Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I searched for a lot of beef stew recipes on the web and couldn't find one that didn't have beef broth in it. I can't have MSG and all of the beef broths at the grocery stores had MSG. So, I decided to come up with my own recipe. This made a ton, we will probably have it for two more meals so I would estimate that it serves about 6 people. As with all beef stews that you will cook for a long time there is no need for an expensive cut of meat as it will get very tender in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

2 lbs beef (top round works very well, cut into 1-inch cubes)
1/2 cup flour
1-2 tbsp canola oil
2 lbs red-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 12 oz beer
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp salt plus 1 dash
1 tsp pepper plus 1 dash

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season flour with a dash each of salt and pepper and toss beef cubes in flour until well coated. Sear beef in skillet until browned on all sides. You will probably need to do this in batches, just toss into slow cooker when done. As beef absorbs the oil you will need to add more so you it does not burn. When beef is done, add onions and 1/2 tsp salt to pan and cook until soft, stir well to get all of the brown beef bits off of the bottom of the pan. Add beer to the onions and let reduce by about a third.

Now you're ready to put it all together. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, worcestershire, bay leaves, remaining tsp salt and tsp pepper to slow cooker. Give it a good stir and cook on low for 8-10 hours. The longer you cook it the more tender the beef will get. Give it at taste at 8 hours and decide whether or not you'd like to cook it longer. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the frozen peas.

Serve piping hot in large bowls with your favorite loaf of crusty bread and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top if you'd like.