Stout Stew

I received several requests for this recipe...

I will start with the unadulterated recipe:
2 T oil
2 large onions, halved then sliced thin
2 c carrots, chopped coarsely
1/2 c celery, chopped (I like to use the inner portion, including the lovage)
2-3 c potatoes, chopped in 1" cubes
4-5 T flour
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t salt or seasoned salt
1 t black pepper, ground
2-3 lb beef (suitable for braising - chuck, brisket, plate, etc.), cubed
2 c (16fl oz) Stout (I use homebrew ;-), but Guiness works great - American Stouts are more hoppy, and don't work quite as well, in my opinion)
2 bay leaves
1 t dried thyme (or 1 T chopped fresh)

This can be done in the oven (325°), in a dutch oven or heavy oven-safe pot, or in the crock pot.

1) Place the flour, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl or plastic bag - mix thoroughly. Toss beef cubes to coat. You can save any leftover seasoned flour to thicken the stew if you prefer it that way.
2) Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until onions clear (about 5 minutes). Remove the veggies with a slotted spoon and place in your crock pot or dutch oven.
3) Add the beef to the sauteing pot and brown over medium-high heat. Remove the meat and add it to the crock pot or dutch oven (sprinkle with that leftover flour if you like a thicker stew).
4) Add the stout, bay leaves, and thyme. Top off with water just to cover the contents of the pot, if necessary. Cover and cook (325° oven for 2 - 2-1/4 hours; crock pot low: 8hrs, medium: 4-6 hours). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A nice (and traditional Irish pub) touch if you are cooking it in the oven is to top the stew with dumplings (I use a buttermilk biscuit recipe, with added herbs) for the last 30 minutes (you can remove the lid to brown them if you like for the last few minutes).

So, not satisfied with an already excellent recipe, I started experimenting a bit. Lately, I have been using cocoa/ancho chile rubbed brisket in this recipe, and foregoing the browning step (because the brisket is already cooked). The ancho chiles add a subtle note, and the cocoa complements the stout amazingly well! I use the following recipe from Sean Paxton (The Homewbrew Chef):
http://www.homebrewchef.com/SmokedBeefBrisketwithChocolateAnchoRub.html
If you can't smoke this, or don't want to smoke it, you can cook it in a slow oven very nicely as well (this actually works best for the stout stew). I cook it on a broiler pan, or other metal baking pan, at 250° until the internal temperature hits 165°. Sometimes I use a beer brine (http://www.homebrewchef.com/PorkBrineRecipe.html) before doing the rub and smoking/slow roasting... This can be cooked, then frozen for later use. (This recipe works great for pulled pork if you use a small butt and make the stout BBQ sauce!)