Beer-Baked Irish Beef

6 slices bacon, diced

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground allspice

2 ½ pounds cubed beef stew meat

4 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces

4 large onions, cut into eighths

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 bay leaf

1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer

Place the bacon in a large nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat until crisp and brown. Remove the bacon pieces and set aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet.

Place the flour, salt, black pepper, and allspice in a large plastic zipper bag, and shake a few times to combine. Place the beef stew meat into the bag, and shake to coat the meat with flour mixture. Place the meat pieces in the skillet with the bacon drippings, and cook the meat until brown on all sides.

Remove the browned meat to a slow cooker, and add the carrots, onions, garlic, parsley, rosemary, marjoram, and bay leaf to the cooker.

Pour the beer into the skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, scraping all the browned bits of flavor from the bottom of the skillet. Pour the beer into the slow cooker, over the meat and vegetables. Cover, and cook on Medium setting until the meat is very tender, 4 to 5 hours.

Before serving, remove the bay leaf, and sprinkle the stew with the reserved bacon pieces.