3poundswell trimmed boneless beef chuckfrom a 7 pound chuck roast - yes it does take this much meat to yield the trimmed amount, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
1/3cupflour
1 1/4poundboiling onionsor a large or 2 medium sweet onions chopped coarsely
3/4poundlarge carrotscut into 1 inch pieces
1tablespoonminced garlic
3cupsbeef broth
1/2Cognac or brandy
1bottle 750 ml red Burgundy wine
1tablespoonbrown sugar
1tablespoontomato paste
1 1/4poundsliced mushrooms
1/3cupchopped fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons driedI highly recommend using fresh
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sauté bacon in a heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until brown and crisp, about 8-10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels. Leave bacon grease in pan for browning the beef.
Season beef generously with salt and pepper, coat with 1/3 cup flour, using all flour. Working in batches brown beef in same pot over high heat, about 5 minutes per batch (don't overcrowd pan or beef will braise vs. brown. I split the meat into 4 separate batches.) Transfer meat to a large bowl. Add onions and carrots to same pot and sauté until light brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to bowl with beef.
Add 1 cup of broth and Cognac to pot and boil until reduced to a glaze, scraping up browned bits, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and brown sugar.
Return meat and vegetables and their juices to pot. Add wine, bacon, mushrooms and thyme and 2 cups of beef broth. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and bake until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Note - I baked the stewed initially for 1 1/2 hours and then refrigerated (after cooling uncovered on stove top.) Before serving, I skimmed the fat off the top and let the stew sit on the counter for 1 hour. Then I placed in a 325 degree oven, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over a nice creamy batch of mashed potatoes.