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Beef Bourguignon in the Instant Pot has never been quicker or tastier! All done in just over an hour, the beef is seared and the vegetables are sautéed in rendered bacon fat, then pressure cooked in a red wine and beef stock until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender."
Serve up with creamy mashed potatoes and some soft dinner rolls for an amazing weeknight dinner!
So the other day we had some of our friends over for game night. We love game night, and I'm always cooking something up for everyone because one, I'm the foodie of the group, and two, I use my friends as recipe development guinea pigs, critiques welcomed.
But usually, when they come over, I'm pulling out the Instant Pot. I love this thing since I love slow-cooked meals, but I'm not trying to have everyone wait for hours to eat. No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen forever with guests over, so this recipe makes things so easy and quick. And beef bourguignon, which usually takes hours to cook in the oven or slow cooker, is made in just over an hour with prep work and depressurizing.
It looks like I put in a lot of effort, but rendering bacon, searing the chuck, sauteeing the veg and herbs is all the work you'll need to do before adding that good red wine and beef stock and pressure cook it for 45 minutes then thicken on saute. All done in the instant pot, and the results are amazing.
Jump to:
What is Beef Bourguignon?
Beef bourguignon, also called Boeuf Bourguignon or Beef Burgundy, is a classic French beef stew where tougher cuts of beef are slowly braised in red wine and garnished with mushrooms, herbs, carrots, pearl onions, and bacon.
This instant pot version is a lot easier to make than the classic, making it mom-friendly, home-cook-friendly, and weeknight-friendly.
How to make Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
This is obviously not the classic French boeuf bourguignon, as made popular by Julia Child, this is the 'mom' cook's rendition: easier, full of flavor, and made quickly.
We're not doing all that fuss from the original recipe like boiling bacon, playing the cha-cha slide with a casserole dish and the oven, or washing all that amazing beef and bacon flavor out of the pot (why?!).
Ingredients
The ingredients are wholesome and create magic when they come together.
- Thick-cut bacon has just enough fat but still plenty of meat and flavor to lend to the dish. Bacon gives a great flavor that plays an important role in beef bourguignon.
- A chuck roast. Cut up your own chuck meat, for consistency and for flavor! 'Beef stew meat' is really just scraps and odds and ends, not of one part of the cow but of several parts so you'll end up with inconsistent cook times for each piece and they are usually different sizes.
Cutting your own chuck roast will ensure you have that good beefy flavor from it, you know that chuck will cook down and become tender and shreddable and will melt in your mouth, and all of it will be done cooking at the same time since you cut them into the same size/shape so no worry of overcooked, dry pieces of meat or tough undercooked bites.
- Sliced yellow onions. We use sliced yellow onions instead of pearl onions so that they melt away, giving tons of flavor but not bothering those picky kiddos.
- Fresh herbs and garlic! Fresh rosemary, thyme, and garlic cook in the bacon fat for a hot minute, which has so much flavor. So. much. flavor.
- Carrots and a little tomato. Carrots add a little sweetness, as does a little tomato sauce. I used some of my everything tomato sauce for this recipe, but just pureed tomatoes or even tomato paste works really well to give that oomph we're looking for.
- Mushrooms. So classic. So good. And also one of the few vegetables that my six-year-old Greyson will eat.
- Flour. For thickening.
- Red wine. Use one that you will drink! I learned that the hard way.
- Beef stock.
- Better than Bouillon beef base. Or a beef bouillon cube. It gives serious oomph of the beefy flavor. We're going for a super flavorful stew, and we got it with just a little bit of beef base,
And of course, using our Instant Pot. I'm in a ton of food groups on Facebook, and it's amazing how so many people say they want something that they can basically have in a slow cooker but is done in a fraction of the time of a slow cooker. Hello, Instant Pot! Don't let it just sit in the pantry collecting dust, put that bad boy to use.
How to make Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Crisp that bacon and sear that beef. You might find the beef will stick to the Instant Pot but don't force the meat to come off. When the Maillard Reaction happens -when the meat sears and gets that lovely brown crust- the meat will release and it will be easy to pick up.
- Saute the vegetables and herbs, then mix in the flour.
- Add in the liquids.
- Cook and serve!
And that's it! It's so easy, yet it's a perfect Sunday dinner.
What to serve with beef bourguignon?
I love serving beef bourguignon with mashed potatoes! In these photos, I served it with super easy, hecka creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes which are perfect for the holidays.
Serve over rice or egg noodles, too.
Over homemade biscuits, because trust me, that is so good!
Over zoodles, for a healthy side.
Make delicious and easy dinner rolls to scoop up all that gravy, and you have a perfect company-ready meal!
Can I make ahead and freeze beef bourguignon?
Yes, you can! You can make the beef bourguignon, let it cool, and place a few servings at a time into freezer-safe bags (a Food Saver bag would be a great option, but freezer-safe zip-top bags work as well). Freeze flat, so that when you are ready to thaw, the beef bourguignon thaws quickly.
You can also thaw and warm the beef bourguignon in lively simmering water if you're using the food saver or sous vide bags. Perfect for when the family wants dinner and no one wants to cook.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
Beef Bourguignon in the Instant Pot has never been quicker or tastier! All done in about an hour, the beef is seared and the vegetables are sauteed in rendered bacon fat, then pressure cooked in a red wine and beef stock until the beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, roughly chopped
- 3 pounds chuck beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 3 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 8 ounces fresh baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoon (4 g) fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stem (or 3 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) fresh rosemary, leaves chopped fine (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1 tablespoon (2 g) garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (35 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 mL) red wine*
- 2 cups (480 mL) low-sodium beef broth
- ½ cup (120 mL) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon better than bouillon beef base (or 1 beef bouillon cube)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon cold water
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode adjusted to medium heat (the middle light). Fry the bacon in the pot until somewhat crisp and the fat is rendered out. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a plate and set aside.
- Add the cubed chuck to your Instant pot in batches so that you don't overcrowd the pot, and sear 3-4 minutes, using tongs to turn the meat and sear all sides. If the beef doesn't pull away, do not force it. When the brown crust is formed, it will release from the Instant Pot. Remove each batch of beef to a large, clean bowl once seared. Set aside.
- Add onions, carrots, and mushrooms to the pot. Add a drizzle of vegetable oil if needed so the vegetables don't burn. Stir on occasion to ensure all the vegetables get cooked for about 3 minutes, or until the onions are turning golden.
Add in chopped herbs and garlic, stir in and let cook for a minute until garlic is fragrant. Add in flour, stir it in well, then let that cook for a minute or two to get the raw flavor out. - Slowly add in red wine, beef stock, tomato sauce, and beef base to the pot, scrape any brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pot and into the liquid. Simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes.
- Add the bacon and beef back into the Instant Pot. Make sure to also add in all the accumulated juices from the beef as well. Cover the Instant Pot with its lid and set it to Manual for 45 minutes.
- Once done, let it naturally release for 10 minutes (do not touch the vent at all, allow the Instant Pot to depressurize) then carefully switch valve to VENT and quick release until the steam stops. Once the float valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Stir together cornstarch and water to create a slurry.
- Set to SAUTE again, on low, stir in cornstarch slurry, and allow to thicken for 5-10 minutes.
- Taste, then season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or crisp, toasted bread.
Notes
You can substitute the red wine for more beef stock.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 178mgSodium: 694mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 61g
Eden Westbrook is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Sweet Tea and Thyme. A classically trained chef, Eden has inspired home cooks into the kitchen with cultural comfort foods, easy family-friendly eats and sweets, and glorious spreads for date night and entertaining since 2015.
kim says
This recipe was a hit with my family! So easy and super delicious! I'll be making this one again and again!