Slow Cooker Carbonnade Beef Pot Roast

This recipe is a modification of a Belgian Beef Stew and is perfect for dinner on a cold Winter's day.  This recipe combines a few of my favorite things beef, beer and bacon.   The recipe takes about 45 minutes of prep time and about 8 hours in the crock pot.  I suggest serving this pot roast on bed of mashed potatoes and it makes excellent leftovers as a hot open face sandwich.  This recipe serves about 8 hungry adults and I suggest serving it with dark beer or a bold red wine. 

Carbonnade Beef Pot Roast served on bed of Mashed Potatoes

Slow Cooker Carbonnade Beef Pot Roast
Ingredients:
	4 Slices Bacon, thinly sliced
	2 TBSP (30ml) Butter
	4 Sweet Onions, thinly sliced
	1 Cup (250ml) Brown Ale or Porter Beer
	1 TBSP (15ml) packed Light Brown Sugar
	5 Cloves Garlic, Minced
	1/2 TSP Salt
	1/2 TSP Pepper
	3 lbs (1.35kg) Beef Pot Roast (Top, or bottom blade, or Crossrib)
	1/2 Cup (125ml) Sodium-Reduced Beef Broth
	3 TBSP Cornstarch
Steps:  (Note onions can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
	1) In a large fry-pan, cook bacon pieces over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 4 minutes.  Remove bacon pieces and set aside in paper towel to remove excess grease.  Remaining bacon fat drain from fry-pan in to an empty can and discard.
	2) In same fry-pan now add 2 TBSP of butter and let melt at medium-high heat.  Add thinly sliced onions and let cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
	3) Add brown sugar and beer; cook, stirring occasionally , until no liquid remains and onions are golden brown on medium heat.  This takes 30 to 35 onions.  (You are caramelizing the Onions.)  Stir in bacon pieces at the end.
Steps: (Making the Roast)
	4) In a large bowl combine minced garlic, salt and pepper.  Take beef roast and dry with paper towels.  Add roast to bowl and rub with seasonings.
	5) Add roast to crock pot.  Pour Onions/Bacon mixture on top of roast.  Add beef broth.
	6) Set crock put on low and cook for 7 to 8  hours, until beef is tender.
	7) Remove roast from pan and set on cutting board.  Tent with aluminum foil for 10 minutes prior to slicing.  Leave beef juices in crock pot to make gravy.
	8) Turn crock pot to high.  In a cup mix 1/2 cup of cold water with 3 TBSP Cornstarch.  Add to crock pot.  Whisk gravy and cook for 10 minutes on high until gravy has thickened.
	9) Serve beef as 1 cm thick slices with gravy poured on top.  I suggest serving it on top of a bed of mashed potatoes.

Leftovers will keep easily 3 days in the refrigerator.  I suggest storing the gravy and beef separately, reheating separately for the tastiest leftovers. 

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Beef Carbbonade

Steps 2 and 3: Making Caramelized Onions

Step 3: Onions are cooked down and now Caramelized

Step 4: Seasoned Roast in the Crock Pot

Step 5: Roast in the Crock Pot covered in Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Step 9: Roast after cooling 10 minutes and prior to Cutting

The Finished Product

What I've learned in making this stew:

• Beef slow cooked in juices over a long period of time comes out very similar to pulled pork; it just falls apart in a good way.
• The caramelizing of the onions (step 1 to 3) can be used as a topping in other recipes such as on burgers, sausages, steak or on back-bacon sandwiches.

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