Transcription
Pot roast is the epitome of cold weather comfort food. I love it, my family loves it, and in order to make the juiciest, most delicious pot roast of my dreams, I'm going to use a few classical cooking techniques to pull out as much flavor as possible. I have a feeling you are going to love this. Let's start off by knocking out some prep. Sound good? Let's cook.
I have a 3 and 1/2 to 4 lb beef chuck roast. This comes from the upper shoulder, lower neck area of the cow. It has excellent beef flavor and it's a fairly inexpensive cut, going for $5 to $10 per pound. Other options would be brisket, top or bottom round, or even a sirloin roast. However, beef chuck is the best. It has great intermuscular fat, or as us old-school guys call it, marbling, and it's usually an 80 to 20 and sometimes 70 to 30 lean-to-fat ratio. As we slow braze this, the fat will melt into the meat, making it extremely tender and flavorful. Now, when purchasing it, it should be bright red in color, and this one needs no trimming at all.
Now, this is a thick cut of beef, so to ensure every bite is flavorful, we're going to pre-season it. This is also known as dry brining. For this technique, you're going to need to prepare accordingly and give yourself 24 hours until it is ready to cook. I'm going to transfer it onto a rack over a sheet tray lined with parchment paper so that all sides of the beef are exposed. We are going to season it with about a tablespoon and a half of coarse salt. I know that seems like a lot, but again, this is a large cut of beef. When seasoning, season high, be about a foot away to cover as much surface area as possible, and when I mean all sides, I mean every side should be well-seasoned in salt. As this beef sits overnight, it will allow that salt to penetrate deep into the center of the cut, making sure every bite is so tasty. I can't say that enough.
Now, you want to put this in the refrigerator uncovered for between 12 and 48 hours, and for me, like I said, I'm going to do 24 hours. After that amount of time, let's pull out our steak. Looks fantastic, and the process of uncovering it, it dries out the outer surface, which is going to help with the sear in achieving that desired Maillard brown crust with the amino acids and sugars reduced to give it such delicious flavors and that beautiful brown color. Now, before we cook it, we are going to season it with cracked black pepper, again on all sides of our beef chuck roast. Then we're going to take it over to the cooktop with some fat, and then I have a 2 and 1/2 gallon Dutch oven pot. It doesn't much matter the metal material, as long as it's at least 2 gallons, you should be fine. We are next going to add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. You could use avocado oil, beef tallow, or lard would also be great here. Let's turn the heat on to high.
Once it begins to smoke lightly like this, it's now time to sear it. Let's add in our beef. Once it is in there, we're going to turn the heat down to medium. Now, because I'm not looking for any medium-rare, medium internal temperature, we're going to take the time to sear this on every side, which is going to take 3 to 4 minutes per side to make sure this thing is golden brown on all sides.
While this is searing, this is a great time to knock out a little bit of prep. I have one yellow onion. You could also use a red, white, or sweet. What we're going to do is slice off the ends, slice it in half, remove that outside peel, and then we want to thinly julienne it, just like this. I'm going to set this to the side. Go back, let's take a look at our chuck roast and give it a flip. Yep, this is why we do this uncovered in the refrigerator. Beautiful golden brown, the flavors and aromas incredible already. Once I'm flipped over, I'm heading back over to my cooktop.
I have two leeks. We are going to slice off the root end and then go up until the green becomes really intense in color, and then slice it off right before that. The dark green part of the leek can be really bitter when you cook it up, but it's great for stock, so be sure to put it in a freezer until you need to make some. Then I'm going to slice this in half longways and then thinly slice it, just like the yellow onion. Now, because leeks tend to be really dirty, I'm adding it to a colander and I'm going to give them a nice thorough rinse under cold water and then just set them to the side. Now, this is good time management, my friends.
Let's go back over to the cooktop. You're starting to see our chuck roast become brown on all sides. I'm just going to stand it up like a little building. Even if it's hanging out of the top, no problem. Again, I want brown on all sides. And for a quick last part of my prep, I have 7 to 8 garlic cloves, which I'm going to thinly slice, keeping it consistent with our onions and leeks. This is going to braise for a while, and these larger cuts are going to be able to stand up to those long cooking times. Okay, our last adventure. Let's go back over. Look brown on all sides, just as I wanted. Excellent. Set it to the side on a plate.
Next, we're adding those onions and leeks right to the bowl. It's going to quickly flatten it out a little bit and then season with about a half teaspoon to one teaspoon of coarse salt, just to help draw out some moisture. We're going to sauté these for about 4 to 6 minutes or until they start to turn really brown. Now, you may not have noticed this before, but I guarantee when you're stirring, you always got your other hand on a hip. Watch out for it next time. It's hilarious, everyone does it. And comically, I really can't overstate the importance of taking the time to get that sear on the beef and the onions. It will pay dividends in the end. The aroma, the flavor, all of that contributes to the overall flavor of the pot roast. It's important, do not skip it.
The onions are looking great, nice and brown, starting to break down. We're going to turn the heat down to low medium and continue to cook them for about 10 minutes while occasionally stirring until they are very soft and much more golden brown like this. At this stage, let's add in our sliced garlic. You know the routine, once it's fragrant, they're done cooking, which only takes in between 30 and 45 seconds.
Now, to begin releasing some of that fond, some of that goodness on the bottom of the pan, I'm going to quickly deglaze with a 1/4 cup of dry red wine. You could also use white wine here. We're going to continue to cook it over low medium heat until it is completely absorbed, which only takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Then I'm going to add in 3 tablespoons of tomato paste. This is going to add great umami, slightly sweet flavors, and a hint of acidity to bring out a lot of body in this pot roast. Stir it in and cook it for another 2 to 3 minutes over low medium heat until it's combined in the onions and garlic.
Then I'm going to add in 3/4 cup more of dry red wine. I'm using Cabernet Sauvignon here. You could use Merlot or even Syrah. Next, I'm adding in six cups of good beef stock. I've got a great homemade recipe if you want to check that out. Then for some aromatics, two bay leaves, 8 to 10 fresh thyme sprigs, 8 to 10 fresh parsley stems with the leaves. Then we're going to season it with coarse salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Give it a stir and be sure to try it out. This liquid should be very flavorful and in return, as it cooks down, flavor up our beef and soon vegetables even more. Like I always say, season once, taste twice. Does it need any more? After this, you be the judge.
Now, let's slide our beautifully browned chuck roast back into the pot. Let's crank the heat up to high because we want to bring it to a boil. And I like to make sure the chuck roast is not completely submerged in the liquid. Doing this will allow that top part of the meat to become even more brown and have a deeper Maillard, which again means more flavor, more aromas, a more delicious meal. Once it is boiling, we're adding on a lid and we are going on a lower third rack in the oven at 325°F, no fan, and it's going to take in between 3 and 1/2 to 4 hours for it to completely finish cooking or until it reaches an internal temperature of 200 to 210°F and is fork-tender.
But don't go too far for too long. So I've got about 90 minutes left in the overall cooking process. I'm going to now start prepping up my vegetables to put them in there. And the reason I do it now instead of at the beginning is because I want my vegetables to be perfectly cooked. I don't like mushy vegetables. And because of doing it at this stage, it goes from a pot roast to a Yankee pot roast, at least that's what they call it. Lastly, basic vegetables in a pot roast are usually onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. For me, I think you can take that a bit further and have some fun. Here's what I'm going to do.
I'm going to start off with four ribs of celery. I'm going to cut them on a bias in 2-inch long pieces. Again, you're going to want these larger cuts to handle some of these longer cooking times. Next, I have 2 lbs of baby Yukon Gold potatoes. You could also use baby reds or even just quartered russet potatoes. Now, while carrots are extremely popular in a pot roast, I'm going to start changing it up a little bit. I have two bunches of tricolored carrots, which equals about six regular orange carrots. I'm just going to give them a quick peel and then I'm going to cut them in the same manner that I did the celery, on a bias, into about 2-inch long pieces. Perfect.
And now to really change things up, I have one fresh parsnip. I'm going to give it a quick peel. I'm going to cut it on a bias in those 2-inch or so pieces. Then towards the end, I'm going to slice it in half and continue cutting it. Excellent. One more root veg that is awesome is rutabaga. Another great one would be celeriac root. I'm just going to peel it and again, try to keep those knife cuts consistent with 1 and 1/2 to 2-inch bias cuts. These look great. And while I know this isn't super classic in a pot roast, you'll find it much more in a French beef bourguignon, also known as beef burgundy, but I just love mushrooms in pot roast. I've got two cups of domestic button mushrooms. You could also use baby Bellas. And in order to get off some of that dirt and any unwanted particles, I was always taught to rub it off with a damp paper towel, just like this. Once they're all cleaned off, I'm just going to add it to that large bowl full of vegetables. And it's funny, the older I get, the more I enjoy pot roasts that are jam-packed with veggies, and this is going to be exactly that.
So, with about 70 minutes left in the cooking process, I'm coming back. Let's have a look at our pot roast. Remove the lid. Fantastic. You can start to see the beef has broken down, the top part is becoming more golden brown, and the liquid is starting to reduce and concentrate in flavor. Now, what I'm going to do is add in all these vegetables. Now, this is going to be a little bit tricky because they're going to want to start to spill over the top. You're going to need your same wooden spoon to maneuver the beef over the vegetables so that it is sitting on top. Now, the vegetables don't need to be completely submerged, they'll still cook, but we want to continue to get that beautiful brown crust on our beef with all the vegetables underneath and around it. This looks perfect. Let's add the lid on there and continue to cook it at 325°F, no fan, for those additional 70 minutes.
Now, because I'm going to want that braising liquid to be like a thick gravy, we're going to need a thickening agent. And in this case, I'm going to make something called a beurre manié. You've seen me do it in my lobster bisque. We are starting with 4 tablespoons of softened unsalted butter. We're next going to add in 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Then using a fork, I'm going to break it down. Then I'm going to switch over to my hands and knead it until combined. After all, beurre manié translates to kneaded butter. You could also just use a roux or a slurry if you'd like, but I think this is the quickest, best way to thicken up our braising liquid. Setting that to the side, I'm now going back. Let's take out our Dutch oven pot roast. Take off the lid and oh yes, my friends, the smells, the looks. All the vegetables are perfectly cooked, the roast is awesome.
Now, to thicken up that braising liquid, let's very carefully set that beef chuck roast to the side on a plate. Then over low to medium heat, we're going to add in a little bit of the beurre manié at a time while stirring it in. It's only going to take about 4 to 5 minutes for it to become like a nice thick gravy, just like this. Excellent. Then for a few more tricks up my sleeve, I like to finish it with about a tablespoon and a half of Worcestershire sauce for some nice natural salts, then a tablespoon of cherry red wine or white vinegar. Some of that acid is really going to make this pot roast sing. Then, of course, adjust any seasonings with coarse salt, fresh cracked black pepper. Try it out, make sure all is well. Then we're going to add that pot roast right back in.
Now, you can get as extravagant with the ingredients or as simple as you'd like, but there's definitely no reason to overcomplicate the procedures because so often simplicity is elegant when it comes to using fundamental classic techniques. That's where all the flavor comes out. All right, let me show you how I plate this up. Now, you can actually serve this right in the pot, and I definitely recommend doing so. I like to just finish off with a little bit of finely minced fresh parsley and some thyme leaves. Or, if you want, you can serve it up on a plate. To do this, you'll notice how easily it shreds with two forks. Take a nice big chunk out, put it right on a plate, load it up with plenty of that braising liquid gravy and vegetables, then just like the other one, finish it off with some more finely minced parsley and fresh thyme leaves. Oh, amazing.
And if you follow these steps of making sure the beef is seared, the onions are caramelized, your braising liquid is flavorful, and adding all the vegetables you want, I promise you, you will have perfect pot roast every single time. I think you and your family and friends are really going to dig this. Now, if you like it, I bet you will love my picanha steak. I reverse-seared it on the smoker, and it is just, oh, is it good. Got a great recipe video. See you on there.