- Fry the bacon in a dutch oven until it’s crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve
- Dredge the meat chunks in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess, and sear in small batches in the remaining bacon drippings
- When browned all over, remove with slotted spoon and reserve
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Sautée the vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and the garlic in the remaining fat (adding additional oil if necessary), until slightly softened and onion is translucent
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Add the meat back into the dutch oven with the vegetables, add the thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne
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Pour in 24 ounces of Railway City’s Amber Ale; enough to just cover the meat
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Scrape the bottom of the pot to free up any stuck bits
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Add the red wine vinegar and the brown sugar, taking a bit of time to adjust the amounts of each to get a really nice balance and counter-play of sweet and sour in the stew
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Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for several hours until the meat is tender
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Spread one side of each slice of your bread with some dijon mustard, using enough slices to cover as much surface as possible of your particular pot
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Place the slices mustard side down on top of the stew, drawing and spooning broth up and over the exposed top of the bread slices
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Cover the pot and cook 30-40 minutes more
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At that time, remove the lid, stir the now-softened bread to thicken the stew and toss in and incorporate those bacon bits
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Let the stew rest off the heat for a few minutes to soften the bacon and you are good to go!