Beef Stew à la Mode

1¹⁄₂ lbs. beef brisket
Flour
4 tablespoons rendered fat
1 onion
¹⁄₈ teaspoon pepper
6 cloves
2 teaspoons salt
2 slices lemon
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground allspice
¹⁄₈ teaspoon nutmeg
Water to cover (about 1 pt.)

Buy two and one-half or three pounds of brisket to get one and one-half pounds of clear, lean meat. Cut the meat into one inch pieces, roll them in flour, and fry them in the fat till brown. The onion may be sliced and added when the meat is nearly brown. Put the meat with the other ingredients into a small cooker-pail, cover it with hot water, boil for ten minutes, and cook it in a hay-box for five hours or more. If left for many hours the meat becomes a trifle dry, but otherwise the stew is not injured by overcooking. The gravy may be thickened, if desired, with flour and water mixed together in equal parts. The bones may be put in with the stew during the cooking and removed before serving, or they may be used to make soup stock.

Serves five or six persons.