Active Time: 1 hour
Start to finish: 3 hours

Ingredients:
1 ½ lb. Onions, sliced
About ½ cup canola oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¹⁄₃ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 lbs. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½ inch cubes
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 bay leaves
2 (12 oz.) bottles of Red Seal Ale
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook onions in 2 tablespoons oil in a 6-to 8- quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325F. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Pat beef dry and toss with flour mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet until hot but not smoking, then brown beef in batches, adding as browned to onions and adding more oil to skillet as necessary. Add Worcestershire, mustard, bay leaves, thyme, and enough beer to pot to just cover beef and onions, and then bring to a simmer. Cover pot and braise stew in middle of oven, stirring in brown sugar after an hour, until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Season stew with salt and pepper.