Slow-Cooker Beef Bourguignon
Adapted from Babs of Brunch with Babs
Beef bourguignon is essentially a really good beef stew. It’s beef slowly cooked in red wine with bacon, carrots, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and herbs. I have the classic version in another post. This version uses a slow cooker, making it much easier. It’s a great Saturday or Sunday meal. Start it in the morning, go enjoy your day, and come home to a dinner that’s basically finished.
Ingredients
3 lbs. beef roast, trimmed and cut into cubes
6 slices bacon
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 bag frozen pearl onions
4 carrots, sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. brandy
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup flour
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Preparation
Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove and crumble it into the slow cooker, leaving the bacon drippings in the skillet.
Pat the beef dry, season generously with salt and pepper, and brown it in batches in the bacon drippings. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. You want to sear the beef, not steam it. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
Briefly cook the carrots, garlic, and herbs in the remaining drippings, then add them to the slow cooker.
Pour the red wine and brandy into the skillet and bring them to a gentle simmer, scraping up the browned bits left behind from the beef.
Whisk together the tomato paste and flour, then incorporate them into the wine along with the beef broth. Once everything is smooth and beginning to thicken, pour the mixture over the beef.
Add the pearl onions and mushrooms, stir everything together, cover, and cook on low for about eight hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. Finish with chopped fresh parsley.
Serve with egg noodles and crusty bread.
Keywords: Main Beef
