Beef Pot Pie with Beer Biscuits

Ingredients:
4 bacon strips - coarsely chopped
2.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
1.5 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp black pepper
1 large onion - chopped
3 medium carrots - cut into small rounds
3 celery stalks - sliced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/3 cup flour
1 can beef broth
1/4 cup water
2-3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme
2 cups all purpose flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
6 TBSP butter - room temperature cut into small cubes
3/4 cup beer

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp and brown. Remove to a crock pot, reserving grease. Season beef with salt and pepper; cook and stir over med-high heat in bacon grease until browned. Transfer to a bowl.

Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir well. Stir in broth, water, beef, Worcestershire and thyme; bring to a boil. Add all to the crock pot, stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours.

For biscuits, whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry knife until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough beer to make a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 6 biscuits. In the last 1/2-1 hour of cooking - place biscuits on top of stew and cover with a towel and lid.
*For a more herby biscuit add 1/4 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp thyme to the dry ingredients.

**Allergy-free Substitutions:
Flour - all purpose Gluten-free flour
Biscuits - replace with GF Bisquick mixed according to instructions and replacing liquid with beer