An easy to prepare, and very flavorful dish. There are a variety of ways to prepare, I consolidated my favorite ideas from a bunch of different recipes. Note, timings are really approximate. You can start this dish in the morning, and cook it for 8 hours if you like, as long as you keep the temp low, and don’t let the sauce turn into paste.

Ingredients

• 4 Pounds beef roast (whatever’s cheap or on sale)
• 2 Slices bacon
• 2 Medium onions, chopped
• 4-6 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 Carrots, roughly sliced (2-inch slices)
• 1 Bottle of strong red wine. Burgundy, zin, cab, petit syrah. Always use wine you would drink (but not an Opus One)
• 16 Oz (1/2 quart) beef (or chicken) broth
• 4 Tbsp flour (optional)
• 2 sprigs fresh Thyme (or dry)
• 2 sprigs fresh Sage (or dry)
• Two Bay leaves
• Salt & Pepper

Directions (updated 2015)

• Cut beef into 2 inch cubes, season liberally on all sides with salt and pepper, allow to warm to room temperature
• Cut Bacon into 3 inch pieces, brown in a cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop
• Remove bacon pieces
• Optionally, coat cubes in flour (helps them get a nice crust). This is optional, you’ll still get great flavor, with less carbs if you skip this step
• Add beef cubes in batches to brown in bacon fat. Don’t overfill the pan, leave space between the pieces of beef, remove to a plate when brown
• Brown all the beef, and set aside
• If all the bacon fat has been absorbed, add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil replace it
• Add chopped onions to pot, cook for a couple minutes until translucent
• When onions are translucent, toss in garlic, cook for a minute, but be careful not to over-brown the garlic
• Add 1/2 the wine and 1/2 the beef broth, deglaze pot, bring to a simmer
• Add beef
• Add remaining wine and broth until beef is just covered in liquid
• If you have fresh herbs, tie them together for easy removal later, and put in pot. Or, add dried herbs
• Bring to simmer
• Every 15 minutes or so, give the ingredients a stir to prevent burning
• After an hour of simmering, add the carrots, and cover the pot
• Move to an oven set at 300°, cook for 2-3 hours (or more, if you want to, just gets better as it cooks)
• If you don’t have an oven free, you can cook on the cooktop as well, but just stir every 30 minutes to prevent sticking/burning
• An hour before you want to serve, remove cover to let sauce reduce and thicken
• At this point, you can serve immediately, or put aside and re-heat later. The flavors just get richer the longer it cooks.
• If you like, serve with a starch like potatoes or over pasta. I like a corkscrew pasta, cooked al-dente, serve in a bowl tossed with a small amount of butter, add Beef. Garnish with some of the reserved bacon, crumbled over the top!
• This can also be served on its own, and/or with some veggies.