Beef Bourguignon Oven Slow Cooker Or Instant Pot

This Beef Bourguignon recipe is simple but special. By that I mean it’s a bit extra and more decadent than a normal beef stew (which obviously is always an amazing family favourite), but it’s also easy and low effort enough to not be a hassle to make. It’s still got that classic and unmistakable depth of flavour and nourishment that makes it ideal for cooking for guests or when you want to cook for an occasion. There are a few cooking options for your chosen convenience. Read more on these below.

Why you’ll love this Beef Bourguignon recipe

⭐️ Perfect for cooking in the oven, slow cooker OR pressure cooker ⭐️ Like a warm hug in a bowl ⭐️ Great for freezing leftovers or batch cooking Some recipes have lengthy lists of ingredients and take an age to perfect, which is understandable as this famous dish is known for its depth of flavour and richness. However, we’re making this easy and simple, while making sure the flavour is still there. The best thing about this recipe is that all the work is done initially and then your chosen cooking device does the rest, leaving you plenty of time in the kitchen to cook side dishes or enjoy yourself!

Ways to cook Beef Bourguignon

This dish can be made easily in the oven, in a slow cooker or in an instant pot (pressure cooker), depending on how you’d like to do it. All three ways are easy and similar in methods, but just take different times to cook. Details for each are in the recipe below.

Beef Bourguignon Ingredients Notes

Beef – This recipe uses braising steak (or braising beef), which is any kind of beef that is suited to long, slow cooking. This includes chuck, skirt, leg and flank. I sometimes use beef shin for these recipes. It can be more fatty though, but is super tasty Bacon lardons – I use smoked for this recipe as they really add to the flavour Pearl onions – Life is too short to peel a miniature onion in my opinion! BUT they really do make a difference in this, so I use pre-peeled frozen ones. These are available from Ocado and some other big supermarkets Carrots – Peel and chop into large chunks so they keep some of their ‘bite’ Other veggies – Garlic and button mushrooms Gravy – This is made up of red wine and beef stock. We’re also adding a little tomato puree Herbs – We’re using plenty of dried thyme here and fresh parsley to serve Cornflour – This will be used to make a ‘slurry’ to thicken up the sauce at the end

How to make a ‘slurry’

This is a trick to thicken the sauce without ending up with floury lumps. First you add cornflour to a small bowl, mug or jug, then use a little liquid from a dish (a spoonful or two) to mix the cornflour into a paste consistency. Add that back into the dish’s sauce. If you just sprinkle cornflour straight into the dish, it will form lumps that are almost impossible to get rid of. I promise this step is worth the extra dirty bowl! In the freezer This is good to freeze for up to 3 months and reheat on the hob before you serve it again. The sauce will thicken even more on reheating, so just add a splash of water if you would like more gravy. This will mean that they brown easily more in the pan.