Name: Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 40 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 kg beef (cut into small pieces); 6 button mushrooms; 5 slices pancetta (cooked first); 1/2 onion (grated or diced); 2 beef stockpots; 1/2 tsp rosemary; 1/2 tsp thyme; 100 ml red wine; 200 ml passatta; 1 tsp tomato puree; 1 pint water; salt & pepper

Beef Bourguignon is a classic dish that uses mushrooms and a rich sauce to create a very tasty meal. The slow cooker approach for this dish also works well as it makes sure that the beef is really well cooked and falls apart as you eat it (just how I like it). But what about Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon? Here’s how we approached it.

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Instant Pot vs slow cooker

Before we start, a word on my friend the Instant Pot and its comparison to the slow cooker. Essentially, the slow cooker feature of the IP is much the same as a traditional slow cooker – it is an automatic cooker that cooks food slowly and thoroughly. Both can cook a range of foods such as soups, stews and chillies well. And you don’t need to be constantly stirring and check – although we do like a good stir now and again.

So why would you want an Instant Pot if you have a slow cooker? For me, the big draw to the Instant Pot is that it does more than one thing. We don’t have a very big kitchen and space is at a premium. When we got the IP, we got rid of a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a big pan Mum used for soups and added extra benefits. One gadget in place of three and extra features. That sold it for me!

Our Instant Pot

The other thing I like about the Instant Pot is that it is quicker than the slow cooker was. It is also easier to use than the pressure cooker (and probably than a steamer, never had much luck with those) although it can be a little off-putting as to just how quick it is. And it makes a lot less noise than the old pressure cooker did!

Beef Bourguignon in the Instant Pot

On to the recipe in hand. If you haven’t tried classic Beef Bourguignon before, it is a traditional French dish from the Burgundy region – the same area as dishes such as Coq au van originate. It is a stew dish with beef in red wine (usually a red Burgundy) along with garlic, onions and herbs known as bouquet garni.

Our version was quite traditional, but we did add a few different touches. Many recipes use bacon, but we used pancetta which I love. We also used stock pots and passatta with the red wine to add good flavour and a little tomato puree as a thickener.

You can easily make this dish in the slow cooker, I would estimate it would take around twice the time to cook that it does in the Instant Pot but check your user manual for a better idea.

More recipe inspiration

For another classic recipe given the Instant Pot treatment, check out this Chicken Marsala recipe. Or for something different in the beef department, test out this Rosemary and Garlic Beef Tenderloin.

What you need to make Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon

1 kg beef (cut into small pieces)
6 button mushrooms
5 slices pancetta (cooked first)
1/2 onion (grated or diced)
2 beef stockpots
1 rosemary & thyme herb stockpot
100 ml red wine
200 ml passatta
1 tsp tomato puree
1 pint water
salt & pepper

How to make the recipe

STEP 1: Seal the meat in a little olive oil either in a pan or in the IP

STEP 2: Add the stocks and water into the pot then all the ingredients

STEP 3: Cook on high slow cooker setting for 2 hrs stirring regularly

STEP 4: Cook on low for another 30 minutes until meat is desired softness

STEP 5: If the sauce is a bit thin, add 1 tsp of cornflour mixed with water and stir until thickens

STEP 6: Add cooked and cut Pancetta then serve

Storing the recipe

Freezing the recipe: Allow the recipe to cool completely then pop into freezer bags, a portion at a time. Put in the freezer and use within 3 months. Allow to totally defrost before either putting in a pan or in a casserole dish in the oven to reheat.

Recipe tips

If you don’t like (or can’t get) pancetta, then a smoked bacon would work just as well. I’m just a huge fan of the Italian bacon and the flavour it brings.

Sealing the meat first ensures that it doesn’t get too dry during the cooking process so is worth doing. Plus it helps to reduce the cooking time.

If you can’t get the stockpot, use a beef stockpot or stock and add 1/2 tsp of rosemary and of thyme into the mix.

Yield: 2 people