Slow Cooker Beef Burgundy

Equipment
6 quart slow cooker or larger – I love this one!

Ingredients
6 pieces bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I like this one because it comes in a glass jar)
3 lbs. beef stew meat or chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes (I used TX Bar Organics)
salt and pepper
1/4 bunch fresh thyme sprigs
1.5 cups Pinot Noir
1.5 cups beef broth (Don’t want to make your own? Buy pasture-raised broth HERE.)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tapioca start (optional for thickening liquid) (I use this one)
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced for garnish
*Sauteed onions and mushrooms for garnish (optional)

1. Cook bacon until crisp, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour bacon fat into a small bowl or a glass jar, leave enough behind to saute the vegetables, about 1 tablespoon.
2. Add onions and carrots to the skillet and saute until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes, add garlic cloves and tomato paste and saute until tomato paste goes from a bright red to a brick color, about 45 seconds. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker.
3. Add another tablespoon of bacon fat to the skillet if needed. Generously salt and pepper the beef. Brown the beef in batches, turning to make sure all sides are browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer browned beef to the slow cooker.
4. Add wine, broth, bay leaves, thyme and tapioca starch to the slow cooker.
5. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
6. Discard stems from thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
7. Adjust salt and pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and cooked bacon. Serve and Enjoy!