Beef Burgundy

This dinner is one of my all-time favorites. Seriously, it is so good, it's on my top ten list. I wish you could smell the picture, it's pure comfort food for me. It's perfect for a cold winter's night. The title is a bit of a misnomer I guess, I don't use any burgundy wine in the dish. My mom made this dish on occasion growing up. I wrote down her recipe but tweaked several things. This was the first time I'd ever made it and I have to admit, it was the best beef burgundy I've ever had. The sauce is rich and the beef just falls apart in your mouth. I'm really proud of this dish. The seasonings are my best guestimate, taste the broth as it simmers and adjust accordingly. You must make this dish!

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1" cubes
8 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
3-4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth (I like to use the Better Than Bullion brand beef base. You generally use 1 tsp. per cup of water, for this recipe I did 1 1/2 cups water and 2 tsp. of the beef base)
water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. pepper (we love Lawry's brand seasoned pepper)
1/2 - 1 tsp. steak rub (we love the rub found in Weber's Real Grilling book, we just omit the cinnamon)
1 large yellow onion, sliced into half moons
2 Tbsp. butter
hot, cooked egg noodles to serve beef burgundy over

Preparation:
Cook and crisp bacon pieces in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove bacon, drain on paper towels, and reserve in the refrigerator. In a gallon size ziploc bag add beef pieces and flour. Coat the beef well, you want it all coated but not caked on. Sear the beef in the hot bacon fat until you get a nice little crust on all sides. You may need to do this in a couple batches depending on the size of your dutch oven. Once all the beef is browned, drain the excess fat from the dutch oven. Add the beef back in and pour in the beef broth to de-glaze the bottom of the dutch oven. Use a wooden spoon and scrape up all those brown bits on the bottom, that's where you get tons of flavor! You want the liquid to come about 2/3 - 3/4 up the beef. You will probably need to add a bit of water. I added about 2/3 cup of water. You don't want the beef completely submerged, but you want most of it covered. Stir in your minced garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper, marjoram, and steak rub, mixing well. Heat to a boil, stir well and reduce heat to a gently simmer. Cover and let simmer until beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. I peeked at the beef and stirred it just 2 or 3 times. After the hour and a half, melt the 2 Tbsp. of butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 4 or so minutes. Add the cooked onions and half of the reserved bacon to the beef mixture. Taste the beef mixture and adjust seasoning as needed. Cover and continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Once finished cooking, remove bay leaf and serve. Serve beef burgundy over some hot, cooked egg noodles and garnish with the remaining reserved bacon. It's great with some french bread too so you can mop up the sauce. I love this dinner!