but it’s equally good served with good old mashed potatoes, covered in gravy.

You may also enjoy it with these vegetable dishes:

• Baked cauliflower and broccoli cheese
• Creamy leek and brussels sprouts bake
• Butterred cabbage with leeks and mustard seeds
• Mashed green beans

FAQ

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Other recipes

If this isn’t quite what you are looking for, why not take a look at some of my other slow-cooker recipes:

• Easy slow-cooker beef stroganoff
• Slow-cooker coq au vin
• Slow-cooker Mongolian roast beef
• Slow-cooker lamb shanks in red wine gravy
• Slow-cooker beef Trinchado
• Slow-cooker oxtail stew
• Slow-cooker beef and kidney stew

The recipe

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