"Boeuf Bourguignonne" Crockpot Style

2 strips bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 c. flour
Salt and Black pepper to taste
2 lb chuck roast, excess fat removed (cut into 1" pieces)
1/2 bottle dry red wine
2 c. low-sodium beef broth
2 T tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 c. frozen carrots
1/2 lb mushrooms

Preheat large skillet or nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, combine flour, salt and pepper (I used about a T of each) in a Ziploc bag. Place meat in the bag and shake to coat.

In the preheated pan, cook the bacon until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside for later. Add the meat to the pan and cook just until all sides are browned. Remove the beef and add to the slow cooker.

When all the beef has been browned, add 1 c. wine to the hot pan and scrape up any brown bits with a wooden spoon. Pour over the beef in the crockpot.

Mix the remaining wine, tomato paste, and beef broth. Pour over the beef in the crockpot. Add the bay leaves and bacon pieces.

Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook for 4 hours, until the beef is tender and falls apart when pressed with a fork.

In the last 30 minutes add the carrots and mushrooms. Discard the bay leaves before serving. Serve by itself, or over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

This is a recipe that I modified from my "Cook This, Not That" cookbook. In there it is called "French Pot Roast". The recipe calls for peas and pearl onions, and no carrots. I also modified the directions a bit to make it a bit easier to follow. A person could easily change the vegetables to suit their tastes or to try different flavors.

**My husband and I both really enjoyed this meal. We ate ours with mashed potatoes on the side. The next time I make this I will try cooking on low for 8 hours. The 4 hours on high was great, but it's hard to do that unless you're home. I use my crockpot for the ease of preparing dinner before I leave the house and being able to eat it when I get home. I will sometimes use a timer plugged into the outlet, but that doesn't work with my larger crockpot (since I have to push buttons instead of flipping one switch).