Easy Beef Bourguignon - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 lbs beef rump or 3 lbs chuck, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 medium onion, cubed
3 tablespoons flour (or for GF, 1 1/4 tbsp corn starch)
14 ounces low sodium beef broth (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 whole bay leaf
14 ounces white pearl onions, peeled (I use frozen, thawed and drained)
1 lb cremini mushroom, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup red wine

Preparation

cook bacon in fry-pan, remove and drain most of the grease out of the pan. While bacon is cooking, prep your onion and carrots and set aside.
2. add beef cubes to same pan used for bacon and brown well. Placed browned beef cubes in crock-pot that has been coated with cooking spray.
3. add chopped cooked bacon, thyme, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and pearl onions to crock-pot on top of beef (no need to stir). Brown carrot, and cubed onion in same pan as meat and season with 1 teaspoons salt and pepper and add to crock-pot.
4. cook mushrooms and 1 tsp salt in same pan (use cooking spray if needed). Stir in flour (or corn starch). Add broth, mix well until you get a thick mushroom gravy and add as top layer in crock-pot. Cover and cook on low 7 hours.
5. add wine about an hour before serving (at 6 hours of cooking in crock-pot) and stir. Continue cooking. Serve alone with crusty bread or with noodles.
tip for thicker gravy: in a small pot, mix 1 tbsp corn starch with 2 tbsp water (1 tbsp butter optional) add to crock pot, stir well and cover on high for 10 minutes.