Guinness Beef Stew in a Crock Pot

Guinness Beef Stew in a Crock Pot

Ingredients
o 8 -10 red potatoes, skin on, quartered
o 6 carrots, peeled, sliced into thick chunks
o 2 stalks celery, cut in chunks
o 3 bay leaves
o 3 lbs stew meat, cubed ( I used chuck)
o ½ cup flour
o 1 dash salt
o 1 dash pepper
o 1 dash garlic powder
o 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
o 1 medium onions, diced
o 4 large garlic cloves, minced
o 8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, halved
o 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
o 10 ¾ ounces beef broth ( I used consomme)
o 1 (13 g) envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix
o 1 teaspoon dried thyme
o ½ teaspoon black pepper
o ½ teaspoon garlic powder
o 1 teaspoon creole seasoning ( Tony Chachere's)
o 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning ( Mrs. Dash)
o 12 ounces beer ( Guinness, draught or stout)
o 1 cup frozen peas, if desired
Directions
1. Put potato, carrot, and celery chunks in the bottom of crock pot. Top with 2 bay leaves.
2. Season flour with a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder and coat the beef with the flour mixture. Heat a couple of tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet and add 1 bay leaf. Sauté beef in batches, just until browned.(It took me about 3 batches in a 12" skillet). Add more oil to pan as necessary for each batch. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic to the same pan and sauté over med heat for a few minutes, then add about half the can of beef broth to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. (That's Flavor!).
4. Add meat and onions to crock pot, top with mushrooms.
5. Mix remaining beef broth with tomato sauce, onion soup mix, remaining seasonings, and add to crock pot. Pour in most of bottle of beer (whatever fits, I had a few sips left for me).
6. Cook 8 hours on low heat. Stir in frozen peas when done, they'll heat up on their own.