Slow Cooker Sunday Stew
Ingredients
4 slices thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, cut into quarters, keeping the root end intact
One 10-ounce container plain white button mushrooms, wiped clean
4 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 medium red potatoes, unpeeled, quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, halved and partially seeded
1 cup beer
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
About 2 cups beef broth
2 sprigs fresh parsley
1 sprig fresh rosemary
Directions
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside. Pour off any excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet.
Put the flour and some salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag and add the beef. Toss to coat the beef thoroughly. Heat the bacon grease in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the skillet in 2 batches and brown on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Set aside.
Put the onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the beef, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, garlic and jalapeno. Season with a big pinch of salt and some black pepper. Cut the bacon into large pieces and sprinkle them over the top.
Pour the beer into a pitcher, whisk in the tomato paste and Worcestershire and then pour it over the vegetables. Add enough beef broth to just cover the meat and top with the parsley and rosemary sprigs. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
