Boy Bait Beef Stew

Yup, today we're baiting in boys. I'm happily married so I'll be baiting in my G.W.  This stew is rich, meaty and oh-so-yummy! It's a meat-and-potatoes-man's dream! And it has beer in it, too!  This is why I call it "Boy Bait". It'll draw 'em in from a three county area!

Like many of my recipes, this one does not have a lot of specific measurements. If you would like help or clarifications, just post a comment or send me an email.

Boy Bait Beef Stew

2 lbs. Chuck Eye Roast, cut in bite-size cubes
Splash of vegetable oil for browning meat
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Flour
a couple cloves of garlic, minced
a tablespoon of tomato paste
1 bottle of Guinness beer
1 cup beef stock
sprig of fresh thyme (or a big pinch of dried thyme)
2 or 3 carrots, in 1" pieces
1/2 to 1 lb small red or new potatoes

Heat a big skillet on high and turn the oven on to 250*.

Add the cubed meat and a little bit of oil to the skillet. Mix it around just enough to coat the meat with the oil then leave it alone for a few minutes. You want to leave it undisturbed so the meat develops a rich, brown sear as quickly as possible. When the bottom of the meat is deeply browned, stir it so that unbrowned sides are now on the bottom. Add the chopped onion and cook for a couple of minutes. The onion should just be starting to brown.

Reduce heat to medium. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then add a nice, big handful of flour. Stir the meat to coat it with the flour. Add the spoon of tomato paste and stir it all around. Add about half of the beer to deglaze the pan. It's going to bubble up and sizzle loudly. Be careful. Stir gently to scrape up all the yummy browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

Carefully pour the meat into a big Dutch oven. Pour in the remaining Guinness beer and the beef stock. Submerge the thyme sprig in the stew or stir in the dried thyme. Put the cover on the Dutch oven and pop it into the oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Add the carrots and potatoes to the stew. If it's looking a little on the dry side, add some more beef stock or water. Return to the oven for another hour to hour and a half until the meat and vegetables are tender. If it needs a little more time in the oven, that's OK. Just add beef stock if you need to to keep it from drying up.

By this time, the rich smell of the stew will be making your mouth water. If you open a window, the boys will be high-tailing it in from miles around. Don't be surprised if you've got one hanging around in the kitchen already. This is powerful stuff!

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve with mashed potatoes or biscuits, then sit back and watch the boys dive in. It's entirely possible that you will receive a marriage proposal out of this!

If you've got company coming and really want to knock their socks off, try this version:

Get a box of Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry Sheets. They're in the freezer section of the grocery store. While the stew is in the oven, thaw out the box of puff pastry.

When the stew is cooked and ready to go, take it out of the oven. Crank up the oven temperature to 425*.

Cut the sheets of puff pastry into squares or circles large enough to cover the tops of individual, oven-proof bowls or crocks. Make the pieces large enough to overlap the sides just a little.

Ladle the stew into the bowls and put the puff pastry on top. Pop the bowls into the hot oven and bake for about 10 minutes or so until the pastry is golden brown. You may find it easier to put a cookie sheet on the oven rack and then put the bowls on the cookie sheet while they bake.

When it's done this way, it looks rustic and elegant at the same time. And is guaranteed to impress the heck out of your guests!