Beef Bourguignon

Cook the bacon. Set a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced bacon to the pot and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside; reserve bacon drippings in the Dutch oven.

Prepare the chuck roast. Sprinkle all-purpose flour over the beef chunks and season them with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Set the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Brown the beef. Working in batches, add half of the cubed beef chunks to the Dutch oven and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove the browned beef and set aside. Add remaining beef cubes and brown on all sides; remove it and set aside with the rest.

Saute the aromatics. Set the Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil, if needed. Add carrots and onions to the heated oil; cook for 5 minutes or until onions are just softened. Stir in the garlic, then stir in the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook. Add tomato paste and stir to coat. Stir in the wine, broth, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, beef, prepared bacon, and bay leaf; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook for 50 to 60 minutes or until beef is tender.

Stir in the slurry. When done, remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from the stew. In a small mixing bowl, combine the beef broth and cornstarch; whisk to combine. Add the slurry to the Dutch oven; stir well to combine and simmer for 2 to 4 more minutes or until the sauce is thickened.

Finish. Remove from heat, taste the stew for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly. Let it rest for 10 minutes before garnishing it with parsley and serving.