Beef Daube

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces
• 1 31/2-pound beef chuck roast, fat and any sinews removed, cut into 2- to 3-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons mild oil (such as grapeseed or canola)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 yellow onions or 1 Spanish onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 6 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic head, halved horizontally, only loose papery peel removed
• 11/2 pounds carrots, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and halved or quartered lengthwise, depending on thickness
• 1/2 pound parsnips, trimmed, peeled, halved crosswise, and quartered lengthwise (optional)
• 1/4 cup Cognac or other brandy
• 1 750-ml bottle fruity red wine (I know this may sound sacrilegious, but a Central Coast Syrah is great here)
• A bouquet garni - 2 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 rosemary sprig, and the leaves from 1 celery stalk, tied together in a dampened piece of cheesecloth

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350.
2. Put a Dutch oven over medium heat and toss in the bacon. Cook, stirring, just until the bacon browns, then transfer to a bowl.
3. Dry the beef between sheets of paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the bacon fat in the pot and warm it over med-high heat, then brown the beef, in batches, on all sides.
4. Transfer the browned meat to the bowl with the bacon and season lightly with salt and pepper.
5. Pour off oil in the pot, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, & warm it over medium heat. Add the onions &shallots, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until the onions soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and parsnips and give everything a few good turns to cover all the ingredients with a little oil. Pour in the brandy, turn up the heat, and stir well. Let the brandy boil for a minute, then return the beef and bacon to the pot, pour in the wine, and toss in the bouquet garni. Once again, give everything a good stir.
6. When the wine comes to a boil, cover the pot tightly with a piece of aluminum foil and the lid. Slide the daube into the oven and allow it to braise undisturbed for 1 hour.
7. Pull the pot out of the oven, remove the lid and foil, and stir everything up once. If it looks as if the liquid is reducing by a great deal, add just enough water to cover the ingredients. Re-cover the pot with the foil and lid, slip it back into the oven, and cook for another 11/2 hours (total time is 21/2 hours). At this point, the meat should be fork-tender - if it's not, give it another 30 minutes or so in the oven.
8. Fish out the bouquet garni and garlic and skim off the surface fat.
9. Serve the beef and vegetables moistened with the sauce.

bacon, chuck roast, mild oil, salt, yellow onions, shallots, garlic, carrots, parsnips, ubc, bouquet garni

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/beef-daube-50151083 (may not work)