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1. Pat the beef shin dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Dust lightly all over with plain flour, shaking off any excess.
2 tbsp Plain flour,
Salt,
Black pepper
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2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy-based skillet over high heat until shimmering. Sear the beef in batches — don't crowd the pan — for 3–4 minutes per side until a deep mahogany crust forms. Transfer the seared beef to the slow cooker insert.
500 g Beef shin,
2 tbsp Olive oil
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3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the smoked bacon lardons to the same skillet and cook for 3–4 minutes until the fat renders and the lardons are golden. Add the pearl onions and cook for another 2 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
150 g Smoked bacon lardons,
200 g Pearl onions,
2 piece Carrot,
2 piece Celery stalks,
4 clove Garlic cloves
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4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes, coating the vegetables. Pour in the red wine and scrape up every bit of fond from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the wine bubble and reduce by half, about 5–6 minutes. This is the flavour backbone of your sauce.
2 tbsp Tomato paste,
375 ml Burgundy or full-bodied red wine
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5. Pour the reduced wine mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Add the beef stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Stir gently to combine. The liquid should come about halfway up the meat — this is a braise, not a stew. Cover and cook on LOW for 7–8 hours, or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the beef is completely fork-tender and falling apart.
250 ml Beef stock,
4 piece Fresh thyme sprigs,
2 piece Bay leaves
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6. About 45 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the chestnut mushrooms directly into the slow cooker and stir gently into the braising liquid. Replace the lid and continue cooking. Adding them late preserves their texture and prevents them from becoming mushy.
250 g Chestnut mushrooms
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7. Once the beef is done, discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Carefully ladle the braising liquid into a wide saucepan and bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce for 8–10 minutes until the sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper. Pour the reduced sauce back over the beef.
Salt,
Black pepper
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8. Ladle the bourguignon into warm bowls and scatter with fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve with crusty bread, creamy mashed potato, or buttered egg noodles.
Fresh flat-leaf parsley (garnish)
