What's Cookin': Belgian Stew

OK, so this isn't one of those "OMG it's so tasty, you need to make it right now" sort of recipes, but it's one I go back to at least a few times a year... which is to say, posting this recipe here is as much for me as it is for you. As far as the question of "what makes it Belgian?" goes, I'm going to have to guess it's primarily the beer. Now, on to the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/4c. flour
• 1T salt
• Fresh-ground pepper
• 2lb. stew meat, appx. 1" cubes
• 1/2 large onion, diced
  
• 1/4c. cooking oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, whole
  
• 1lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 12oz. "dark" beer (you may need to experiment here for taste... I find stouts leave a bitter aftertaste when cooked, but most darker/more flavorful beers will work for this)
• 1T Soy Sauce
• 1T Worcestershire Sauce
• 1T Steak Sauce
• 2t. Thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Equipment

• Shallow bowl or similar for dredging meat
  
• Dutch Oven
  
• Wooden spoon, suitable for stirring/sauteing

Procedure

• Combine flour, salt, and pepper in the shallow bowl.
• Dredge the stew meat in the flour mixture, to evenly coat the meat cubes, discarding any excess flour mixture.
  
• Heat the cooking oil over medium heat in your dutch oven.
• Add stew meat and onion, until the meat is browned and the onion has softened.
• Add remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
• Bring the contents of the dutch oven to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.

The source recipe I'm working from suggests boiling up some potatoes, tossing them in butter and parsley, and serving the stew with a little ring of potato bits around them... but, for my purposes, it's just fine to quarter and boil a potato, drop it in a serving bowl, and cover with stewy goodness. Either way, this recipe should handily serve 6-8 people... personally, I tend to just cook a half-batch, portion it out, and refrigerate or freeze what I'm not using that night.