Crockpot Recipe: Beef, Mushroom, & Bacon Stew
Sometimes, the best crockpot recipes are the good old standard ones. The following for beef, mushroom and bacon stew is just such a recipe.
Stuff You Will Need:
3-4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped coarsely
6 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
10 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
½ pound bacon or pancetta, diced
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
¼ cup flour
2 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
freshly chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
Combine first seven Stuff You Will Need. Place in refrigerator to marinate for 12 hours. Remove meat from marinade, pat meat dry and discard marinade.
In a large heavy skillet, pour 1 tablespoon of oil and set to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until it just starts to brown. Remove bacon, reserving bacon fat and place bacon in the stoneware.
Salt and pepper the beef and brown meat, in batches if necessary, until browned on all sides. Place meat in the stoneware.
Briefly sauté onions, carrots and mushrooms in reserved bacon fat until lightly browned.
Add flour and sauté for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add vegetables to the stoneware.
Stir in red wine, beef broth and tomato paste. Cover and cook on Low for 5-7 hours or on High for 4-6 hours.
Cool and place in refrigerator overnight.
Set oven to 300*F. Skim fat off top of dish and add fresh garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
Place stoneware in the oven and cook until dish begins to simmer. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with parsley.