Beef and Bacon Stew

Preheat oven to 300°. Open bottle of wine and pour yourself a glass, then proceed with prepping your meat and vegetables. You’re going to do some very light butchery—fear not! It’s easy. Place 2½ lb. beef on a cutting board and cut into 2" cubes. It’s all good if they’re not perfect, just try to cut them in relatively evenly-sized pieces so they will cook at the same rate. Transfer beef to a large bowl, season with 1 tsp. pepper and 1 Tbsp. kosher salt, and toss to coat.

Cut 8 oz. bacon crosswise into 1" pieces. Transfer to a large Dutch oven. Set on stove (but don’t turn it on yet).

Clean your cutting board or flip it over so you don’t contaminate your vegetables with meat stuff. Time to do some veg prep! Cut root ends off 3 onions, then cut each onion in half through the cut ends. Remove and discard peels, then cut each in half again (you should have 12 quarters total). Transfer to a medium bowl.

Scrub 3 carrots, then peel. Cut off and discard tops. Cut carrots in half diagonally. If the top halves of carrots are particularly thick, cut those in half lengthwise. Transfer carrots to another medium bowl.

Smash 8 garlic cloves with the side of chef’s knife. Peel off and discard skins. Add all but 1 garlic clove to bowl with carrots, reserving clove for later.

Heat Dutch oven over medium. Cook bacon, stirring often, until crisp, 11–13 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon to a large bowl, leaving bacon fat behind in the Dutch oven.

Increase heat to medium-high and, using tongs, add beef in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed—seriously, don't touch it!—until well browned on one side, 5–7 minutes. Turn and cook until well browned on the other side, 5–7 minutes longer. Don't rush this part—browning the beef well will contribute tons of flavor to the stew. Transfer beef to bowl with bacon.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pot cut side down. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2–3 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the other side, 2–3 minutes longer.

Add carrots, garlic, 4 sprigs thyme, and 2 Tbsp. miso; season with salt. (If miso seems like a weird addition here, just trust—it'll lend tons of savory depth to your braising liquid without making the whole thing taste like miso soup.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is just beginning to turn golden and miso coats bottom of pot, about 2 minutes.

Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. flour evenly over vegetables and cook, stirring, until veggies are coated, about 30 seconds. This will help to thicken the braising liquid.

Add the rest of your bottle of wine to pot, scraping bottom of pot with a wooden spoon to get up any stuck bits, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until you can no longer smell the alcohol, about 2 minutes.

Nestle beef and bacon back into pot along with any juices that have accumulated. Add 2 cups water (or enough to just barely cover beef with a few pieces poking out). Return to a simmer, cover pot with lid, then transfer to oven—we love braising in the oven because the heat is much more even than it would be on the stovetop. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Uncover pot, giving everything a good stir, and continue to cook until beef is very tender, 30–60 minutes longer.

While beef is cooking, finely chop 1 cup parsley and transfer to a small bowl. Finely grate reserved garlic clove into bowl with parsley and toss to combine.

Taste and season stew with salt, if needed. Divide stew among bowls and top with parsley gremolata. Serve with crusty bread alongside.