1.Pan-fry bacon in Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove bacon and set aside. Sauté onions and mushrooms in bacon fat until just browned. Remove vegetables and set aside.
2.Brown beef, in batches and adding some vegetable oil if necessary. Sprinkle flour over meat. Add garlic, wine, broth, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper.
3.Cook, covered in 325°F (160°C) oven for 2 hours. Add reserved bacon, onions and mushrooms; cook for 30 minutes.
TIP With this dish, you’re free to enjoy the company as dinner slowly simmers in the kitchen. In fact, you can even make the stew the day before and simply reheat it in the slow cooker, oven or microwave. And here’s the big bonus – stew actually tastes better when made the day ahead.
Slow Cooker: After Step 2, transfer meat to 24-cup (6 L) slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, adding reserved bacon, onions and mushrooms in final hour.
