By: Kitty j
i rubbed the spices (other than allspice) into the beef and left uncovered in fridge overnight. It browned wonderfully. I added the alllspice after a few hours in the slow cooker (after I had gone to the store). My guests loved the clove flavor and I don't think it was too much; that said, I have just over 4.25 lbs of meat and increased the wine, tomatoes and veggies by 50%. I couldn't find polenta or yellow cornmeal so used white cornmeal for polenta and it was so bland in color and flavor that I added about 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and that made it great.