For much of my childhood I was a latchkey kid. Both parents worked, and several times every week I would come home to a note that read:
Crock Pot is in the fridge. Plug in on high. Love, Mom.
We used our slow cooker a significant amount. Chicken or beef. I don’t really remember anything thing else, but we had a variety of recipes with chicken or beef. By the time my parents came in the door from a long day of work, the smell of the slow cooking creation had permeated the house (and driven the dogs crazy with hunger).
A favorite of ours (and many slow cooker chefs) was Beef Burgundy. Not beef bourguignon, or Boeuf à la Bourguignonne. That sounded too fancy for our slow cooker, so we just called it Beef Burgundy.
Such a rich, meaty dish.
I purchased stroganoff cut beef and sliced it into cubes and the mushrooms were baby bella mushrooms.
Dice and fry up the bacon.
Then the boeuf. Um, I mean beef.
Throw it all into the slow cooker.
I started this little trick several years ago. My wife leaves for work at a time where starting the cooking on slow right when she leaves, makes it pretty much perfect timing. As I generally prepare the slow cooker the night before, and to insure it actually makes it out of the fridge, I started hiding her purse in the outer shell of the slow cooker. Let’s say we haven’t missed once with this plan.
Beef Burgundy
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 2 slices bacon — chopped
- 2 pounds sirloin tip or round steak — cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 clove garlic — minced
- 1 cube beef bouillon — crushed
- 1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms
Directions:
In large skillet cook bacon several minutes. Remove bacon and set aside. Coat beef with flour and brown on all sides in bacon mixture. Combine steak, bacon drippings, cooked bacon, seasonings, bouillon and Burgundy in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. Turn control to high. Add cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tablespoons water); cook on high 15 minutes. Serves 6. NOTES : Can add 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms during last 15 minutes, if desired.
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
I love using my crock pot. It is wonderful to come home and the house smells all yummy…
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You are a genius! Hiding her purse is the best idea ever!
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Great idea with the purse!
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I love this, can’t wait to try with my own slow cooker. =)
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Those green beans look perfectly cooked. I mean, perfectly!
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Love the crock pot – I always feel as though someone else slaved all day and surprised me with a wonderful meal. Now if only they would clean the house too! LOL
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I love Beef Burgundy! Slow cooking will always be the best!
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Genius! Love the purse idea. We used to make this dish, too. I haven’t had it in a while, though. I think the crock pot can be a great tool for times when we have soccer practice or dance lessons or something right up until dinnertime. Such a help.
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Yum, I love this dish. Where is my crockpot hiding?
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Look near your purse!
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My husband is going to love this one! Thanks so much for sharing 😉
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I have never tried to slow cook this dish. I don’t even own a slow cooker at the moment. Usually the French just call it bœuf bourguignon. I’ve made this recipe out of Joy of Cooking and it usually turns out yummy.
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I keep contemplating buying a slow cooker again…but I don’t have a place to store it. Usually I adapt recipes for my dutch oven and cook them on the weekends when I plan to be home for several hours. I may have to do that with this one! Yum.
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OMG … so yummy!!! Now I’ve got something new to try for Sunday dinner! Bonus: it’s in the slow cooker!!!
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Thanks, Chef! This one will be tried very soon – I’m suddenly quite hungry.
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LOL!!!!! I was worried that your family was reduced to actually EATING Patti’s purse!
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Very clever post and I love the recipe. I’m a big fan of slow cookers. Thanks!
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Love the title. I have to admit I thought it was going to be about the magic that can happen after throwing a tough cut of meat in the slow cooker, but I like the purse idea too!
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That looks lovely. Beef Burgundy and Beef Stroganoff (which you also wrote about, yes?) are two of my fave dishes. Is bacon typical in this dish? I’ve never used it in bouef burgundy by any name. Am sure it doesn’t hurt!
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Bacon is the superior food group, it only makes it better 🙂
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Hmmm, without the wine and the flour we could make this PV Dukan friendly. Might jest work on that this weekend 🙂
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That is so funny, but very effective!
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Your growing up was much like mine. I was that kid as well 🙂
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Lol 😀
That trick might actually work for us. I’m sharing this with my Fiance 😀
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how smart are you!!! great call! oh, and the recipe sounds great, too
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Clever picture. 🙂
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Okay – this is genius – the recipe and the purse plan…..makeing a note to self – cook the purse…..
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Luv my slow cooker – would be lost without it. Still grappling with my pressure cooker, however, we’ve made a silent truce. Yum
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This one is “in the bag”! Always up for a slow cooker recipe that actually works. SCORE!
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Thank you for your visit and liking my post.
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I love slow cooking anything.. especially in my dutch oven on top of the wood stove in winter, this would be perfect, and there is even a wee cup of red left in the bottle for me! c
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Thank you for this recipe! I like the post as well! I just saw it a few months ago on the No Reservations show and have both a slow cooker and a dutch oven. Now the possibilities can mash up! Blessings
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When I am cooking with wine it is a requirement that there is a glass going for me!
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cute story 🙂
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Brilliance! Great recipe, too.
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I love the title of this post! lol. Crock pot cooking is the best…and just like you said the best part about it is coming home to a house permeated with the smell of whats been cooking. One of the simple joys in life 🙂
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My mother was queen of the crockpot!
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The title got me too – but the recipe will keep me coming back 🙂 Going to make this one soon!
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A pressure coeokr is the exact opposite of a slow coeokr it actually cooks food really fast, almost like a microwave but has been around for at least 50 years. A slow coeokr is the same as a crock pot, you can actually put all your ingredients in before you go to work set it on slow and come home to a really nice cooked meal- it’s great for stuffed peppers, soups, and I love making pork, chicken or beef pulled barbecue .which is just simmering the meat at low temperature in a little water then removing the meat- emptying the water- pulling the meat apart- putting it back in the coeokr and add your favorite barbecue sauce and cook for another 30 minutes . My mom used to use a pressure coeokr- but it scares me because it exploded one time- the gasket on it was cracked and it actually shot the top of the coeokr which was heavy metal, up into the ceiling, so I’m not keen on them- but the slow coeokr/crock pot I love ..I hope I helped on half your answer and I cook my rice on the stove or in the microwave.
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Like your story. I also leave my kids notes about starting the crock pot. Nothing is better than coming home from work knowing dinner is done.
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Using my slow cooker makes me feel like I’m succeeding at being a housewife despite my 9-5 job. My husband comes home to a home cooked meal, and I come home to my husband AND a home cooked meal! It’s perfect!
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Another must try recipe! Props to the ingredients that aren’t too hard to find. And hiding of the purse is such an adorable idea!
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I love the beef burgundy idea in the slow cooker. I’ll have to give this one a try!
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Reblogged this on onedadskitchen and commented:
Here’s one from another blog I follow at http://www.rantingchef.com, a great blog with great recipes. Check out this one for beef burgundy in the slow cooker.
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Call it boeuf or beef it is still good eats.I was classically trained for a culinary degree at UNLV;many years ago and I think the slow cooker or crock pot is a greatly under estimated tool.Since I am retired I use the heck out of my crock pot.And your use of your wife’s purse as both timer and reminder is pretty cool.Thanks I’ve gotta’ try it.
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Interesting that you post this today as I’m off work today and last night my wife prepared a crook pot meal for today. So I’m sitting around surfing the net and smelling dinner at this moment.
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I love this idea. I will have to start using our crockpot more (for something other than melting plain handmade goat milk soap to “french mill” it into a scented soap… just kidding, the soap actually has it’s own crockpot.) Since the shoe is on the other foot here, I’d have to hide hubby’s baseball hat, keys wallet and cell phone in the crockpot!
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Very funny! I was sure you were about to say you hid her purse in the fridge!
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Love it! Gonna share on FB!
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Brilliant! Now if I could only get my hubby to take a purse to work. Had to smile when I saw your table and chairs in the ingredients photo. We share a similar view as we stand at our kitchen island cooking and photographing for our blogs! Definitely one of the best vantage points in the house.
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I love my slow cooker…but I usually just start it before I leave…although maybe I could hide my husband’s wallet in the outer shell too:)!
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Thanks for visiting my blog and liking it. I am going to send a link to my daughter back home for the beef burgundy , so she has another suggestion for feeding her brothers. Love the idea with the purse!
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sounds like a good plan! and a great recipe 🙂 I have just passed on an award …
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I was a bit of a latch key kid too 😉 Low slow cooking – fantastic to arrive back to the smell of a wonderful meal that has been gently cooking all day! Liver and bacon is particularly good in a slow cooker imho. Actually haven’t used my slow cooker for ages – will have to get back to it soon!
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I meant love slow cooking! doh!
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A clever way to remember the crockpot. A lot of times at the end of a work day hubby and I will ask each other what’s for dinner – neither of us thought about this earlier. I think we might need to start leaving his wallet and my purse in the freezer so we will remember to take some meat out for supper! I love beef burgundy and haven’t had it in years – thanks for sharing your recipe!
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Oh my gosh, I’m bookmarking this recipe. When I was a kid MY MOM made something she called beef burgundy in the crock pot. This brings back some amazing memories!
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I’m collecting slow-cooker recipes. The electricity is too unreliable where we live now, so they will have to wait until we are back in the U.S. This looks like a great one!
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Yummy, Please how can I make an omelette?
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An omelette is a dish that is made where you break several eggs into a bowl and whisk them to mix up the yolk and egg white. You then pour the mixture into a small pan over medium heat that is either non-stick or has been oiled. After about 2 minutes the egg has solidifed on the bottom and you turn or flip the contents so what was the top is now down in the pan (trying to keep it all one piece). You then put in meats and/or vegetables and cheese on top and fold the egg over the mixture (think of egg on top and bottom with contents inside. Continue to cook and flip until both sides are cooked. Serve.
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Wow mate that looks absolutely scrumptious. Anything with Mushrooms i will automatically love 🙂
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Busy people=Crockpot Dinners. Thanks for sharing a recipe I’d like to try in my Crockpot. 🙂
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What an easy recipe! Looks delicious 🙂
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I’ll bet that would work with my husband’s wallet too, or maybe his cell phone. Although, he still probably won’t see it right in front of his nose!!
I can smell the beef cooking from here – mmmmm!!
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Haha… That’s a great idea! Hiding her purse!
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What a title! You grabbed everyone just with that title… lovely!
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Haha. Great idea!
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One of my very favourite meals. So glad I found your blog – look forward to reading more 🙂
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We have beef on Tuesday nights, now I have a new Tuesday night dinner. Thanks
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Yum…that sounds great, will have to try.
I just made a fattening, egg noodle cheese casserole with sour cream, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and tons of cinnamon, I should’ve had your recipe for dinner, but I was happy just eating my “dessert dinner.”
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Hiding your wife’s purse as a reminder is sheer poetry, I love it.
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What a lovely walk down memory lane….I love a heritage meal!
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Certainly a great dish for my son as he cooks with his SlowCooker/Crockpot a lot being a Uni student … well, I’m not a student and I use my Crockpot a lot too ;-)) Thanks for sharing!!
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This is one of my favorite dishes as well but never made it in a crock pot.
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Your dish looks fabulous! I love slow cooker meals. It makes busy, soccer nights so much more manageable.
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Oh yeah…it looks soooooooooooo good.
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I have had slow cooked purse many times in my life, although my parents insisted on calling it calve’s liver.
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these look absolutely mouthwatering and it is not helping that I am looking at all these yummy pics at night!
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YUM!
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Maybe you should come and cook on a Bliss Travels trip!!
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Get me a ticket, a kitchen and a chance to buy and use local ingredients, I’m there!!!
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I used to put my husband’s keys on top of his lunch bento in the fridge so he’d remember to take it with him, LOL
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you’re hilarious! Never stop at anything to get a good meal, I say.
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Just have a few crockpot meals under my belt, and have decided to see if I can make all my meals from it for most of the coming year. Maybe I will try out this recipe!
Thanks for the visit.
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Great post. Did you get a chance to read slow cooking posted at Savor the Food? Here is the link: http://savorthefood.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/slow-cooking-is-it-safe/ .
I want to take this time to express my appreciation for your comments and readership of Savor the food. 🙂
Chef Randall
savorthefood.wordpress.com
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I love my slow cooker, this is definitely a recipe I need to try!
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This sounds so so so delicious. I was drawn in by the hilarious post title, and now I’ve got a recipe that I can’t wait to try! Crock pots are the best. I get decent results when I just fly by the seat of my pants, but I think this will take it to the next level!
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You can just tell your love for cooking from the way you write. I love your blog! And this recipe looks aaaammmmaaazzzziiinnnggg.
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Thanks for the like on aloadabobbins.wordpress.com This looks yummy – and great idea to make sure it get’s switched on in a morning. Not sure which tip I’ll be taking to heart first!
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