The Art Of Eating'S Carbonade À La Gueuze

Dry the beef with a paper towel, and cut it into roughly 2-by-2-inch pieces, following as much as possible the breaks between muscles. In a large, heavy pot with a lid, brown the meat well in fat, working in batches so as not to cool the pan by crowding-for 30 minutes or more. While the meat is browning, chop the onions coarsely. Remove the browned meat to a warm dish.
Over medium heat, brown the onions in the pot, adding more fat as needed, about 12 minutes. Add the flour, mixing it with the fat and cooking it for 1 minute. Add the beer while stirring. Return the meat to the pot, and add the herb bundle, 1 teaspoon of salt, and grindings of pepper, mixing all together. The meat should be almost fully immersed; if not, add more beer (or water, broth, or stock). Cook at a very low bubble, placing a heat diffuser under the pot if necessary and setting the lid either more or less ajar to help control the temperature. Cook the meat until a skewer slides easily in and, especially, out-about 3 hours. Remove the meat and about half the onions with a slotted spoon; discard the herb bundle. Carefully skim the fat from the liquid. Boil it, if necessary, to reduce it to the consistency of rich but runny cream. Return the meat and onions to the pot, and heat them thoroughly. Taste, and add salt and a little sugar, as needed.