It takes 2 days to make it right.
Season the meat with rough cracked black pepper and kosher salt. A pinch or 2 of garlic powder. Brown the meat with olive oil (not extra virgin) to like, just south of "burned" and then deglaze the pan with a good red wine, or brandy if you want to follow the recipe properly, but I've found merlot makes it better. Get all those brown bits off the bottom. Then add beef bone broth to the deglazed pan and bring it to a low boil. Add fresh thyme and a bay leaf. Stick it in an oven for 2 to 3 hours.
Let cool, skim fat, remove bay leaf, and refrigerate overnight.
Next day, before serving, quarter a whole yellow onion. Melt about 3tbsp of very good quality French salted butter (I like President cultured butter). Let it melt in the pan and just about brown, but it should smell a little nutty. Then add onions. Let them sear and blister, getting brown around the edges. If you use merlot and need to "sweeten" it a bit, add some red onion too. When the onions are brown and blistered, remove and add some finely diced garlic. Hot butter should have that ready for the meat in about 20-30 seconds. Add meat, toss to cover, add broth, and warm over low heat to a slow boil.
While you're doing that, cut a thick slab of a crusty French loaf, and toast until it's almost a crouton. Cover it with shredded gruyere cheese and then I brown and blister that cheese with a pastry torch. Put that on the bottom of the bowl. Add chunks of meat, pour stew over, and garnish with more fresh chopped thyme and parsley.
Serve and enjoy.
I only do it once or twice a year. But goddamn, it's worth it.