Crock Pot Ostrich Bourguignon

A Decadent Ostrich Stew Recipe

As if ostrich isn't decadent enough! I actually prefer the pure flavour of grilled ostrich steak, usually marinaded for at least a few hours in some Asian flavours, like ginger, fish sauce, lemon grass, and of course, garlic. I wanted to try something new and saucy this time. It was delicious, but in honesty, it could just as well have been beef. I'll do it again with a tougher cut of ostrich, but for ostrich steaks, I don't want to drown the flavours out. I am planning to try this recipe with elk meat.

Most people recommend browning the beef, pork or chicken before cooking in the crockpot. With ostrich and elk meat, you can definitely save this step because the meat is so much leaner and denser.

Ingredients

Tip:

Have you tried
Elk Meat?

Ostrich Steak, about 1 lb, 1 - 2 inches thick
Mushrooms, about 1/2 lb, sliced
Onion, 1 medium sliced
Salt, 2 tsp
The Bourguignon Sauce

Red Wine, 1/2 cup
Cornstarch, 1 tbsp
Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tbsp
Olive oil, 1 tbsp
Garlic, 4 or 5 cloves, finely minced
Fresh cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp
Basil, 1/2 tsp dried
Thyme, 1/4 tsp dried
Savoury, 1/2 tsp

Sour cream, or a good plain Cream Cheese, 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Cooking Method

Cut the ostrich steak into 1 inch cubes and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper and salt
In a measuring cup or bowl, mix cornstarch into wine until dissolved.
Add the rest of the bourguignon sauce ingredients, stir well and let it sit while slicing the onions and mushrooms.
Throw the ostrich meat, onions and mushrooms into the crockpot.
Pour the bourguignon mixture all over the ostrich mixture.
Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours ** (6 and 1/2 hours was plenty for this recipe).
Just before serving, stir in sour cream, and, if needed, a few more dashes of worcestershire sauce and fresh ground pepper. In this recipe, I used a quarter cup of a good fresh cream cheese instead of sour cream, and it thickened and richened up the sauce beautifully.

**Whether slow-cooking ostrich in a crockpot or grilling it, you'll want to reduce cooking times. Be sure to have a look at my other ostrich cooking tips, especially if you plan to try grilling an ostrich steak.

This ostrich recipe is delicious over rice, egg noodles or gnocchi with a nice hearty green veg like brussel sprouts or green beans.