Pot Roast

POT ROAST

I make the tomato and red wine version. This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen.

Serves 6-8

Begin checking for doneness after 2 hours. The roast should be at 210 with a meat thermometer for at least 1 hour.

INGREDIENTS

1 boneless chuck-eye roast (about 3 ½ lbs)(they wrap in twine)

salt and ground black pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

1 small carrot, chopped medium

1 small celery rib, chopped medium

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp sugar

1 c canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 c canned low-sodium beef broth

1 sprig fresh thyme

1-1 ½ c water

1/4 c dry red wine

1. Adjust oven rack to middle portion and heat oven to 300 degrees. Throughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast throughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8-10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broths and thyme, scrapping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up and only half way up the sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until fully tender and meat fork or sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, 3 ½ to 4 hours.

3. Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Boil over high heat until reduced to about 1 ½ cups, about 8 minutes. Add red wine and reduce again to 1 ½ cups, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Using a chef’s knife or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch thick slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer meat to warmed serving platter and pour about ½ cup sauce over meat. Serve passing remaining sauce separately.

POT ROAST WITH ROOT VEGETABLES

Serves 6-8

Begin checking for doneness after 2 hours. The roast should be at 210 with a meat thermometer for at least 1 hour.

INGREDIENTS

1 boneless chuck-eye roast (about 3 ½ lbs)

salt and ground black pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

1 small celery rib, chopped medium

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp sugar

1 c canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 c canned low-sodium beef broth

1 sprig fresh thyme

1-1 ½ c water

1 ½ lbs carrots (about 8 medium), sliced ½ inch thick(about 3 c)

1 ½ lbs small red potatoes, halved if larger then 1 ½ inches in diameter (about 5 c)

1 lb parsnips (about 5 large), sliced ½ inch thick (about 3 c)

1/4 c dry red wine

1. Adjust oven rack to middle portion and heat oven to 300 degrees. Throughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast throughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8-10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broths and thyme, scrapping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up and only half way up the sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until almost tender and meat fork or sharp knife meets little resistance when slipped in and out of meat, 3 to 3 ½ hours. Add carrots, potatoes, and parsnips to Dutch oven, submerging them in the liquid. Continue to cook until vegetables are almost tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Add red wine. Boil over high heat until vegetables are fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a warmed serving bowl or platter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Using a chef’s knife or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch thick slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer meat to warmed bowl or serving platter and pour about ½ cup sauce over meat and vegetables. Serve passing remaining sauce separately.

POT ROAST WITH MUSHROOMS TOMATOES AND RED WINE

Serves 6-8

Begin checking for doneness after 2 hours. The roast should be at 210 with a meat thermometer for at least 1 hour. This is the recipe I tried.

INGREDIENTS

1 boneless chuck-eye roast (about 3 ½ lbs)

salt and ground black pepper

2 T vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped medium

1 small carrot, chopped medium

1 small celery rib, chopped medium

10 oz white button mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp sugar

½ c canned low-sodium chicken broth

½ c canned low-sodium beef broth

½ c dry red wine

1 can (14 ½ oz) diced tomatoes

1 sprig fresh thyme

1-1 ½ c water

1 sprig rosemary

1. Adjust oven rack to middle portion and heat oven to 300 degrees. Throughly pat roast dry with paper towels; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast throughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8-10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and beef broths, tomatoes, and thyme, scrapping bottom of pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up and only half way up the sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until fully tender and meat fork or sharp knife easily slips in and out of meat, 3 ½ to 4 hours.

3. Transfer roast to carving board; tent with foil to keep warm. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use a wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Add rosemary sprig. Boil over high heat until reduced to about 1 ½ cups, about 8 minutes. Discard rosemary sprig. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Using a chef’s knife or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch thick slices, or pull apart into large pieces; transfer meat to warmed serving platter and pour about ½ cup sauce over meat. Serve passing remaining sauce separately.