Easy Beef Bourguignon with Red Wine & Bacon

Beef bourguignon sounds like one of those recipes that should be ridiculously complicated, probably require some sort of French cooking qualification and leave you with every pan in the kitchen needing washing. Thankfully, this version isn’t anything like that!

There are a few more steps than there are in most of my slow cooker recipes because you brown the bacon and beef first and reduce the wine, but once that’s done it mostly looks after itself while it simmers.

My recipe uses stewing beef, bacon, red wine, mushrooms, carrots and onion with garlic, thyme and a bay leaf. There’s also a strip of orange zest in there, which might look a little odd when you’re reading the ingredient list but adds another bit of flavour without making the whole thing taste like oranges.

This isn’t one I’d choose on a day when I’ve got precisely seven minutes to sort dinner before running out of the door, but it’s lovely when you’ve got a bit more time and fancy something rich and comforting.

What exactly is beef bourguignon?

Beef bourguignon, or boeuf bourguignon, is a French beef stew traditionally made with red wine.

There are lots of different versions and I’m certainly not going to claim that mine is the definitive traditional French recipe. This is my easy version that I’ve been making and sharing on Just Average Jen for years.

The important bits here are the slowly cooked beef, red wine and vegetables, with bacon adding even more flavour.

What beef should I use?

I use stewing beef for this recipe.

You don’t need an expensive steak cut because the beef is going to cook slowly for quite a long time. That’s exactly the sort of cooking stewing beef is intended for.

My old article told you to choose the leanest beef possible and trim every bit of visible fat because I originally wrote this recipe very much through my Slimming World years.

These days I’d say buy the stewing beef that suits your budget and preferences. Trim anything you particularly don’t want to eat, but there’s no need to turn preparing dinner into an archaeological examination of every cube of beef.

Do I need to brown the beef?

For this recipe, yes.

I know I’m forever telling you that I don’t bother browning meat for some of my slow cooker recipes, but beef bourguignon is different.

First the bacon is cooked until browned and crispy and removed from the pan. The beef is then browned before the garlic and flour are added.

After that, the red wine goes into the same pan so you can scrape up all those lovely browned bits from the bottom.

It’s an extra bit of effort, but this is one of those recipes where I think it’s actually worth doing rather than just creating washing up for the sake of it.

Which red wine should I use?

You need 375ml red wine, which is half a standard 750ml bottle.

You don’t need to buy something expensive just for this recipe. I’d choose a dry red wine that you would be happy to drink rather than something labelled specifically as cooking wine.

And yes, that conveniently leaves half a bottle. What happens to that is entirely between you and your wine glass!

Does all the alcohol cook out?

Cooking the wine reduces the amount of alcohol, but I wouldn’t assume that every trace of alcohol has disappeared.

If you need to avoid alcohol completely for medical, religious or any other reason, don’t rely on cooking to remove it all. I’d choose a properly tested alcohol-free adaptation instead.

How to make my beef bourguignon

Start by cooking the roughly chopped bacon in a large casserole pan until it’s browned and crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon and put it to one side.

Brown the seasoned beef in the same pan. It doesn’t need to cook all the way through at this point – you’re just looking for some colour on the outside.

Remove the beef, gently cook the garlic, then return the beef to the pan. Stir through the flour and cook for another couple of minutes.

Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen all the bits that have stuck. Let the wine bubble gently for around five minutes while it reduces.

Add the stock and tomato purée followed by the mushrooms, onion, carrots, bacon, thyme, orange zest and bay leaf.

Bring everything to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for around 75 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Partially cover the pan and cook for another 30 minutes, until the beef is tender and the sauce has reduced. If it starts looking too dry, add a little more stock.

Don’t forget to fish out the thyme stalks and bay leaf before serving. Nobody wants to be the person who gets an entire bay leaf for dinner!

What should I serve with beef bourguignon?

Mashed potatoes would probably be my first choice because they’re perfect with all that rich red wine gravy.

Boiled potatoes work too, as do some simple steamed vegetables. Broccoli or green beans would both be easy.

You don’t need loads alongside it because you’ve already got beef, carrots, mushrooms and onions in the casserole.

Can I make beef bourguignon in the slow cooker?

I’ve actually had a reader ask me this, so I know it’s something people want to know.

The recipe as I’ve written and tested it is a hob recipe, and I wouldn’t simply put the same quantities into the slow cooker and tell you to leave it for eight hours. Slow cookers don’t allow liquid to evaporate in the same way, and reducing the wine and sauce is quite an important part of this recipe.

It is something I’d like to test as a proper slow cooker version, though. When I do, I’ll add the tested timings and any liquid adjustments here rather than guessing.

If you want a slow cooker beef dinner in the meantime, try my beef and root vegetable stew, Jamaican beef stew or have a look through all my slow cooker recipes.

More beef recipes you might enjoy

If you want something simpler and more traditional, my easy beef stew with potatoes, carrots and peas is cooked on the hob too but doesn’t use wine or bacon.

For a slow cooker option, try my beef and root vegetable stew. That’s one you can get started earlier in the day and leave cooking without having to keep an eye on a pan.

My Jamaican beef stew is another slow cooker recipe but has completely different flavours, with chilli and jerk seasoning.

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