Guinness Beef Stew

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Heat a large dutch oven and sprinkle the flour on the beef. Add the bacon to the pot to brown. Remove bacon with slotted spoon and add some beef to the pot to brown - do this in batches and don't overcrowd the pot. Remove beef to the bowl with the bacon pieces as you brown them.

Once beef is browned, add onions to the pot with the drippings. At this point, you will have a brown coating (fond) on the bottom of your pot. This is good, don't discard. Cook onions for about 4-5 minutes and then add garlic and tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 minute.

Turn heat up and immediately and add 1/3 of the Guinness - scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the fond. You can use a metal spatula if needed to release the fond, or add another splash of Guinness if needed. Once all the fond is released, add the remaining Guinness and stock.

Reduce heat to medium-high. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine while bringing the pot to a boil. Cover pot with a lid, then place the pot in the oven for 1.5 hours. After 1.5 hours, remove from the oven stir and test the beef for tenderness. Cook for another 30 minutes as needed depending on the tenderness of the beef.

Once done, remove from the oven and season with additional salt and cracked black pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread.